As we all know, long distance runners are lonely. You’re out there on your own, feet hitting the pavement, strange birds pecking at your hair as you scramble up and down alien streets at dawn or dusk. It’s good to have friends out there.

That’s the goal of this new iPhone app, called Runens, a goal that, I feel, so far falls short. You set a goal level – 5K, 10K, Ultramarathon – and then “share” your runs with with the app. It ranks you according to miles run and speed and you can have “hood fights” which are battles between neighborhoods. The goal of this app is similar to JoggingBuddy.com’ – essentially the socialization of a usually stoic, solitary endeavor – but, obviously, this thing is app-based and is, thus far, a bit barren in the social aspect.

In the end, this app is basically a very good running log. The social portions are interesting but considerably underdeveloped and although you can tap a few buttons to track your run, this doesn’t make running any more social than passing someone on a trail: you’re both basically running alone. You can follow runners on a built-in leaderboard and see other runners on a map, but it’s not like you can tap one of the glowing icons to initiate a race or make a running buddy and, to be fair, it’s not like I’d want someone tapping my icon to find out where and who I was.

In terms of features I think Runkeeper has this app beat but in terms of price – Runens is free [UPDATE: just noticed RunKeeper was free now as well] – the app can make an interesting addition to your daily regimen. A few glaring issues including lost network connectivity and GPS issues marred my experience with the app but it’s brand new and produced by one guy in New York, Marcio Cyrillo, and worth a few tries before ash-canning it.

Product Page

The good lads over at BirthdayShoes.com put together an interesting presentation on VFFs and barefoot running. It’s fairly concise and nicely designed so I’ll excuse the fact that “free ebooks” are pretty dumb generally.

The [beginner's guide] is a twenty page e-book aimed at V5F “newbies” because let’s face it, foot gloves aren’t your typical footwear (1) and (2) any shoe that requires measuring the length of your foot from heel to longest-toe on your longest foot and then using that measurement to determine your shoe size by matching it on a grid by model and gender — well yeah, VFFs kinda need a guide!

You can grab a PDF here or just read it above.

Available starting July 15th is the brand spankin’ new Nike+ SportBand. The $59 watch-like device will be available in grey with pink, dark with yellow and black with red. The SportBand gives vitals, like calories burned, distance, pace and time. Oh, the new improvements include a white background screen to make the numbers pop and a “welded seal to improve water resistance.”

One more thing. Nike has combined NikePlus.com with NikeRunning.com.

Nike Running [Nike]

Why, oh why, did these lady deprived dudes, not only create the system to physically run in World of Warcraft, but then film themselves for all of us to make fun of them. Why? 

via Gizmodo

I’m a big fan of Nike and have been since I was a kid. One of the many perks of growing up in Oregon meant you probably knew someone who worked at Nike, which meant you could get stuff at the employee store for cheap. I might have to hit up some friends when the latest Nike+ product makes its way into stores. The FCC has revealed the SportBand which connects to a bracelet that syncs with your Nike+ shoes and completely eliminates Apple and the iPod. When you’re done with your runs, simply plug in to your computer over USB and check out your stats. I’ve started running again so this might actually be worthwhile for me.

Many, many, many years ago, I made peace with the fact that I’ll never run a marathon. It was an easy decision because I find running excessive distances to be painful and boring. It’s just not for me. I admire people who can do it, though.

The New York Times has an interesting article about a marathon rule that forbids the use of music players in the name of safety and fair competition. Those of you who are destined to run a marathon some day or who have already completed a marathon, I ask you; how would you feel if your digital audio player was either confiscated from you before the race started (and shipped home) or if you were disqualified in the middle of the race for hiding a tiny iPod in a crevice of some type?

Rule Jostles Runners Who Race to Their Own Tune [New York Times]

I had an incredible opportunity to visit the Reebok campus and see what effect the Adidas takeover had on the company and its vision for the future. What they showed me blew my mind. When the Spring ’08 lineup hits stores, you’ll find me first in line somewhere in Manhattan. Two separate lines of running shoes will change your mind about the current state of running shoes and what you’ve been putting on your feet. Reebok is going back to the basics and they’re going to kick some ass. Welcome SmoothFit and HexRide.

We have more information at a Running Gear Review, so check it out. Essentially, these are the most comfortable Reeboks I’ve worn in years — in fact they’re probably the most comfortable running shoes.

