Apps for tracking runs
I’ve been running for 6 months or so and was wondering what the world of apps had for me.
A quick search yielded the following lists to work through:
- https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/06/whats-the-difference-between-all-these-running-apps/
- https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/703-best-running-apps.html
- https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-running-apps/
- https://www.bestproducts.com/fitness/electronics-gadgets/g1754/best-running-apps/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/2ziwea/runkeeper_vs_strava_vs_endomondo_vs_runtastic_go/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/2412ds/strava_vs_runkeeper_vs_mapmyrun_etc_what_are_your/
- https://healthunlocked.com/couchto5k/posts/130895558/mapmyrun-or-runkeeper
From these lists I decided to check out:
- MapMyRun
- RunKeeper
- Runtastic
- NikeRunClub
- Strava
- Kitestring is a good idea to complement these when safety is a consideration.
Sites and Apps
Strava seemed a little too competitive for me as I wanted just track data for myself so I created an account but didn’t proceed with that. Likewise with NikeRunClub, it didn’t seem to grab me when I took a look. From there I decided to add my regular route into a couple of the sites that have mapping interfaces:
- http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1855167656
- https://runkeeper.com/user/2723826284/route/4723687
- https://www.runtastic.com/en/routes/beautiful-start
Strava and Runtastic ask for email confirmation and all want your email, age, gender, height and weight.
RunKeeper’s mapping is quite good, Runtastic couldn’t easily allow for the return trip along the same path. I couldn’t immediately find a mechanism to input a route into Strava.
I’ve spent a few weeks logging with each app and have been looking to consolidate on one. I came across https://smashrun.com which does data analysis, but not the collection. However, they have rated some of the apps in regard to data availability. MapMyRun and Runtastic rate poorly in interoperability which I think is essential for long-term data confidence.
So, I found this thread on Reddit that explains how to export data from MapMyRun using this useful convertor
There is also https://tapiriik.com/ which enables the syncing of data between Garmin, Strava and Runkeeper, which is fantastic for interoperability.