Inspired by this new running fanatic, I just bought myself one of these (thanks, girl! Until now, I thought I had to have a Nano in order to use Nike+). I didn’t want to splurge on a Garmin, so this seemed like a healthy (read: cheaper) compromise.

I’m sick of relying on running buddies to tell me how far we’ve gone and at what pace. Plus, this will be an easy way to track my progress.

For about $80 (including S+H and a shoe pouch for the sensor I bought separately), this system is less than half the price of similar devices I’ve seen. Even on sale, the cheapest Garmin will still run you $170, plus they seem like sort of a pain to use.

Anyone used the Nike+ SportBand? What do you think?

ETA: A good motivation tip… if you’re ever feeling blah about working out/training, buy yourself some gear to put a little pep in your step. Seriously, there’s nothing like new workout clothes/shoes/gear to get me going. It doesn’t have to be pricey, either. It can be as simple as a $4 wristband in a fun color (I also bought some of those today). I hope no one thought I was buying the wristbands in a hipster-ironic way. Noooo, I actually use them to wipe away sweat on my longer runs.