<p>Data analysis has infiltrated even amateur sports, largely because of the mobile phone’s ability to track performances on a moment-by-moment basis.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Distance runners were among the first athletes to adopt mobile phones as performance-enhancing tools, with apps like “Runmeter GPS” ($3 or Rs 151 on Apple), “Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro” ($4 or Rs 201 on Apple and Android, with free limited versions) and “MapMyRun(PLUS)” (free on Android, $2 or Rs 100 on Apple, as “iMapMyRun(PLUS)”) helping coach runners to new heights.<br /><br />These apps have pushed one another even as they have been chased by similar apps from Nike, Google and Adidas. And the competition, predictably, has yielded good things for runners.<br /><br />The software’s most basic trick is logging a runner’s speed and distance on a map – which, in the age of GPS-enabled mobile phones, isn’t revolutionary. But the apps also allow runners, walkers and cyclists to compile and retrieve information about their workouts from any device with an Internet connection, and some will publicly share routes that strangers might like to follow.<br /><br />I found subtle but important differences in three highly rated apps that are available on both Apple and Android phones. People who want an app to lead them through a workout free should consider “miCoach” (Apple and Android). Experienced runners who need less coaching will do well with either “MapMyRun” (Apple or Android) or “Endomondo” (Apple or Android), but “Endomondo” has more social networking elements whereas “MapMyRun” has more nutrition-related features.<br /><br />IPhone owners should consider “Runmeter GPS” ($3 or Rs 151), which combines the coaching elements of “miCoach” with social features of “Endomondo” in a clean, easy-to-use package.<br /><br />Of the free apps, “miCoach” is a good choice. You can go for a run or walk and have the app follow your progress, or you can choose from prepackaged workouts of different levels, with an automated coach pacing you. <br /><br />As with “Endomondo” and “MapMyRun,” “miCoach” sends its data to a personalised Web page where you can review your training and read performance tips or check up on the workouts of friends who use the service. “MiCoach” is slightly less multifaceted than the others I tried.<br /><br />Take “Endomondo Pro,” for instance, which goes so far as to allow friends to monitor your workouts in a newsfeed, in real time, and send messages that are read aloud to you as you run.<br /><br />“Endomondo” also includes more serious components that will appeal to distance-training athletes. If, for instance, you set a time-related or calorie-related goal before starting a run, it will issue audio updates during the workout.<br /><br />Afterward, you can retrieve important data like split times, average speed, maximum speed, altitude and elevation from within the app, or review that data on your “Endomondo.com” page.<br /><br /> “Runmeter” lacks a dedicated website where you can review workouts, but it allows you to email data to a particular destination, or export it directly to Dailymile.com, a social media site for tracking and sharing workouts. The app also includes a remote-talking feature similar to “Endomondo”.<br /><br />If I have a quibble with the generally excellent “MapMyRun,” it’s that the interface often looks dark and sparse compared with its competitors.<br /><br />The core components are roughly the same, in that the software tracks the important data from a workout. And some of the social elements of “Endomondo” and “Runmeter” are also there, although your friends can’t remotely intrude on your run as they watch your progress on their PCs.<br /><br />The website for “MapMyRun” also lets users check off routes that they have run and other routes they would like to run. Overall, the website is superior to those offered by competitors.<br /><br />Of course, if you like these features but another app is more appealing to you, it’s easy enough to rely on the “MapMyRun” website just when it’s needed, and stick with “Endomondo” or “Runmeter.”<br /><br />That way, if you want to shout insults at a friend as he’s about to break your cherished record, that option is still available.</p>
<p>Data analysis has infiltrated even amateur sports, largely because of the mobile phone’s ability to track performances on a moment-by-moment basis.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Distance runners were among the first athletes to adopt mobile phones as performance-enhancing tools, with apps like “Runmeter GPS” ($3 or Rs 151 on Apple), “Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro” ($4 or Rs 201 on Apple and Android, with free limited versions) and “MapMyRun(PLUS)” (free on Android, $2 or Rs 100 on Apple, as “iMapMyRun(PLUS)”) helping coach runners to new heights.<br /><br />These apps have pushed one another even as they have been chased by similar apps from Nike, Google and Adidas. And the competition, predictably, has yielded good things for runners.<br /><br />The software’s most basic trick is logging a runner’s speed and distance on a map – which, in the age of GPS-enabled mobile phones, isn’t revolutionary. But the apps also allow runners, walkers and cyclists to compile and retrieve information about their workouts from any device with an Internet connection, and some will publicly share routes that strangers might like to follow.<br /><br />I found subtle but important differences in three highly rated apps that are available on both Apple and Android phones. People who want an app to lead them through a workout free should consider “miCoach” (Apple and Android). Experienced runners who need less coaching will do well with either “MapMyRun” (Apple or Android) or “Endomondo” (Apple or Android), but “Endomondo” has more social networking elements whereas “MapMyRun” has more nutrition-related features.<br /><br />IPhone owners should consider “Runmeter GPS” ($3 or Rs 151), which combines the coaching elements of “miCoach” with social features of “Endomondo” in a clean, easy-to-use package.<br /><br />Of the free apps, “miCoach” is a good choice. You can go for a run or walk and have the app follow your progress, or you can choose from prepackaged workouts of different levels, with an automated coach pacing you. <br /><br />As with “Endomondo” and “MapMyRun,” “miCoach” sends its data to a personalised Web page where you can review your training and read performance tips or check up on the workouts of friends who use the service. “MiCoach” is slightly less multifaceted than the others I tried.<br /><br />Take “Endomondo Pro,” for instance, which goes so far as to allow friends to monitor your workouts in a newsfeed, in real time, and send messages that are read aloud to you as you run.<br /><br />“Endomondo” also includes more serious components that will appeal to distance-training athletes. If, for instance, you set a time-related or calorie-related goal before starting a run, it will issue audio updates during the workout.<br /><br />Afterward, you can retrieve important data like split times, average speed, maximum speed, altitude and elevation from within the app, or review that data on your “Endomondo.com” page.<br /><br /> “Runmeter” lacks a dedicated website where you can review workouts, but it allows you to email data to a particular destination, or export it directly to Dailymile.com, a social media site for tracking and sharing workouts. The app also includes a remote-talking feature similar to “Endomondo”.<br /><br />If I have a quibble with the generally excellent “MapMyRun,” it’s that the interface often looks dark and sparse compared with its competitors.<br /><br />The core components are roughly the same, in that the software tracks the important data from a workout. And some of the social elements of “Endomondo” and “Runmeter” are also there, although your friends can’t remotely intrude on your run as they watch your progress on their PCs.<br /><br />The website for “MapMyRun” also lets users check off routes that they have run and other routes they would like to run. Overall, the website is superior to those offered by competitors.<br /><br />Of course, if you like these features but another app is more appealing to you, it’s easy enough to rely on the “MapMyRun” website just when it’s needed, and stick with “Endomondo” or “Runmeter.”<br /><br />That way, if you want to shout insults at a friend as he’s about to break your cherished record, that option is still available.</p>
