Keep Track While You are On the Track
Which running app is the best?
Jovan Abernathy is an international marathoner and owner of Houston Tourism Gym. To claim your free tour, contact her at info@tourismgymhtx.com. Follow her on Twitter @jovanabernathy. Instagram @TourismGymHtx. Facebook @TourismGymHtx
I was talking to a friend recently, who just picked up running. She wanted to lose 60 lbs. She had been running for a couple of months, but she was already bored. She, knowing that I had done a number of races, wanted my advice on how to get more excited about it. My advice: get a running app for your phone.
I was not being flippant or dismissing her, but was telling the truth. Running apps are super useful for recording your running metrics like distance, time, and pace. Running apps can sync to your playlists and heart rate monitors, FitBits, or Apple Watches. And of course, you can share comments and photos about your workout. After our conversation, I began to look at the different running apps and these are the ones that stick out to me:
Map My Run by Under Armour
I'm going to be honest. I was already partial to Map My Run because it logged all of my routes, but it has been a while since I used it. I also loved that it was a great journal for all of your workouts. Since I was regular on it, some great improvements have been made.
- Different activities- Change your activity from just a regular run to a treadmill run, group run, gym workout, or swim.
- Voice feedback -Keeps you informed of your distance and time.
- Mile Tracker- Keep track of the total miles run on the same pair of shoes. This lets you know when it is time to change.
- You could also choose to upgrade to get live tracking for safety, training plans, guided running, heart rate analysis, and predictive guided running.
Strava
Starva is more for marathoners, bikers, and triathletes. They use Strava to connect with their friends all over the world and compete. Because they are geared towards setting big goals, they do not offer a lot of perks. Only the basics are free. If you want perks, you have to do the upgrade. Here are some unique points about Strava:
- Easy notes- keep notes on each run through virtual "sheets" that automatically come up for each workout.
- Challenges- choose from many challenges and virtual races.
- Run Clubs- Connect with run clubs in your area and not just virtual
RunKeeper
After checking RunKeeper out, it looks like the one that is best for my friend. It seems like it is great for novice runners. It is oriented towards fitness goals with some competition. In fact, it seems experience based. Here is why I would say that:
- Voice Feedback- You have more choices with the vocal feedback. You can choose the accent, which stats, and how often you receive feedback.
- Easy to understand- Modules are step-by-step and with large print. This seems simple, but it means a lot to new runners.
- There are not a lot of perks unless you upgrade.
Nike Run Club
Nike Run Club is geared towards that in-between runner. They are kept motivated by challenges that they can join. They also are given awards and achievements for their milestones. These are milestones like your longest run to your fastest 5K. Other perks are:
- Mileage status- You can achieve a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum status.
- Buy shoes- You can purchase new shoes from the app.
