Okay, this is one of those posts with something for everyone.

So even though the 5k is over, I've still been going out running in the evenings. The weather has been really nice and such so running outside has been quite comfortable. However, I like the idea of tracking running data on a day-to-day basis. When I get home, I usually load up a map program to track how far I've run. I can't track speed very well though. I've come across the Nike+iPod sport kit:
 
This thing looks really cool as it tracks your running data on the iPod while you play music, and you can sync the data online through iTunes. While it is really cheap ($29), the problem is that it requires you to have an iPod nano. I'm pretty old school when it comes to iPods. I have an old 3G 20gig iPod from about 4 years ago. I replaced the battery in that thing a few months ago and it's still going strong. I also have a 6gig iPod mini which has served me for almost 2 years. The 20gig iPod has gone to Janice, and she uses it in her car. However, with the iPod mini, I've considered getting rid of it so that I could buy a Nano... until today.

I came across this blog post as I was surfing the internet this morning:
http://geektechnique.org/
 
It explains how the old iPod minis used standard Microdrives, and the logic board is set up to accept higher capacity memory cards. That is awesome news. Basically, given a compact flash card, you can increase the memory in the iPod mini to whatever you want. Theoretically there is a maximum ceiling, but it's somewhere along the lines of 137GB or something like that. Anyways, that made me decide that I'm keeping the iPod mini. Even if I get a Nano, I'm gonna hang on to the mini. CF prices continue to drop so next year it's possible that I could have a 32 GB iPod mini. That's bigger than our old 3G iPod and it'd be flash based too! I think this can only be done with the 2nd gen iPod mini, as the first gen had a logic board that allowed it only to address 4Gb of storage. On top of that, the other iPods are hard drive based (which is a little harder to replace) or flash chip based (which can't be replaced without doing some fancy soldering). But dorkiness aside, it's cool to know that I can tinker with my iPod to make it way better than any of the iPods that are out there right now.
 
With regards to the Nike/iPod nano thing. I've decided that if I can keep up running on a regular basis for 4 weeks, I'll get a nano with the Nike thing. That way I can justify my purchase. Otherwise there's a danger that I'll just spend the money and then stop running altogether. We'll see if I can keep it up. I do like the feeling of having just run, but it's tough to get on a strict schedule. Today should have been a rest day for me, but I decided to run anyways. I can feel my legs getting sore even as I type. I guess if I can't keep up the discipline, then at least I can still play Wii Sports.