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iPhone running apps
I've been using a Garmin 305 for years, and I really like it, except it takes so long to find satellites. At home it's not too bad--if I turn it on while I get dressed it's ready to go by the time I am--but there have been times when I've been traveling that it's been really inconvenient. One one trip to New York it never did pick up satellites, even after two hour-long runs. And of course it doesn't display the heart rate while it's locating satellites, so it's really useless until it's got them.
So when I was in California in February I thought, I'm going to be carrying my iPhone anyway, why not use its GPS instead of the Garmin's? I downloaded an app, and it worked great. When I got home I looked into ways of turning the iPhone into a heart rate monitor, too, and it turns out you can buy an adapter that lets an iPhone read a Garmin strap or a Bluetooth strap. The Wahoo version works with various apps; apparently DigiFit makes one as well that only works with DigiFit apps. I went with the Wahoo Fitness dongle.
Since then I've been trying out a bunch of the apps that work with the HR monitor. Mostly I've been happy with them. The Garmin is better in a lot of ways, but I like the voice feedback a lot--with some of these apps I hardly look at the display because I get regular status updates.
On to the reviews, which only cover the free version of these apps. Most of them have paid versions with more features. And I bet there are Android versions of most of these, but I have no idea how they'd work.
Nike+ GPS: I bet this is an app that you either love or hate. I only used it twice, but I liked it a lot. It tracks time and distance, but it has some fun motivational features—it (optionally) gives feedback at a selected distance/time; it has a cheering section; it tells you when you're almost finished and should give it one last push; and Lance Armstrong congratulates you when you set a new record. [g] It lets you select a playlist for music, and it lets you specify some "power songs," which it plays when you need a bit more oomph. It's fun. You can play tag with friends, too, but I haven't tried that.
The reason I've only used this one twice is it doesn't track heart rate. It also doesn't track splits or let you set up an interval workout.
RunKeeper: RunKeeper is the app I've used most often. It's generally very good, but there are a few annoying things:
First, it doesn't let you customize heart rate zones, and it uses 220 - age to find your max heart rate, and it doesn't use the Karvonen formula. This means there's an excellent chance that the app's HR zones aren't going to match what you use.
Also, the website is insisting on being yet another social networking thing. It wouldn't let me log on without entering my full name (first name last initial worked), and it keeps trying to get me to connect Facebook and Twitter and whatever else.
That said, it's mostly a great app. It has a good display, and it lets you choose how often (distance or time) you want to get spoken status updates. On the website you can see past activities with one-mile split info. Unfortunately, the splits only show pace and elevation change, not HR. It's not nearly as fully-featured as, say, SportTracks.
RunKeeper is one of the only free apps that does intervals—you can enter the intervals, and it tells you when to speed up and slow down. I love not having to think about that.
iMapMyRun: This app drove me nuts because it didn't stay on—my screen kept going to sleep. This wouldn't have been a problem, except I was wearing gloves for a while, so I kept having to take one off to wake up the phone. Pain in the neck. Also, the current pace info was extremely inaccurate. At one point while I was running—slowly, granted, but running—it told me my current pace was 18:30 per mile, which, no.
Other than that, it's a good app. It did a good job of tracking distance and time, and it lets you set a distance to track splits (you can't enter them manually, unfortunately). The workout info on the phone isn't terrific, but it automatically loads runs onto the website, which gives you a lot more information. It gives you verbal feedback at a specified distance or time. It lets you choose which stats are displayed on the main screen.
Endomondo: This one got used for an indoor track workout with no foot pod—a new one is on order. The free version of this app doesn't have a lot of features, but from what I can tell, even the paid version is missing some things.
For a basic tracking app, it's not bad. I left the GPS on, and it was woefully inaccurate, but it gave me a feel for what the app does. Every mile it announces the distance, total time, and the time for the last mile, which is great. Unfortunately, it also vibrates, and I'm not seeing a way to turn that off. It would be useful if I weren't wearing earbuds, but I like listening to music when running on the track, so it wasn't an issue. Workouts are automatically uploaded to the website, which has heart rate/pace/elevation graphs and which displays split times. (Splits are one mile; that can't be changed, and they can't be entered manually.)
You can set up workouts by time (paid) or by distance (free), but it doesn't look like interval workouts are possible. It displays the heart rate but doesn't use HR zones, and you can't set up a workout with a target HR.
Runtastic: The free version of this app is missing a lot of features, but there's a Pro version for $5.99, or you can buy things ala carte—voice feedback for $2.99, coaching for $2.99, HR monitor for $1.99, and several other options. I liked this app a lot, and I'm thinking about paying for the pro version. My only gripe, and it's a big one, is that the default HR display is really tiny. I feel like I spent half the run squinting at the screen trying to read it. I hope the HR monitor option would improve that, but I'd like some confirmation before paying for it.
