From heart rate monitors and iPods packed with coaching advice to shoes with special chips, Sohini Chattopadhyay checks out some cool running accessories.
MICOACH ZONE:
From the Adidas stable, this miCoach Zone is a wristband device which has a heart rate monitor attached and gives you information about your heart rate in colour-coded LED display.
Price: Rs 4,999
Where: Select Adidas stores in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore and Mumbai
WAIST PACK:
Ask any endurance runner and s/he’ll tell you that the difference between going the distance and running out of steam is often hydration. And appropriate nutrition. Stopping on the run can upset your rhythm, so we zero in on this two-bottle waist pack. Once again, it’s Kalenji because it’s difficult to beat their price. Made of 95 per cent polyester, the belt is designed such that the bottles are held in a tilted position, making it easier for you to grab a drink while you are running. The belt also has a pouch where you can store an energy bar or two.
Price: Rs 699 (shipping costs extra)
Where: www.decathlon.com
Stopwatch:
Every serious runner worth his/her sweat has a marathon dream. And while the heart rate monitor is a handy gadget to have around, the humble stopwatch is absolutely essential to realising that dream. We pick out model number 616855, which measures time up to one-hundredth of a second, from Kalenji. And it can give you up to ten split times, which means, you can record your time for a total of ten intervals during your run.
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Price: Rs 999 (shipping costs extra for orders outside Bangalore)
Where: Decathlon Sports India, Survey 96/1, (Old No. 96) Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
MICOACH PACER:
Running is intensive, and runners are prone to injury. Personal training can help avoid this. And while there’s nothing like having your own personal trainer, this cute little device comes close. It dishes out coaching advice through headphones or an mp3 player, which means you can even mix it up with your music. The pacer is packed with a heart-rate monitor and a stride sensor which relays information about the length of your stride, your pace and distance covered. The stride sensor can be clipped to your shoelaces or placed inside the adiStar and Supernova shoe models.
Price: Rs 8,999
Where: Select Adidas outlets in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore and Mumbai
HEART RATE MONITOR:
You could skip the audio coaching, fancy shoes and all that jazz and go straight for the sensible, no-frills, heart-rate monitor. Running is, after all, the ultimate cardio workout. The French sporting goods brand Kalenji retails in India through a Bangalore-based firm called Decathlon and they have a range of heart-rate monitors. We think model 8077752 offers good value for money. In addition to alerting you when your heart rate falls outside your targeted zone during a run, it also records cardio information about your training session.
Price: Rs 2,999 (shipping extra for orders outside Bangalore)
Where: Decathlon Sports India, Bangalore
Contact: www.decathlon.in
NIKE+ IPOD DEVICE:
Talk about branding. The American sporting goods giant actually has a whole range devoted to running. Nike-Plus gear includes a specially-designed, iPod/iPhone-enabled device, sport bands and specially-designed shoes where the Plus gear fits in. This basically means a sensor that fits cosily inside a groove under the sockliner of your shoes. The iPod device plugs in neatly to your iPod or iPhone and tracks the distance covered, time taken, pace and calories burnt while you run and listen to music. The running information is available at the click of a button through audio messages. After your run, you can even plug the device into your computer and log on to iTunes in order to automatically upload the information about your latest run to Nikeplus online. However, do remember to check your iPod/iPhone for compatibility.
Price: The device has been designed in association with Apple, so you don’t pay anything for it. However, the sensor kit costs Rs 2,000. And, of course, you pay for your pair of shoes from the Plus range
Where: Select Nike stores in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore