With the Chicago Marathon ending last weekend, us nerds had the chance to watch thousands of finely-tuned athletes make us feel like the computer-zombies that we are. We often forget that the internet, web coding, and assorted hackery aren't the best contributors to our personal well-being and many of us end up sitting on the couch frittering away endless hours doing battle with our friends on XBOX Live. The good news is that Apple, along with Nike is making it easier and easier for geeks like myself to *gasp!* enjoy working out a little here and there. Not only does Nike offer it's own deliciously geeky gadgets for tracking your running times, but recent Nike+ integration into the iPod Nano and iPod Touch has given almost every geek with an "iAnything" the built-in power to track their workouts, or lack thereof.

If you have an older iPod Nano or iPod Touch, you'll need to buy the Nike + "kit" in order to have Nike+ integration. The full kit including the iPod dongle and shoe sensor (also known as the "shoe puck") retails at the Apple Store for $29.99. If you have a current gen iPod Nano or iPod touch you have Nike+ built in! And, based on the recent trends, it looks like every iPod and even the iPhone will soon incorporate the Nike+ dongle right into the OEM hardware, either way, you'll need to buy the puck for your shoes and it retails at the Apple store for only $19.00. The puck inserts into your Nike+ shoes (or other shoe if you are resourceful) under the sole and measures your foot strikes, calculating your distance based on how often your foot hits the ground.

The Nike+ kit is very easy to set up. Just put the puck in your shoe and walk around a bit to get the Nike+ software on the iPod to recognize the puck's signal. Then, you can choose to either calibrate the software to your exact running stride for complete accuracy or use the default stride length – I chose to use the default stride and unbelievably, it was almost 100% accurate both in terms of distance and calories burned based on a treadmill test. Once you are all set up and ready to run, you can choose what type of goal you would like to reach including distance, time, and even burned calories. Or, you can simply do a free run with no set time limit or goal. Choosing music works how you think it would on an iPod: You can choose to shuffle all of your songs or play a playlist during your run. One annoyance, however, is that you cannot choose individual songs—you have to make a playlist first. You can also set a "power song" to summon when you feel like you need a little extra kick to help you finish your workout—just hold the center button for a couple of seconds until the song begins playing (a quick push of the center button will also tell you your current time, distance and pace). While running, a soothing (almost too soothing) female or male voice will tell you when you've reached certain milestones in your workout such as the halfway point or when you are nearing the end of your set goal. This is a great motivator. Another nice touch is Lance Armstrong congratulating you at the end of any runs where you beat your personal best or workout past the set goal. It's odd, but if feels REALLY good to hear this little reward. As a side note: I'd love to see the royalty checks Lance receives for that, Apple.

Upon the completion of your run, you stammer back to your favorite spot (in front of the computer) and sync your iPod normally...iTunes will then zap your information to your nikeplus.com account where you can see your runs, track progress, and set goals for yourself. There are some neat community features that nikeplus.com offers to its users, such as the ability to earn trophies for reaching goals, widgets you can use on your website for others to see your running progress, and even the ability to compete with friends and strangers who also have Nike+. For some, especially geeks, the site may not feel as polished as other Nike offerings, but overall Nike has done a good job with the user experience. The geek in me wishes that you could download your workouts into a spreadsheet of some sort for further data collection/manipulation.

Over the past eight months or so that I've been running with a Nike+ kit, I've thought of a few helpful hints that might help you geek your workout, get motivated, and see some success. Here's just a couple things that you should try when planning a Nike+ run, or any run in general:

1. Choose the right songs to match your stride.
There is no better way to bogart a run than choosing the wrong music. In many cases, the music that you listen to determines the tempo and feel of your run, so choose songs that are upbeat and energetic. Most people will take around 95-108 steps per minute while jogging, so try to find songs that match that tempo. You don't need to know the exact 'beats per minute' of the song, just make sure you aren't jogging to something like Unchained Melody. You'll find that your body will want to synchronize your strides with the music you are listening to, so try to pick songs that match your pace and if you can find ones that match your stride exactly, even better.

2. Think about the music you are listening to and nothing else.
While you run, try to "sing" or think out the lyrics to the song in your head. If that doesn't work try to get completely involved in every aspect of the song—whether it be thinking of the guitar, drums, or beat. This will divert your attention away from how bad your legs hurt and how tired you are and make the run fly by much faster.

3. Don't eat just before you intend to run.
Eating before you intend to run (and even a couple of hours before) will put your body into digestive mode. Digestion zaps a lot of your body's resources, and will leave your run feeling sluggish, forced, and difficult. You know what I am talking about – you've had a "food coma" before. Running on an empty stomach will also help you burn the right calories; if there is food in your stomach, your body burns it...if your stomach is empty, your body burns off fat. Go easy on that last slice of pizza while you are installing those Ubuntu drivers and think about running first.

4. Challenge yourself.
You've shown your stuff on the battlefields in Call of Duty 4, earning every perk and running through rank all 10 times—unfortunately, those challenges won't rid your body of that inner tube you've got sitting around your waste. Running is a different kind of challenge. Having a good run is all about mental drive, persistence, and testing your physical limits. Setting a goal is important to make sure you aren't selling yourself short. Your nikeplus account has some fantastic goal-setting features that you can utilize to set realistic goals for yourself. USE THEM.

5. Find a buddy.
Running with another person is a great motivator and it's even better if you can find someone who will compete with your Nike+ goals. Taking the solidarity out of running is a great social solution to motivation.

6. Don't be a hamster.
For some, running on a treadmill is just fine. Depending on the resources you have available to you, running while watching TV or reading may be a good option. The problem with running on a treadmill is that your workout is undoubtedly going to be monotonous and counter-productive. Stepping outside will get you the fresh air your lungs need while running, and also provide you with a more efficient workout. Trust me, two miles outside is much more strenuous than two miles on a treadmill. The subtle inconsistencies in the pavement, wind, and elevation changes keep you working hard and your time will be better spent.

7. Break old habits.
This one is easy. Instead of surfing the net or playing video games, force yourself to get a run in. Exercise is habit-forming and eventually, you'll find yourself looking forward to working out.

8. Notice the new you!
Possibly the best motivator is noticing how your mood and self-image is affected by the occasional workout. It goes beyond just fitting into an old pair of pants—it means feeling better about yourself as a person and noticing that your attitude is generally more positive. You'll notice that on the days you do not run, you have the same old dingy feeling you had before you started your workout regimen. Remember to think about the overall mental and physical feeling you have when you aren't running.

Just remember that it doesn't take a New Year's resolution to get started…save some of that extra coin you'd spend on a new WoW laser mouse and spend twenty bucks on a gadget like Nike+ that will give your health, well-being, and confidence a boost. Afterall, fixing kernel panics all day isn't going to help you on the dating front.

Photo by Wendy Bumgardner

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