MeTa post: Buenos Aires Meetup

I'll be in Buenos Aires just this weekend (15-16), before crossing that Big Ol' River to Montevideo. Anything happening then?
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 4:31 PM on March 10, 2008

MeTa post: October running & walking challenges

No, it's supposed to be a 14min mile. Longdaysjourney has contacted the runner+ admin to correct this.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 9:02 AM on October 1, 2007

MeTa post: Metafilter Walking Challenge

Here it is, also on runner+.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 3:59 PM on September 9, 2007

Yeah, the running challenge has a minimum pace of 9 min/km, which is about 14 min/mile. There's some kind of display bug on the site, causing that 6 minute mile to pop up. It doesn't affect the runs that are taken into account though.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 4:40 AM on September 10, 2007

I think it makes sense to set the walking challenge max pace limit in correspondence with the running challenge min pace limit, i.e. at 9 min/km (14min/mile?). This would be especially convenient for the people who participate in both challenges, as their walks/runs get assigned automatically to the right challenge.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 10:06 AM on September 10, 2007

Well, you could change your settings to the metric system, set up the pace limit, and then change back to imperial. No need for heart-breaking choices...
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 1:31 PM on September 10, 2007

LDJ, the pace bug looks fixed now.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:26 AM on September 11, 2007

MeTa post: Your single monthly running challenge post

This site is a lot faster and feature-rich than nike's own offering. It's got automatic syncing with nike+ runs (so no extra data entry for the old school nike+ runners) and manual entry of your run data (so no need for any specific running computer). Support for the Garmin kit is currently under development. Here's the mefi group. Ready for some competition? Longdaysjourney, do you want to set up the walking challenge?... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:56 PM on August 24, 2007

Yup, I set the pace at 7 minutes per kilometer, the whole mile confusion is apparently some display bug at runner+ (challenges feature is brand new, so cut them some slack..). It seemed a pretty doable pace to me, even for starters, but I guess I didn't take warm-up and cool-down pace into account. So, no problem, i'll raise it to 9 minutes per k.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:14 AM on August 25, 2007

Allright, we're all set to go then. Thanks!
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 6:04 AM on August 25, 2007

ufez jones

Regarding your playlist-comment, here's a link to the 'powersongs' used by runners on runner+.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 6:09 AM on August 25, 2007

Yeah, google maps is a good way to check the reliability and accuracy of your pedometer, I even used it to check the calibration of my nike+ kit.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 6:36 AM on August 25, 2007

web-goddess, glad to hear you're on the mend. Easy does it!
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 6:39 AM on August 25, 2007

bDiddy, glad to see you're in. It's possible on runner+ to send out email invites to individual site-members or to all members of a group. But I don't really intend to send out invites for the next challenges. Whereas the nike+ format obliged you to send invites to everyone who wanted to join a challenge, on runner+ people can just join a group and/or challenge without the need for an invite. I never really feel comfortable hitting those 'invite all' buttons, it's awfully close to spamming in... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 8:23 AM on August 29, 2007

Final results for the August running challenges. Imaginary medals for all!

distance:
ajr 134.8k
middleclasstool 131.8k
ponystyle 109.3k
web-goddess 91.7k
sanitycheck 88.6k

speed 5K:
pj_rivera 23'34'
ajr 24'06'
freebird 24'28'
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:24 AM on September 1, 2007

MeTa post: The HTML error is gone, but the [Flagged] remains!

What brute show of admin omnipresence.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 11:10 AM on August 29, 2007

MeTa post: Metafilter runs in August

longdaysjourney - No need to withdraw from July's challenge. As far as I'm concerned you won it fair and square. (As long as no one runs 100k in 2 days...)

But I do feel you're in a league (and discipline) of your own at the moment, and as such a bit out of place in the future running challenges. I think the sentiments in the thread above justify setting up a walking challenge. If you want, you could set it up on nike+, and I'll mention it in my monthly call for... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 12:33 PM on July 30, 2007

Final top 5 standings for the July distance challenge:

longdaysjourney - 229.85k (gulp)
ponystyle - 81.71k
pj_rivera - 80.67k
middleclasstool - 59.64k
freebird - 50.22k

Congrats to all!

On the Runnerplus.com site it's possible to output your run data to a csv-file. Another way to escape nike's smothering proprietary embrace of your run data.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 3:29 PM on July 31, 2007

I don't think it's even possible to withdraw from your own challenge. A team challenge might work with sequential on your side...He's worth at least 5 mefi runners!

I forgot to put this in the earlier standings post, but AJR ran the fastest 5k in July (22'49'). Not too shabby, dear sir!
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 4:37 AM on August 2, 2007

well, it is a great site, but challenges are not yet possible, although they are about to be implemented. When and if they are available on runnerplus, I am in favor of organising our challenges there, since different running systems would be supported. (even garmin, i believe) It is even possible to enter running data manually.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 7:50 AM on August 10, 2007

Here's all about the september running challenge. We've moved to runnerplus.com.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:52 PM on August 26, 2007

MeTa post: July Running challenge

It would be great to open up the running challenges for users of other GPS systems/pedometers. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this in a convenient way are welcome.

You could of course make a tally of all the runs from different systems at the end of a given month, but a lot of the fun in a challenge lies in the quasi real-time updates of your closest competitors.

For the nike+ challenge info, several widgets (php) exist to extract the run... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 3:05 AM on June 29, 2007

Hey ph00dz, I'appreciate it if you'd take a look at this.

