adidas miCoach Press Launch

I took the day off recently to attend the adidas miCoach press launch. I was invited as part of adidas’ involvement with RunnersMalaysia in conjunction with the launch and as a result I’d the chance to test out the virtual coaching system. You can read my initial take here and the miCoach’s first outing here. The photos in this post are shot using my phone’s camera as I didn’t bring along the DSLR. That was one of the times when I crave for the Canon G11 or S90!

Amazingly, I’d never been to the adidas Boutique at the Pavilion and I found it to be a nice big lot. The Pavilion though a nice mall, is an upmarket one located in downtown KL, and my family and I don’t usually head to KL during the weekends.

A small crowd had gathered there and it was nice to have caught up with Richard of TimeOut Magazine again. Soon after Ronnie and a few more adiNation runners arrived. The 2 celebrity guests there were actor, host, Jehan Miskin and Charlotte Wich, a Master Trainer in PT and fitness/conditioning consultant to the KL Dragons. The photographer in me can’t resist casting several glances at the press photogs – all lugging Canons. Lenses employed were the 17-40 f4, 70-200 f2 and 50 f1.4. Bodies include 40D and 1DM3. I’m getting quite good at this just like I’m able to tell shoe models! But I digress!

Like kids in a candy store - Ronnie, Kei Ming and the adiNation runners being briefed by Krishnan on the latest technical wear

A section of the crowd

Following the brief intro by Ng Chee Loon, country manager of Adidas (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the emcee started with the product briefing using the cool interactive multimedia board. The videos were nicely made too. Instead of having us or the adidas staff run around the mall to demo the Pacer, which would’ve created quite a stir, they got a runner on the treadmill and demoed the device recording and subsequently download to the computer.

Quick run!

Jehan Miskin being introduced to the crowd before talking about his experience with the miCoach Pacer

In case you missed out on the news about the miCoach Pacer, it’s actually a system that comprises of a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), a Stride Sensor and the actual Pacer unit which you can clip on to your shorts, hydration belt or simply stash in the pocket. The Pacer acts as the brain of the system coordinating data from the stride sensor and HRM and providing the wearer instant feedback on the progress of your workout. It also acts as the interface to your favourite MP3 player. If you run too fast for your training zone, a voice will ask you to slow down and vice versa. A nice thing about the system is that they have a small form factor and are very lightweight.

Charlotte Wich extolling the virtues of instant training feedback

To complement the launch of the the miCoach device, adidas have also released the latest apparels and shoes to complement it. The latest cushioned trainer, the Supernova Glide 2 and the updated range of Supernova apparels are all already available in-store. I’m putting the Glide 2 through its paces and will be able to post a review pretty soon.

The miCoach Pacer is already available at the adidas boutiques and retails for RM519.90.

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