OnTheGo Platforms: Using Glass with the Ghost of Running Past
I always run faster in races. When I'm doing a training run, my thoughts tend to wander - I think about my to do list or run various scenarios through my mind. During a race, I spend most of my time thinking about how I should maneuver through a crowded group or how to most quickly pass the person in front of me. I also generally run faster during the second half of a running event, pushing for a negative split as some runners start to tire. But during training runs, I grow complacent, focus less on running, and my mind set is not on competition - it's on finishing.
I could find a running partner - one who runs at my pace, doesn't want to have a conversation while we run, and who can make him or herself available based on my schedule - or I can (soon) get a virtual running partner. OnTheGo Platforms is creating apps for smart glasses like Google Glass. Their showcase application, Ghost Runner, shows a 'ghost' (when you fall behind) that appears running in pace with your old time. Now you can 'race' with the old you - and with each progression, you push yourself to steadily run faster. This is a great start to glasses optimized running / fitness applications and a good proof of concept for Glass. I look forward to seeing more great ideas and apps from OnTheGo.