Last weekend I went out for a 45 minute run that ended up being almost an hour and while I was running, I was thinking about how far I have come in my running ability. I was kind of shocked when I realized that I have been consistently running since 8th grade- 8 years! I’m not a speedy runner by any means, and I know the distances that I can and have run may not be anything to write home about for some people, but for me, they’re a huge accomplishment! Running is one thing that I have been able to see a definite improvement in. While I was running last weekend, I was trying to calculate an approximate number of miles that I have run since 8th grade. I wish I had kept track over the years! I “ran” track in 8th grade (barely), but before the tack season, I started running a half mile every day and built my way up to a mile. I ran spring track from 9th-12th grade in high school, as well as three seasons of cross country and continued to run during the off seasons. I have continued running through all three years of college.
That’s a good number of miles, if you ask me! During two seasons of cross country, the coach had us keep a running log with how we felt, the workouts we did and the miles we ran. By the end of each season, those numbers were in the 300s, if I am remembering correctly.
Anyway, to get to my point, I have recently come across an AMAZING app to track runs (or walks, hikes, bike rides, etc). I first learned of the app on another blog (Peanut Butter Fingers), so I immediately downloaded it and started using it on my runs.
It was love at first sight use! Run Keeper allows you to set up an account where it tracks and holds all of your workouts in one place. While I’m running, I have it set to “talk” to me every ten minutes. The app turns down my music and tells me my pace, how long I have run and how far I have run. It allows you to add or change the information that it says to you, and how often it “talks” to you.
At the end of the run, it tells you your average pace, as well as breaks down each minute and tells you your pace at that time and show your mile splits.
You can see how far you ran AND see the course you ran (it uses a GPS).
It will also tell you how many calories you burned and it can act as a heart rate monitor. I have never used it as a heart rate monitor, but apparently it can be done, which is so cool!
Last, but not least, Run Keeper keeps track of all of your activity, so you can see total miles, personal goals (in any area- pace, calories burned, miles covered, etc) and allows you to set goals for yourself right on the app.
If you ever lose your phone, or get a new one, all of your activity will automatically be re-uploaded to your phone as soon as you download the app and log in!
It’s an awesome app and I use it for all of my (outdoor) runs, so in the future, I will be able to look back and see how many miles these two legs of mine have taken me. If you’re looking for somewhere to “store” your runs, I highly recommend Run Keeper!