All these apps warn you that using the GPS constantly will drain the battery, but Runtastic definitely had the most battery consumption. I started with a 75% full battery, and after 45 minutes I got the <20%message. None of the other apps caused the battery to go down that quickly.
Also, it took me forever to figure out how to stop the timer when I was finished—it turns out you have to swipe the runner icon at the bottom of the screen. Not intuitive. It probably works differently if you're doing a pre-planned workout.
The app uses the Karvonen formula to set HR zones, and it lets you edit them as well. It looks like the pro version can do interval workouts. I think it's got potential, but I'd like to know more about it before spending the $5.99. We'll see.
321Run: The first time I tried to use this app it hung, so we didn't get off to a good start. The next time it started OK, but I accidentally brought up the map view, and it wouldn't go away. So I got out of the app and back in, and it just gave me a blank screen. I threw in the towel. This might be the best app ever when it works, but I couldn't tell you.
Wahoo Fitness: This is a great app. It's free—there is no paid version—and it does everything except interval workouts.. It auto-calculates HR zones using the Karvonen formula, and it lets you modify them. It (optionally) tells you if your HR gets out of a specified zone. It lets you customize the display. It works with a stride sensor if you're indoors.
This app will connect to a bunch of websites, including RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, and Nike+, so you can store your workouts where you want. If it weren't for the interval issue, this would definitely be my app of choice.
iRunner: This app doesn't work with a heart rate monitor unless you pay for it, so I haven't tried it. It looks really good, though. It lets you track several different sets of heart rate zones, so you could have, for instance, one for running and one for bicycling. It works with a foot pod. It's one of the few apps that lets you set a lap distance, and it looks like it might let you do laps manually. The display is modifiable. It does intervals. I might be willing to pay the $1.99 for this one.
You can upload workouts from iRunner to TrainingPeaks or NewLeaf, neither of which I've checked out. The app description says you can export them in .csv format, too.
Conclusions
I haven't used any of these websites much, but it doesn't look as though any of them provides as extensive an analysis as SportTracks. If you use SportTracks a lot (hi,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ilanarama), you'll probably be better off sticking with that, although iRunner might work.
If you don't want to use your phone as a heart rate monitor, any of these apps does a good job of basic tracking. I'd try Nike+ GPS, RunKeeper, and iRunner first, for their good displays.
If you don't care about an app that talks you through interval workouts, Wahoo Fitness has the best features of all the free apps. If you do want the interval functionality, RunKeeper will do that for free. iRunner will, too, but it won't do heart rate for free, so.
Personally, I'm going to spring for the paid version of iRunner and give that a shot—I'm willing to risk $1.99. If that doesn't work out, I'll be switching to Wahoo Fitness in general and RunKeeper for interval workouts.
So when I was in California in February I thought, I'm going to be carrying my iPhone anyway, why not use its GPS instead of the Garmin's? I downloaded an app, and it worked great. When I got home I looked into ways of turning the iPhone into a heart rate monitor, too, and it turns out you can buy an adapter that lets an iPhone read a Garmin strap or a Bluetooth strap. The Wahoo version works with various apps; apparently DigiFit makes one as well that only works with DigiFit apps. I went with the Wahoo Fitness dongle.
Since then I've been trying out a bunch of the apps that work with the HR monitor. Mostly I've been happy with them. The Garmin is better in a lot of ways, but I like the voice feedback a lot--with some of these apps I hardly look at the display because I get regular status updates.
On to the reviews, which only cover the free version of these apps. Most of them have paid versions with more features. And I bet there are Android versions of most of these, but I have no idea how they'd work.
Nike+ GPS: I bet this is an app that you either love or hate. I only used it twice, but I liked it a lot. It tracks time and distance, but it has some fun motivational features—it (optionally) gives feedback at a selected distance/time; it has a cheering section; it tells you when you're almost finished and should give it one last push; and Lance Armstrong congratulates you when you set a new record. [g] It lets you select a playlist for music, and it lets you specify some "power songs," which it plays when you need a bit more oomph. It's fun. You can play tag with friends, too, but I haven't tried that.
The reason I've only used this one twice is it doesn't track heart rate. It also doesn't track splits or let you set up an interval workout.
RunKeeper: RunKeeper is the app I've used most often. It's generally very good, but there are a few annoying things:
First, it doesn't let you customize heart rate zones, and it uses 220 - age to find your max heart rate, and it doesn't use the Karvonen formula. This means there's an excellent chance that the app's HR zones aren't going to match what you use.
Also, the website is insisting on being yet another social networking thing. It wouldn't let me log on without entering my full name (first name last initial worked), and it keeps trying to get me to connect Facebook and Twitter and whatever else.
That said, it's mostly a great app. It has a good display, and it lets you choose how often (distance or time) you want to get spoken status updates. On the website you can see past activities with one-mile split info. Unfortunately, the splits only show pace and elevation change, not HR. It's not nearly as fully-featured as, say, SportTracks.
