One of the most highly recognized running events, the Boston Marathon, took place just two short weeks ago. Marathon Monday is a holiday in the small but pride-filled city of Boston, Massachusetts that has, since the bombing tragedy of 2013, reached fervent heights. All runners are celebrities for the day, whether they are in the early-morning start wave of elite runners, those of the machine-quality running strides, or new marathon runners, bravely testing out their twenty-six mile capabilities for the first time.
This year crowds lined the streets of Boston by the thousands, handing out cups of water, Gatorade and popsicles, while waving Boston Strong banners at every turn and creating a wall of pure noise as thirty-seven thousand runners traced the famous route from Hopkinton to the finish line at Copley Plaza.
Months before this event took place, those thirty-seven thousand were doing as all runners do: hitting their training one day at a time so that the accumulation of days, weeks and months of training on familiar paths along trails and pavement would lead them to that final point: the start line of the marathon.
No matter the level of training, whether a person is an experienced runner or first-timer, there are hundreds of training activities and apps offered to get a person moving and motivated. Some are exceptionally complex, while others are quite simple. [tweetable alt=”All runners can use a little tech help. Here are 3 great apps for #runners in training by @EG675.”]Here is a list of three, each with their own benefits.[/tweetable]
1. Map My Fitness.
At first glance, Map my Fitness can seem overwhelming. Once registered, which is free and can be done through email or a social media platform, this training app gives users the option of choosing from over 600 training activities, designing individual workouts, or selecting from over 70 million pre-designed running routes to test out. However, once users become accustomed to the many options to choose from in tracking their training, it becomes easy to simplify the app and narrow the focus down to each individual’s respective goals.
Users can record the activity from each workout instantly by importing the data directly from a smartphone onto the application website, and subsequently track their workout stats: distance, time, pace, elevation, and calories burned. In doing so, users can compare previous workouts and track their improvements in training. In addition to tracking individual training, Map my Fitness givers runners the opportunity to share training information with friends on social media, garnering encouragement or jump-starting the competition.
A final component of Map my Fitness is its food tracking: the app allows users to record their food consumed, so that individuals can get a bigger picture of what types of food were most helpful to consume pre- and post-workout.
Map my Fitness is a great application to take advantage of for a person in training who wants lots of details and specifics ready for them, and with an enormous online community just waiting to be tapped into.
2. Final Surge
Final Surge is an online and mobile device-based app that allows users to create an individual or team account and train by recording information into an online training calendar. This app may be especially appealing to those athletes who describe themselves as old school — think, a person who prefers a book to a kindle, or who waited a long time before purchasing their first smartphone. This app is a user-friendly online version of a paper training calendar.
Final Surge offers plenty of detailed features, including the option to import GPS data from a smartphone and then compile, analyze and present reports and statistical charts on users’ training. Calendars can be color coded, various types of workout activities logged, and information such as speed, heart rate, elevation and recovery time are tracked. From there the app can make suggestions for future workouts and recovery time. On a more simple level, however, Final Surge can be used to plan out workouts and type them directly into the online calendar, which will then track the training and present the information in daily, weekly and monthly increments.
Once a user has set up a free account, either on a smartphone or online, each calendar can be linked to friend’s calendars, with the option to create a team. In creating a team, users can encourage friends to keep up with their training, or train together for an upcoming race or event.
3. Fitbits
The first two applications for athletes-in-training offer a wide range of options, with the ability to compare a user’s individual training with the training plans, successes, and struggles of fellow athletes and friends through online communities. Fitbits are a way to track a user’s fitness goals and progression in a more individualized way, without the intensity of a whole running community’s involvement. Fitbits give people the chance to focus exclusively on their own exercise and health accomplishments and activities by recording information all day long, whether a person is simply out walking the dog, or pouring sweat at the gym. This information is tracked and then recorded on each individual’s computer and smartphones.
Fitbits have gained enormous momentum recently; although fitbits are small, once a person knows what to look for, it is surprising how easily they can be spotted. The most commonly spotted model is the Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, a small wristband that comes in a variety of color choices. The Fitbit wristband tracks users’ steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes each day. Once the Fitbit has been used several times, a light on the band allows individuals to track their progress as it compares to the goals they have set for themselves. In addition to tracking waking activity, the Fitbit also monitors sleep patterns, and can be used as an alarm clock. All of this information comes from the device itself, worn on the wrist, and then relays this information to the online site, where users can check their hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly progress.
Users have reported becoming entirely reliant on their Fitbit, constantly checking on the flow of fitness information that the small device provides. Although this may seem daunting, the amount of activity the average person logs may come as a surprise, even before training gets added to the mix.
Spring’s arrival has brought with it a whole host of racing events on the horizon, so whether you are training for a 5K, marathon, or some distance in between, check out these fitness apps and see what best suits your training needs.