With the limitations of running in urban Manila, I spent some quality time in the excellent gym at the Peninsula. There I was transported across the globe and ran in both Monterey and New Zealand…at least according to the visual cues from the Life Fitness treadmill.  This was my first run on a digitally connected treadmill.

Monterey was the first course I ran on the treadmill. Given that it was on a relatively flat road, it felt quite natural. I enjoyed the natural beauty of I place i was acquainted with and the motivation of passing virtual personas of other runners doing the same course around the globe. The virtual personas displayed their login name, real location and distance from me.

My trail run in New Zealand was not as good. For this second run, I downloaded the LF app and logged in. The terrain was stunning, but that was part of the problem…with every step, I felt like I needed to be adjusting my stride or landing as in a real trail run. But ultimately I was only maintaining the uniform pace on a monotonous treadmill. As I finished, I worried that this was negative training, setting me up to be less careful and aware the next time I hit a real trail. One of my colleagues at the hotel, also a trail runner, had similar thoughts.

And there weren’t any other virtual runners on the NZ route…had I signed in incorrectly or failed to adjust the settings? Or were folks staying away from South Island at the time I ran?

As you can see in the photos, the Peninsula has a great pool….22m and well-suited for lap swimming…but the purpose of this blog isn’t NP2S.

As I finished up I felt like the LF treadmill with the virtual interface had not yet achieved its full potential.

For a runner, the combination of new scenery and the social (albeit limited) interaction with other runners was a big draw…maybe better than the workout class focus on the new Peleton treadmill. But to reach its full potential, it should:

—-Display the virtual personas of other and their pace…a challenge to keep up or avoid being passing.

—-Allow some simple touchscreen communication to other personas on your route: Good job!” “Let’s go!” “Looking good.”

—-The app also hasn’t reached it full potential…why not record and identify the virtual locations where you’ve run? Award badges as you hit milestones in new regions or around the globe? Add some gamification to motivate runners stuck indoors. Incentivize folks to seek out Life Fitness treadmills and find NP2R!