"Running can sometimes be a painful chore, but the Nike + iPod Sport Kit not only puts the fun back into burning calories, it can boost a runner's performance in the bargain. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit's Power Song feature, in particular, has a way of making your forget how far you've run -- and how tired you are," Eric Gwinn reports for The Chicago Tribune.

"If you're a casual or serious runner, Nike and Apple have teamed up for a great way to boost your workouts with music and track your performance via the Web," Gwinn reports. "The Nike + iPod Sport Kit -- US$29 -- is a thumb-size transmitter that fits into your shoe and a thumb-size receiver that connects to an iPod nano -- $149 to $249."

"Nike's line of NikePlus shoes -- $80 to $100 -- has a cavity in the left midsole that cradles the transmitter. The $100 Air Zoom Moire shoes I used to test the system are light, stable and comfortably hide the transmitter, but you don't need the Nike shoes. Go to http://www.podophile.com to see how you can use Velcro, needle and thread to attach the transmitter to your current pair of shoes," Gwinn reports. "With each step you take, your foot lands on the transmitter and wirelessly sends messages to your iPod nano, whose screen shows you how far you've run, how fast you're running and how many calories you've burned. Before your first workout, run at least a quarter-mile to calibrate the Nike + iPod Sport Kit to your stride. The system is fairly accurate."

"After my run, I connect the iPod nano to my computer, and my workout data feeds my account at http://www.nikeplus.com. Up pops a bar chart for every day I've run. The higher the bar, the farther I've run. Holding my cursor over a bar reveals the distance I ran on that date, how fast I ran in miles per hour, how many calories I burned, and how long I ran. When I click on that bar, another chart opens that indicates my speed at each point in the run. A red dot shows at what point in the run my Power Song kicked in. Every time I connect my iPod nano to the site, I'm building my running history," Gwinn reports. "This is a great system that has me looking forward to the pleasureful pain of running to music."