Hooray!
In the time since I resumed running, I've tried all of the top Run-tracking apps, and Runkeeper Pro was -- by far -- the best of the lot. In most other respects, Runkeeper Pro has roughly the same features as the others (Endomondo, MyTracks, CardioTrainer, Runtastic Pro, just to name a few):
- GPS-tracking;
- Google Maps (or Maps-like) integration;
- distance or time-based audio cues (for example, every 1km/10mins., you can ask Runkeeper to give a set of audible updates, on your pace, total distance/time travelled, and so on);
- and, a syncing facility that allow you to upload your workout information to an online, browser-based site.
In some ways, it even lags behind some of its competitors. (Compared to, for example, Endomondo...):
- Runkeeper Pro is slower to upload your workout details;
- for whatever reason, it is less able to quickly get a lock on a GPS signal (in fact, I have to use Endomondo to first get a lock on a GPS signal before proceeding track the run using Runkeeper Pro);
- and, there is no audio-cues-on-demand, via headset controls.
Nonetheless, Runkeeper Pro has a couple of killer features that put it a couple of strides ahead of the competition:
- A customizable coaching feature that lets you micromanage your workouts:
- lets you breakdown your workout into several intervals -- by time, distance, or both;
- lets you specify the intensity of each enterval (slow, steady, or fast);
- optionally allows to quickly add 5 minutes warm up and or cool down intervals;
- and, allows you to keep several (limited only by your phone's storage?) workout coaching modules, for your quick reference and use whenever you may need to.
- A way to integrate workouts with customized routes:
- through the browser-based Runkeeper website, you can create training routes (via a neat facility built on top of Google Maps that allows you to define paths/way points from the start of a running route to the end -- as you plot each way point, the route creation view informs you of the total distance covered by the route);
- the routes you created and saved are synced with the mobile Runkeeper Pro app (on Android phones or iPhones) -- when you are about to start a workout, you may opt to link that workout to one of the routes you had previously mapped out;
- while out running, you may refer to the route you had linked to your workout via a Google Maps-like view -- it is less likely for you to get lost when running a new route for the first time;
- Runkeeper Pro allows you, post-workout, to see all of the activities you have completed in each route;
- and, when you finish any workout (and tracked it via GPS), you may optionally choose to export that workout into a defined route.
Truly a wonderful app!
Consider this, a Garmin (GPS-tracking) running watch, 2nd-hand or brand new, costs anywhere between PHP 5K and PHP 15K (bet. 100 and 300 USD). An LG Optimus One Android phone costs around PHP 12.5K (around 250 USD). Runkeeper Pro transforms your Android phone into a highly capable workout tracker that compares favorably with most dedicated (GPS-tracking) training computers -- and even one-ups them in some respects! Add a few all-weather accessories -- a waterproof Dicapac container with armband strap and a pair of waterproof earphones (~PHP 2K, or 40 USD) -- and you'll really be all set to go, rain or shine.
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