IGX

I've tried a few. My reviews:

Nike+ Ipod app
Pros-- good on battery life; easy to play tunes; easily uploadable to Nike+ website; free; don't have to run other Ipod services to use it and the Nano will easily fit in your pocket.
Cons-- you need to set your pace with it. It can be +/- 20% if you don't. Not great for rucking or trail running (especially because your pace changes).

Accupedo app
Pros-- Decent on battery life; default setting runs all the time, so you can track how much activity you do throughout the day (this can be changed to only run between certain times a day); free (has a pay version I didn't pay for)
Cons-- same as nike+ but +/- 10%; used on your phone.

Endomondo app
Pros-- uses GPS so tracking is the most accurate; can be set for more activity styles than the others (running, hiking, walking, -- it has other options like fitness walking that I haven't tried); maps your route and suggests routes others use (for $2 it will track changes in pace and altitude changes-- there are other options I haven't paid for); free; tracking pace at various parts of the route (with $2 upgrade)
Cons-- hits battery hard (if you're not using it, manually stop it from running); used on your phone.

Notes-- Accuracy based on fixed routes. All of them do calorie counts, which can be adjusted for sex, age, and bodyweight. I don't like having to run with a phone on me, so I always list that as a con. There are other apps/tools out there, but I haven't tried them.

Recommendations (from the three):
Running-- I prefer Nike+, largely because I like the option of listening to music and don't want to carry my phone with me. AFAIK there are better running tools out there, but I haven't tried them.
Activity tracking-- Accupedo is good for this, only works if you're carrying your phone (obviously). Would be nice for goal setting if you're trying to walk a certain distance daily.
Route mapping-- Endomondo hands down if you have consistent GPS signal. Nike+ if you're running a consistent pace or off a pace count in a more remote area.
Hiking/rucking-- in areas without cell service, Nike+ as long as you've factored in your pace count prior to starting. In areas where you're confident in having consistent cell service and aren't going for more than a three hours without a recharge, Endomondo hands down.

I have an armband that holds my phone when I run. I always keep my phone with me when I run in case of emergencies.

Anyway, Runkeeper, the free version, seems good enough.

Taps into my iPhone's music so I can listen while I run, announces distance and pacing every 5 minutes and logs workouts and activities.

Thanks for the reviews.

I've been using Map my Run on my phone. It uses the GPS and gives good data on speed and distance. Wish I could bluetooth a heart rate monitor to it and graph that also.

I like Endomondo, I also use cyclometer

Endomondo's GPS is worthless if you live in a neighborhood with a lot of trees or tall buildings. It will think you ran diagonally through a block, even if you're not doing parkour.

MapMyRun is my typical go to.

A watch and a map.

Strava cycling/running app:

Pros: maps your route and segments of your route using GPS, allows you to compare your times to your past and against others. Tracks grade and elevation changes. Doesn't use as much battery as endomondo. Does not compare times to others on heavily trafficked routes (which includes narrower bike/running paths)-- nice safety feature. Gives average mph as well, unsure if this accounts for stopping time (i.e.traffic lights).

Cons: Doesn't give you data other than distance and time in some places. Makes stalking easy if you use your real name, especially if you use a photo.

Pay app is $60 a year, this is all off of the free app. For running I prefer endomondo, but for planning routes this has some cool features that endomondo lacks.

Turdacious wrote:Strava cycling/running app:

Pros: maps your route and segments of your route using GPS, allows you to compare your times to your past and against others. Tracks grade and elevation changes.

Does it get elevation from the GPS, or from digital topo maps? I find the GPS elevation data is super noisy, and get my elevation data for routes from veloroutes.org after the fact.

nafod wrote:

Turdacious wrote:Strava cycling/running app:

Pros: maps your route and segments of your route using GPS, allows you to compare your times to your past and against others. Tracks grade and elevation changes.

Does it get elevation from the GPS, or from digital topo maps? I find the GPS elevation data is super noisy, and get my elevation data for routes from veloroutes.org after the fact.

They say it's from GPS, but that may be ad copy. Ran a couple of my regular routes thru veloroutes. Strava seems a little more functional for well traveled routes.

This thread is irritating me already. I've had a number of gps oriented devices and they're all shit as far as accuracy is concerned. If you want to accurately know the distance you're running then I recommend plotting your route either using google or this app:

http://www.runningmap.com/

You don't need to know your instantaneous pace unless you're totally into kookyballz, @Fit, and the TRX.

Depending on the route you're running, particularly something with a lot of switchbacks, tight turns, etc. your pacing and distance will be all fucked using a gps based device.

Thanks Shape,hadn`t thought about that.As I can`t do anything physical right now I used the google thingie and plotted some running and rucking routes.

My current, moderately unstructured, training focuses around weekly average speed and distance goals on the bike-- using my commute as a tool to do it. When this gets easy, my focus will change. I still have room for improvement.

The Strava app helps me:
1. Understand how fast I need to go to time lights without taking stupid risks, and to plan for it before I get on the bike.
2. Calculate average speed.
3. Understand how I do on hills (I've gone from complete shit to mostly shit)
4. Understand the importance of an educated right hand to my times.
5. Understand the difference between a relatively hard ride and a recovery/easy one.
6. Understand how much time I need to give myself on the commute.
7. Better understand the areas and times when I can control my pace and where I can't (because of foot, bike, and vehicle traffic. Weather too.)

It helps me, but it would be a distraction if I checked it on the ride. At this point, 1,4, 6, and 7 are the most important to me. Some of the things on the list are more important to a relative novice like me than to someone more experienced; but I see some of them as being useful as I gain experience and want to structure things appropriately. For me, it's a tool, and a good one-- much more useful than the running apps were.

Re the Strava app, it allows you to create your own routes (or part of a whole route) pretty easily, and make them private if you want to (you'll have to do this on your computer, not your phone). The app will compare your performance on that route for every time you've run/biked it.

For data geeks, if you copy the data into excel and add a day of the week column, you can very easily see changes in performance on a daily and weekly basis. Pretty cool tool. At this point, I am still improving on a weekly basis, and tend to be strongest on the third ride of the week. Those with a background in programming and cycling (not on the bike, training cycles) would probably get more out of it than me. I've learned enough from better programmers than me around here to know I need a back off week soon.

Makes it very easy to use the route/segments of the route you regularly use to program with.

Turdacious wrote:Accupedo

:snigger

Well, shit. When I started running again, I decided to run for time, not for distance. It simplifies things. Psychologically much easier.

It's not as if anyone's paying to do this, after all, and all I really want is to be out in the fresh air and being consistent from day to day.

Abandoned by Wolves wrote:Well, shit. When I started running again, I decided to run for time, not for distance. It simplifies things. Psychologically much easier.

It's not as if anyone's paying to do this, after all, and all I really want is to be out in the fresh air and being consistent from day to day.

That' cool but...I think there comes a point, especially after awhile of "being consistent from day to day," that you just tend to ask yourself, "Hmm, wonder how much ground I covered?" Then, once you've answered yourself, it's probably (IME) just a matter of time until the follow-up question, "Hmm, wonder if could do it faster?" emerges.

Enjoy the fresh air ABW !