RunKeeper is one of the only free apps that does intervals—you can enter the intervals, and it tells you when to speed up and slow down. I love not having to think about that.
iMapMyRun: This app drove me nuts because it didn't stay on—my screen kept going to sleep. This wouldn't have been a problem, except I was wearing gloves for a while, so I kept having to take one off to wake up the phone. Pain in the neck. Also, the current pace info was extremely inaccurate. At one point while I was running—slowly, granted, but running—it told me my current pace was 18:30 per mile, which, no.
Other than that, it's a good app. It did a good job of tracking distance and time, and it lets you set a distance to track splits (you can't enter them manually, unfortunately). The workout info on the phone isn't terrific, but it automatically loads runs onto the website, which gives you a lot more information. It gives you verbal feedback at a specified distance or time. It lets you choose which stats are displayed on the main screen.
Endomondo: This one got used for an indoor track workout with no foot pod—a new one is on order. The free version of this app doesn't have a lot of features, but from what I can tell, even the paid version is missing some things.
For a basic tracking app, it's not bad. I left the GPS on, and it was woefully inaccurate, but it gave me a feel for what the app does. Every mile it announces the distance, total time, and the time for the last mile, which is great. Unfortunately, it also vibrates, and I'm not seeing a way to turn that off. It would be useful if I weren't wearing earbuds, but I like listening to music when running on the track, so it wasn't an issue. Workouts are automatically uploaded to the website, which has heart rate/pace/elevation graphs and which displays split times. (Splits are one mile; that can't be changed, and they can't be entered manually.)
You can set up workouts by time (paid) or by distance (free), but it doesn't look like interval workouts are possible. It displays the heart rate but doesn't use HR zones, and you can't set up a workout with a target HR.
Runtastic: The free version of this app is missing a lot of features, but there's a Pro version for $5.99, or you can buy things ala carte—voice feedback for $2.99, coaching for $2.99, HR monitor for $1.99, and several other options. I liked this app a lot, and I'm thinking about paying for the pro version. My only gripe, and it's a big one, is that the default HR display is really tiny. I feel like I spent half the run squinting at the screen trying to read it. I hope the HR monitor option would improve that, but I'd like some confirmation before paying for it.
All these apps warn you that using the GPS constantly will drain the battery, but Runtastic definitely had the most battery consumption. I started with a 75% full battery, and after 45 minutes I got the <20%message. None of the other apps caused the battery to go down that quickly.
Also, it took me forever to figure out how to stop the timer when I was finished—it turns out you have to swipe the runner icon at the bottom of the screen. Not intuitive. It probably works differently if you're doing a pre-planned workout.
The app uses the Karvonen formula to set HR zones, and it lets you edit them as well. It looks like the pro version can do interval workouts. I think it's got potential, but I'd like to know more about it before spending the $5.99. We'll see.
321Run: The first time I tried to use this app it hung, so we didn't get off to a good start. The next time it started OK, but I accidentally brought up the map view, and it wouldn't go away. So I got out of the app and back in, and it just gave me a blank screen. I threw in the towel. This might be the best app ever when it works, but I couldn't tell you.
Wahoo Fitness: This is a great app. It's free—there is no paid version—and it does everything except interval workouts.. It auto-calculates HR zones using the Karvonen formula, and it lets you modify them. It (optionally) tells you if your HR gets out of a specified zone. It lets you customize the display. It works with a stride sensor if you're indoors.
This app will connect to a bunch of websites, including RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, and Nike+, so you can store your workouts where you want. If it weren't for the interval issue, this would definitely be my app of choice.
iRunner: This app doesn't work with a heart rate monitor unless you pay for it, so I haven't tried it. It looks really good, though. It lets you track several different sets of heart rate zones, so you could have, for instance, one for running and one for bicycling. It works with a foot pod. It's one of the few apps that lets you set a lap distance, and it looks like it might let you do laps manually. The display is modifiable. It does intervals. I might be willing to pay the $1.99 for this one.
You can upload workouts from iRunner to TrainingPeaks or NewLeaf, neither of which I've checked out. The app description says you can export them in .csv format, too.
Conclusions
I haven't used any of these websites much, but it doesn't look as though any of them provides as extensive an analysis as SportTracks. If you use SportTracks a lot (hi,
ilanarama), you'll probably be better off sticking with that, although iRunner might work.If you don't want to use your phone as a heart rate monitor, any of these apps does a good job of basic tracking. I'd try Nike+ GPS, RunKeeper, and iRunner first, for their good displays.
If you don't care about an app that talks you through interval workouts, Wahoo Fitness has the best features of all the free apps. If you do want the interval functionality, RunKeeper will do that for free. iRunner will, too, but it won't do heart rate for free, so.
Personally, I'm going to spring for the paid version of iRunner and give that a shot—I'm willing to risk $1.99. If that doesn't work out, I'll be switching to Wahoo Fitness in general and RunKeeper for interval workouts.
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