Put an iPod Nike+ sensor in any running shoe in one minute for 5 cents

Using the Nike+ system is truly awesome, but my feet don't like Nike shoes so I needed to figure out a way to put the sensor into my regular running shoes. I found some shoe pouches on Amazon, but didn't want to pay $10 for a tiny piece of neoprene that I could get myself.

Before I ran to the store to get some fabric to sew together for a DIY pouch, I decided to do a super-simple hack that has ended up being my long-term solution. This has lasted me over 250 miles so far without a problem.

All you need beyond the Nike+ kit is a knife and a safety pin. I don't really know how much a safety pin costs, but I'd guess 5 cents.

If you're not familiar with the Nike+ system, you can check it out here:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/

Step 1 Get the stuff

A nice short list.

- Running shoe
- Nike+ kit
- Knife
- Safety pin

Comments

[Ashleyrah]

This technique worked wonderfully for me. I tried this after it kept falling out from under the laces. Thanks!

[fungus amungus]

Cool, glad to hear it!

[vprimlani]

Hi there! I am starting to train in vibram five fingers too.. (the longest I've run is about 8 mi in them), and bought a nike+. I am wondering, must I put the sensor on the shoe? Can I carry it in my water belt, and have it still work?

[fungus amungus]

Ahsleyrah is right. It's an accelerometer that measures your running speed by how one foot is moving so putting it on your waist should make it much less effective. Still test it out, but that's my guess.

Depending on your VFF it may be easy enough to sew a pouch for the Nike+ sensor onto one of the straps, however.

[Ashleyrah]

It's designed to be worn at the foot, so it gets innacurate if worn higher. If you really want to test it out just run on a track with it in your water belt and see how accurate it is for you

[Electroinnovation]

wow...and i've been using one of those giant ugly holders that goes on the laces. Thanks A TON!!!

[GAMER1200]

 Thats a great Idea, but I love my shoes too much to cut them. Cutting them didn't lead to tearing of the tongue for you did it? Thats really my main concern.

[fungus amungus]

Eh, they're running shoes. They're going to get trashed soon enough anyway. Even so, this didn't lead to any tearing or other further damage.

[luvmypeanut]

The only thing I would do different is "thread" the safety pin the same way you cut it with the knife (kind of like a base stitch).  That way, in case the tounge starts unravelling, you would already have it pinned.  If you don't understand, ask someone who sews.

Thanks,
luvmypeanut

[zachninme]

Does it work well? When its under the heel, the pounding activates the peizio element, but will it work when its in there?

[flavors23]

no piezo. jst tri-axle accelerometers

[fungus amungus]

It's been working fine for me. I get distance readings that are within 2% of what I map out and even that is often due to me running up and down hills.

[zachninme]

Just curious-- did you calibrate it? My mom just got one, and I don't know if we should, as I'm not sure how we will know that she ran exactly a mile :P

[kcb1301]

If you know of a school with a track near you, that is the easiest place to calibrate. One lap around the track is a quarter mile. Just be sure to run on the inside lane of the track.

[zachninme]

Yeah, the school is just over a mile away. And ours has staggered lines on it, so I'm assuming that if you start on one, and stop at the solid one, you've ran 1/4 mile.

[kcb1301]

Just start and stop on the same line and that will be a quarter mile. You can pick whichever one you want.

[flavors23]

no stupid. you only start n finish on the same line on the first lane. its longer on the outer ones so u hav 2 stagger n finish on different lines.

[fungus amungus]

'<strong> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/">gmap-pedometer.com</a>!!! </strong><br/><br/>I did calibrate it. My readings were under by about 10% before I did that and now it's +-2%. <br/><br/>She should just do a few runs and then map out her route to see if it's off. If it is, which it probably will be, then she should calibrate it. I did it at a track. You run a few minutes as a warm-up, start it at your beginning marker, and stop it at a mile.<br/>

[Tungsten]

gmap-pedometer.com is awesome! Thanks for the link!

[zachninme]

Ah, okay. Thanks.