For the June challenge, I sent out invites to 26 mefites. Of those 26, 16 uploaded running data to the challenge site. Other than this small monthly call for challengers on metatalk, no real effort to recruit other mefi runners is made. Currently, we seem to be in a pretty steady pattern of monthly distance challenges.

One thing's for certain : every time a new challenge is announced on... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 7:12 AM on June 30, 2007

Here are the final distances of the June running challenge for the top 4:

1.pj_rivera - 100.4k
2.dness2 - 80.71k
3.AJR - 80.7k
4.odiv - 71.5k

Yay for me...!

I've sent out invitations to the new participants. If you've just now registered on the Nike+ site, it might take a day or so before you can join the challenge.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 4:56 AM on July 1, 2007

MeTa post: Strap on your running shoes!

I’ve invited everyone to the distance challenge for June. A couple of invitations bounced back to my inbox, so if you didn’t get the invite, check in the challenges window of the Nike+ site to see if you can join the challenge there. If not, post a comment here or email me, and I’ll try again.

As to the concurrent speed challenge Jon proposes, I’d be happy to set one up. To limit the ‘invite spamming’, I’ll just send invites to the challengers who ran 5K in the previous... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:39 AM on June 1, 2007

I've added you guys to the challenge. I have to warn you though, AJR has run something like 17k in 2 days, so things aren't looking too good for the rest of us...

About the armband: I've got the black/red Nike armband, which is OK I guess. I believe it comes in two sizes. Recently they started selling a new version of the armband which has a window in it for the ipod screen. A whole lot more practical than the 'old' windowless one.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 11:09 AM on June 3, 2007

Well, I try to look at his feats as some kind of positive stimulation. He's just trying to give us something to aim for, you know... rather than face the fact he's just too damn good. and getting better all the time. gulp.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 3:41 PM on June 3, 2007

MeTa post: Metafilter Runs v.3.1.

@plutor : cabal says no.

Let's protect the privacy of the innocent and the unfit. Actually, I'm not aware of any widget to post the challenge info to the web (there's one for your personal running info).

@Agentrocket : You saw right through my cunning plan. However, I do suggest we go back to the regular schedule for June (1 month/most km). btw, for the speed challenge, my money is on AJR.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 6:02 AM on May 15, 2007

I'm pretty sure the best 5k over the couse of a given run is automatically taken into account for the challenge, no matter what the total distance of the run is.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 7:19 AM on May 15, 2007

bDiddy, take a look at this blog post.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 9:52 AM on May 15, 2007

aargh...link
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 9:53 AM on May 15, 2007

I second those emotions. One minor nitpick: the kit doesn't play nice with my polar heart rate monitor. Apparently the two signals interfere with each other, causing the connection between ipod and shoe chip to drop.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:08 PM on May 15, 2007

Great, I'll add you to the challenge. What's your Nike+ screenname? Is it dness2?

In the meantime, here's hoping nike & apple remember where to send my cheque.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:10 AM on May 18, 2007

MeTa post: What do you want to read next?

Mmm.. I like books. and nerdy cataloguing.
About a year ago I entered the contents of my bookcase into the previously mentioned Delicious Library application (sweet barcode scanning). Apparently, a filter does exist to import DL-files into Librarything. Let's see if I can figure it out.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 5:19 AM on May 2, 2007

MeTa post: Metafilter Runs 3: The Reckoning

The second Metafilter run was won by AJR, who ran 90.17km over 30 days. 11 mefites took part in this challenge.

Bdiddy, if you want I'll "reissue" the last challenge via the nike plus page. I believe that all the previous participants get a new invitation this way, and I can add any new participants who put their nike screenname in this thread.

Instead of the whole month, I can set up a run for the first 2 weeks of May, to accommodate... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 8:34 AM on April 26, 2007

Allright, I've set up the challenge. Your invitations should arrive shortly.

Good to hear from you, AgentRocket. If I remember well, we were quite evenly matched. May the best mefite win. ;-)
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 12:30 PM on April 26, 2007

MeTa post: MetaFilter runs (again) on nikeplus

oops. Did I say Nike+ login? I meant Nike+ screenname.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 1:01 PM on March 6, 2007

gizmo is called 'nike + ipod sports kit' and costs 29$. Basically it measures the distance and speed of your run. Pretty accurately too. On connecting ipod to itunes after your run, your run info is uploaded to the nike+ site.

from apple's site : "Transform your iPod nano into a personal workout coach with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. This wireless sensor and receiver combination works exclusively with your Nike+ shoes and iPod nano to give you real-time feedback... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 1:51 PM on March 6, 2007

Indeed, only with the nano (1st & 2nd generation). It does work for walking however.
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 2:11 PM on March 6, 2007

Okay, welcome to all new challengers. We're off and running. Let's see who takes the early lead.

If anyone else wants to join the challenge, you can still post you nike+ screenname here and I'll send an invite, but you'll have to play catch-up...
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 3:57 AM on March 12, 2007

MeTa post: I am new to Nike+iPod, and am having fun with it,...

I've just started running, also got sucked into this running game by cabel sasser's post. No fancy nike shoes for me either, I just put the transmitter in a small plastic bag under my laces.

I'm pjrivera on the nikeplus-site. Please invite me to the challenge!
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 7:20 AM on January 20, 2007

yup, I received an email with link to nike+ page to accept the challenge. I'm running in kilometers, so I hope I've got a slight edge there...
posted to MetaTalk by pj_rivera at 9:43 AM on January 20, 2007