RGR Exclusive: Hands On With Reebok’s SmoothFit, HexRide [RunningGearReview]

Following the success of the Nike+iPod Sport Kit that’s taken the running world by storm is the Amp+ watch that commandeers your iPod nano while you’re jogging off that flab. It even has a fancy scrolling LED giving you updates on your workout. We’re still unsure of the official release, but you can check out the manual and test results in the mean time. Now get up and run, fatty.

FCC Filing

Overall, I’d definitely say the Apple/Nike deal is a success. With the world’s largest shoe manufacturer teaming up with the maker of the most popular MP3 player, it was already a match made in heaven. Now Nike has announced that users of the Nike+ system have logged over 22 million miles. That’s enough running to go around the world and back for a stop at In-N-Out Burger.

Currently, Nike is planning on adding a slew of new features to the official Nike+iPod website this summer, including virtual marathons and challenges to keep things interesting. With the country getting fatter and bored with everyday exercise, this is a fantastic way to keep fit and enjoy yourself. Beating a personal goal is fun, but kicking someone else’s ass is much more fun.

22 million miles logged by Nike+iPod runners [iLounge]

Runners
Gracie’s Gear helps you fight flab and cancer at the same time, with their Power Pouch line of sports bras (see picture above). Available in pink, green, black, or blue, as well as in long and short versions, the Power Pouch can accommodate your iPod or other music player in a zippered pocket. When I’ve tried them on Word on the street is they’re very comfy — and best of all, 50 percent of proceeds go to fighting the Big C!

Apple and Nike made a big splash last year with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit for the iPod nano. This is really a pretty impressive system, especially if you use it in conjunction with the Nike+ Web site to track your progress and use the cool community features. It tracks your speed, distance, and calories burned, as well as personal bests like fastest mile or longest run.

When you’re running, the most important feature of headphones is a secure, comfortable fit. Altec Lansing’s AHP227 headphones are an excellent budget-oriented choice that have soft rubber ear clips and sound very good for $14.95.

Gym Rats
Ahh, the gym. Grinding, grunting, sweating, and picking up hotties meeting other fitness-minded individuals. Nothing can help you push your limits like a good GWAR song, so gear up right!

Many gyms broadcast the TV audio via FM radio, making the Apple iPod Radio Remote a must-have for iPod owners who want to keep their eyes and ears glued to the tube while they sweat. (Most non-Apple players have built-in FM tuners, of course.)

When you’re squatting 350 pounds, you’ll want headphones that can keep pumping tunes while you pump iron. Sennheiser’s Sport Fit headphones have rubber knobs on each ear bud that slide into the ridges of your outer ear for a secure fit. The sweat-resistant MX 75 comes with different size rubber pads that accommodate any ear size. And they don’t block out too much sound, so you can hear the sound of tendons tearing your spotter if you need to.

When you’re working out, cables can be a drag, not to mention dealing with an MP3 player if you’ve got no pockets. Think’s HeadTrip 2 MP3 headphones are a self-contained MP3 player/headphone combo with up to 2GB of storage, and they’re lightweight and comfortable with decent sound — and no wires! It’s got a built-in rechargeable battery, and you don’t need to install any software on your computer to load it with tunes.

Skiers and Snowboarders
Apparently, wiping out — hard — is what snowboarding is all about. (Sadly for me, skiing is the same way.) Thankfully, Otterbox makes some extremely tough cases for most iPod flavors, so even when you crash and burn, your iPod will emerge unscathed from the wreckage. And they’re waterproof too.

Protecting your iPod while snowboarding is one thing, but you should also protect your head. Helmet maker Giro’s Tune Ups II snow helmets come with built-in headphones so you can listen to music instead of the sounds of your bones cracking. (According to my friend Joe, it also keeps crazy people from talking to you.)

Swimmers
Can’t live without music while you’re doing laps in the pool? H2O Audio makes waterproof cases and headphones for iPods that are submersible up to 10feet.

The H2O Audio-series cases include sport armbands they’ll accommodate most iPod models. The company’s waterproof headphones are also compatible with Otterbox iPod cases.

Or if you’re the scuba type, you can pick up the DV-i300, which includes an iriver MP3 player, waterproof case and headphones — and it’s good for depths up to 200 feet!

Cyclists
Prefer getting your exercise on two wheels? Just keep in mind that in many states, listening to headphones while riding a bike is just plain illegal — so don’t get caught! But you can still put the heavy metal to the pedal with the iHome iH19B portable iPod speaker, which has locking mounts specifically for bars. The integrated case holds your iPod inside and is splash resistant, so you won’t fry anything if it starts to rain.