[sarahfish]

 So no issues once you calibrated?  Do you calibrate often?  Everyone (general web consensus) seems to really stress that the sensor be flat...

Just started with the whole Nike+ thing, love it, but don't wear nike, and the little lace-pouches are HUGE on my size 5 feet!

[fungus amungus]

I had no issues once they were calibrated and used them this way for about a year. After that I cut out a hole under the insert and put them there. Now there's no room on my shoes for a sensor at all (Vibram Five Fingers) and I've stopped using it.

[D4VOBRO]

LOL your feet don't like the nike shoes and Thats why you didn't get the shoes, please tell me it was because of the price. It's ironic that you don't want to spend ten dollars but were willing to spend heaps more on the shoes. Thanks for the instructable by the way

[fungus amungus]

I take it you haven't had the fun of going shopping for running shoes. Nikes tend to run narrow, or at least they did the last time I checked. If you're going to be logging hundreds of miles in a pair of shoes you need to get a pair that make your feet happy. Besides, the price I paid for my shoes was about the same so no real savings.

[dskoldqvist]

There's a specialty store in California that sells Nikes that are wider. Nike does make them, but no one carries them. I have wide and flat feet, so I end up paying lots more for my shoes. If you want to check it out, try fleet feet. I don't know how many stores they have but they are a corporate chain. The sales reps actually help you pick shoes based on your goal, gait, and foot shape. I velcroed my sensor to my tongue, and after calibration it seems to be right on for my runs, which are only 3-5 miles.

[fungus amungus]

Interesting. There are a few Fleet Feet stores near me. I've been experimenting with ChiRunning and as such my shoes needs have changed quite a bit. On some of my shoes there's not even any room for the Nike+ sensor.

[lilpepsikraker]

Ugh, at least I'm not the only one with wide, flat feet. I'm a 13 year old wearing a 10 wide and my back kills if I don't put in an innersole. I don't run enough (and listen to enough music, lol) to get one of those sensors, but they look damned cool.

[dskoldqvist]

When I was 11 years old, I was running track and when I got done my feet hurt so bad I wanted to cut them off. I went to a podiatrist and got custom insoles made to properly arch my feet. They cost more than the shoes you put them in, but if you are serious about running or spend a lot of time on your feet, you should look into it. It will help with back pain, too. I don't really run enough to use the sensors either, but I got it as a gift and its fun to use. I like having Lance Armstrong cheer me on!

[lemclaughlin119]

is there anyway to make this wor with any other kind of ipod?

[fungus amungus]

Nope, just nanos.

[rpkid920]

and the touch...

[Hawaii00000]

I 've always wish there was another way! Who knows there are so smart hackers out there.

[moelekunz]

I've read all this stuff about "only works with iPod Nano" that you've written but using the link you provided in your instructable, it lead me to a page saying it worked woth the iTouch as well.....?

[fungus amungus]

When I wrote this, the touch didn't exist yet.

[cymonian]

yay mizuno

[Boring_Jester]

not trying to spoil the fun but the nike + ipod sensor is not actuate in the tounge. it has to be in the bottom of the shoe. if you don't want to buy a pair of nikes then cut a hole in the bottom of the trainer. just search on the instuctibles website to find out how to do a professional job of it. if you you ran 100km with the sensor in the tounge of your trainers then you probly ran around 130km even if you calibrated it. try this link http://www.instructables.com/id/Nike%2b-iPod-Nano-Shoe-Mod/

[fungus amungus]

Doing the full work of putting the sensor in the bottom of the shoe is better, but this technique has worked well for me. This is with calibration and double-checking my routes on google maps as well as running on a track.

[Boring_Jester]

ps. sorry about the spelling

[dwilasnd]

 Why would it matter if the sensor is a little higher as long as I calibrate it to a 1/2 mile in the tongue of the shoe vs. calibrate it for 1/2 mile in the sole of the shoe? Is the distance between the sensor and the nano the issue? Then my wife who is a foot shorter than I am is running alot shorter distances?

[hsv1971]

I´ve just bought a new nano (8 gb), can I use my nike + with the it? what will happen to my previous runs?