Hacking the iPod Nike Sport Kit
This morning when Melissa and I walked up the steps to the running path along the drive I hit the Nike+ Sport Kit button to begin my workout to see the ominous message along the lines of "You must first attach the receiver before commencing your workout". That's what happens to me when I am tired. I had come down 9 floors in an elevator and walked 100 yards to the start only to discover that I had forgotten to plug the darn receiver into my Nano. Looks like I'll be back on my watch to keep time instead today.
We ran the 5 mile course in just over 48 minutes and then walked back to the apartment. In the shower I mulled over how I might add my workout to the Nike+ site since, if you're like me, I would never remember a week or two from now that my list of runs were missing 5 miles from today. I'm a bit of a stickler and a total nerd so I figured that there was something I could find on the Nano to be able to recreate my run.
I wasn't so much looking for accuracy, just to be able to capture the fact that I ran 5.15 miles. I have my iPod setup to act as a hard disk so I have access to the files on it. I also have my windows explorer setup to show hidden files, which the iPod files are listed as. A quick dig around the files on my Nano while it was connected shows that there are two key folders for tracking your runs. There is a directory for your historical runs: {ipoddrive}:\iPod_Control\Device\Trainer\Workouts\Empeds\{personal pedometer id}\synched\ and another for your latest runs which haven't been synched yet: {ipoddrive}:\iPod_Control\Device\Trainer\Workouts\Empeds\{personal pedometer id}\latest\ My synched directory contained a run from September 3rd over the same distance and roughly the same time. I copied the file from my iPod to my desktop and then opened it using WordPad to see the contents. It seems that the iPod tracks key events:
- power song
- pace check
- mile split
- km split
- pause workout
- resume workout
- stop workout
Use this information for good and not for any evil you may be considering but I am delighted this little hack worked! Of course, in an ideal world, this kind of hack wouldn't be necessary and the Nike+ site would allow you to add workouts you didn't do with your sport kit connected with some limitations like 1 per week or something to avoid people cheating themselves.
In short, I edited the file, changing the & to the word 'and' and it uploaded fine, even though there was a run already uploaded that came after the offending workout.
Hope this helps someone avoid fretting about a lost workout!
J
I'm gonna try to create a local offline program to deal with the data instead of using the Nike website.
I wanted to know if it was possible to access raw data on my ipod before I buy this kit.
Your article was very helpful, thanks! :)
*add to christmas list*
I'm gonna try to create a local offline program to deal with the data instead of using the Nike website.
I wanted to know if it was possible to access raw data on my ipod before I buy this kit.
Your article was very helpful, thanks! :)
*add to christmas list*
thanks,
Barbara
Thanks.
I was told by a person at the store where i bought my Nike + iPod that it would work on any ipod, regardless of the fact that all over the box it says to use it with your Nano. The problem i have here is that i have a very multi-purpose ipod and use it for things other than running, but running included. is there anyway to somehow put the nano software onto a 30 gig video ipod and maybe run both the original software and the nano software at the same time? I have no idea if this is even possible but it seems that ppl here know what they are doing.
Thanks for the help if you've got any.
Can you use you own powersong? At the moment I take trance mixes and add beeps in the mix so I know where to run and where to walk. (run-walk-run method). How is this actually working with the voices? All I can make out of the descrptions online is that a voice tells you about your progress etc. I noticed last week in an update of my nano software it downloaded 16mb of stuff related to the runningkit which I dont even have yet. Just curious if I can use this software. I'm hoping to figure out how to play 2 mp3's at the same time. One mp3 only with beeps playing together with any unedited trance mix. Saves me editing all my trance mixes all the time.
What software comes with your kit? I'm not too bothered bout all the data. I create routes on www.gmap-pedometer.com and time with my watch. Which I add in a excel spreadsheet.
You have the freedom and flexibility to select a power song on the iPod nano itself from your library of songs. The only thing I noticed was fairly obvious - if you update your playlist for your ipod and the powersong is no longer on the ipod it doesn't automatically grab it for you. I only noticed when I hit the powersong button and it beeped then continued with the current song. Hmph. Your trance mixes with beeps sound like a good idea. I have no idea how you might get two mp3s playing at once but with the announcements it just fades the current track out and back in again while he or she speaks.
The kit doesn't come with any software besides the stuff to run it on your ipod. It does, however, allow you to sync your runs up to the nike+ website where you can track your progress etc. I love it.
Finally, I don't know if you were aware but this blog is a subsection of the WalkJogRun.net website for tracking and sharing route information with Google Maps. It predates gmap-pedometer by a couple of years when it used to run on maps you uploaded yourself.
Thanks Again!!!
/Volumes/[name of your ipod]/iPod_Control/Device/Trainer/Workouts/Empeds/
And then find your user id folder. Or, for less typing, double click you iPod icon, then with the iPod finder window focused, hit Command-Shift-G, and type:
iPod_Control/Device/Trainer/Workouts/Empeds/
Note that there is no slash at the beginning.
Lastly, for easier access in the future, you can select the Empeds folder, or your user data folder, and make an alias of it and store that alias somewhere closer to the top level of your iPod (or even on your computer). The easiest way to do this is to click and hold on the folder you want to make an alias, then press the Command and Option keys, and drag to the location where you want the alias to be stored. You should see a little curved arrow in the lower left corner of the folder icon as you drag; that means you'll create an alias when you drop the folder.
http://www.nikeplusedit.com/