If you’re really industrious, you can even build your own bicycle-mounted iPod charger so you can add a little pedal power to your iPod’s battery — or just about anything else, for that matter. (Thanks GeekTechnique.org!)

I’ve been a runner since sophomore year in college. It was easy to take up and easy to do — just go in a straight line and don’t fall — and aside from a few years of Kenpo Karate and some bouts at the gym I did very little else in terms of real exercise. I felt happy that I could run two miles, come home, shower, and get on with my day. But I felt something was missing, and it was the challenge.

I live along the opening stretch of the New York Marathon and often watched the runners chugging down Fourth Avenue here in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, still fresh and relatively unscathed by their run. I always wanted to join them, to prove that this ex-fat kid and current slovenly poppa could make it to the end of the line and not keel over, nipples bleeding and bowels evacuating all over the finish line. Well, I’m giving it a go this year and am running the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in June. Here is a brief description of the gear and gadgetry I’m using to train.

to attach the sensor to my shoe. My favorite part of the Nike+iPod kit? When you hit a personal record — distance or time — Lance Armstrong or marathoner Paula Radcliffe pop on and tell you you did a good job. Why does this please me so? I don’t know, but it’s like the peanuts in the Cracker Jack — you suffer through the toil in hopes of getting that one tasty morsel of praise.

gummy earbuds that fit perfectly and seem to be totally indestructible. Sure, they’re not giving me all my highs and lows, but the rubbery surface ensures they don’t fall out of my head.

I have the iPod in an magnesium case by Pacific Rim that has thus far survived rainy evenings and enough of my salty sweat to drown a horse. I listen to audiobooks during my runs, mostly because music is more unpredictable and jarring than some guy droning about Osama bin Laden and actually much less interesting.

I’ve also tried out the UpStage and the Nokia Xpressmusic 5300 for the music features but eventually started carrying them as a back-up phone during my run. Both of these phones are extremely small and extremely light but the Nike+iPod features are too good to give up.

I used to wear my mechanical watches when I ran but suddenly realized that hitting mile 20 in a beautiful, handmade timepiece was probably not the best idea. Instead, I picked up a Casio Sea Pathfinder SPF70T-7V . It’s a $169 solar watch, which means it’s charged by light, and has a compass, barometer, and depth meter along with a temperature sensor. It also has timing functions.

This has become my de facto running watch although I did try the Garmin Forerunner 305 but I found it a bit bulky. The 305 is a real GPS watch and can plot your course over time, allowing you to replay courses and record your routes for posterity. It also has a heart rate monitor, which I used for a bit but never really found necessary.

I wear Ray Bans when I run — these black ones I bought a discount store in Brooklyn for about $40 — although I also wore HiDefSpex for a while as well. They were alright, but I prefer polarized lenses.

HiDefSpex

I got a few pairs of special running socks and this little lifesaver as well: Body Glide. It’s a personal lubricant that comes in a stick and is great on chafey places like between your legs, on the edges of your feet, and — garrrrr — the nipples. If you’re lucky, I’ll shoot some video of me applying it with a Barry White soundtrack in the background.

UPDATE – When it’s cold, I’ll wear a ScottEVest fleece that has a Napolean pocket at the breast and two central pockets. I keep the iPod in the upper pocket and everything else in the lower pockets. I was able to hold two water bottles, a phone, and my iPod during a half-marathon last weekend without even noticing the weight. When it’s warm, I’ll clip the iPod to my shirt or an armband I had left over from an old Creative MP3 player I had.

While this may sound like a shopping list, it isn’t. This is essentially the gear that I settled upon when researching this run and found it to be the most useful gear for my particular running style and milage. Shop around and find gear that’s right for you and happy trails.

Summer is around the corner and, although it may not look like it outside, you might soon want to walk on the beach with your shirt off and not have Greenpeace try to roll you back into the surf. That’s why CG is running a full set of fitness features — round-ups, advice, and great tech tips — to help you prepare for warmer weather.

Let’s face it. The CG crew consists of a bunch of overweight, pasty dudes who blog in their pajamas. What right do we have to tell you how to get and stay fit this Spring? Luckily, we enrolled the help of a few fairly fit people and, since I’m running a marathon in June feel compelled to tell you what does and doesn’t work before you hit mile 10 with a broken iPod in your pocket.

Read on and let’s all lose a few, feel better, and let the summer sun glint off of our oiled, muscled biceps. Whoa… did I just type that?