In Which I Saved $150 By Cutting Apart My Shoes

As I’m progressing in my marathon training, I realized I was going to need some sort of distance tracker sooner rather than later. My first thought was the Garmin GPS watch thingy. It’s pricey (upwards of $150) so I was putting it off until after the half-marathon, when I started doing regular 14-mile runs. (A distance I file under SGR– shit’s getting real. I believe that anything below 14 miles is still technically considered NFA.) But the reality of where I do my long runs — no where with mile markers — and the fact that I often want to run a different course than the one I had mapped means that I needed something to tell me how far I was going.

Then Leah suggested the Nike wristband. For $60, plus the $20 shoe sensor, you get a pretty damn accurate distance tracker (even “real” runners say so). And you can upload everything to Nike.com, which is kind of cool. OK. So, $80. Half the price. I could do that.

So I started looking for the best price on the wristband and on Amazon.com, I came across the information that if you have a nano or ipod touch, you don’t need the wristband. All you need is the sensor. Newer ipods have the tracking technology already in them! I was starting to get the kind of buzz you get from saving serious cash. So I needed the $20 sensor and then a little $10 shoe pouch to put it in. (Nike shoes have a spot for it, but because I don’t run in my Nikes anymore, I needed a way to put it on Asics.) OK so $30. Getting warmer…

But this was Friday night. And I needed it for my run today. Where to find the little silicone pouch for the sensor?

So…I decided I could get thrifty and make one. I can sew; it wouldn’t be a major project. (I’d probably spend more time choosing fabric for it though, to be honest. I’d stand in Jo-Ann’s for a good 30 minutes debating, “What does a purple pouch say about me? What color tank tops do I run in most?”) But then I decided to get super thrifty, and, after a little more clicking around the Internet, found out that I could simply hack apart my shoe and put the sensor in the tongue. For…free.

So that’s what I did!

I got the sensor yesterday. It was $20…and my mom owed me $20…so it was actually free! It’s a cute little sucker.

Then I got an Exacto knife and cut a small slit in the tongue of my shoe. Yes, I was kind of peeing my pants as I cut apart my new shoe. And double yes, I pretended to be on Grey’s Anatomy while wielding the knife.

The slit shouldn’t be very big, just about the width of the sensor.

The tongue of a shoe is actually quite hollow inside, so I stuffed a cotton ball in it so the sensor wouldn’t move around. Then I put the sensor in.

And then I safety pinned it shut.

BAM! From $150 + to….$20.

Isn’t it amazing what you can find on the Internet!?

To get the Nike+ system to work best, you have to calibrate it first, which just means you run or walk for a set distance so it gets your stride. So I decided to take it for a little quarter-mile jaunt! And…it was time to break in the new running belt!

I knew I needed a belt soon, but writing that post last week about safety finally pushed me to get one so I could carry my phone. I found this Sportline one at Wal-Mart, and here’s why I love it. It has two pouches for your stuff, and it has an ipod pouch. An ipod flip-up spot, where your ipod hangs upside down so when you want to change it, you just flip it up and it’s going the right way.

As someone who frequently slows wayyyy down to change the song on her arm — which is awkward and was bound to result in me tripping/crashing/dying at some point — this is the most life-changing invention ever!

So I put the ipod in the pouch, strapped it on, and took the whole new shebang out for some calibration! It was so exciting. The ipod found my sensor in my hacked-up shoe and got my stride! This afternoon, I’ll input how far I want to run (10 miles) and what playlist I want to listen to (the one creatively titled “10 miles”) and off I’ll go! It will track my pace, calories, and let me know when I’m halfway done, and then all done.

It’s perfect running weather today and I cannot wait to get out to use this! Best $150 I’ve never spent.

Tagged as: half marathon training, Nikes, running