Over the last year or so I’ve tried to get back into running. I did Cross Country back in school, but unfortunately gave it up when I got to college. Last summer I finished my first “competitive” race – the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon.
One of the things that really kept me motivated was the ability to obtain very detailed data about my runs and track it online. It was really helpful to be able to see my pace slow down as I was going uphill, to compare split times between runs, etc. Even more than just being able to make improvements in my running (well, I had better split times when I tied my shoelaces a particular way, or when I had 2 granola bars for breakfast instead of one), it was also psychologically helpful since other people could see my progress. As silly as it sounds, the “peer pressure” of not going to the gym and posting a new update with a workout was a great motivation for me.
At first I used RunKeeper.com. It was great – it had a fairly intuitive user interface, good mapping functionality, and they had a WP7 phone application. To be honest, the app was incredibly flaky and crashed all the time. I’d used it enough to know how to use it without crashing it (waiting 3 seconds after every button press, etc), but one day it wouldn’t boot and I tried to reinstall it. Turns out, RunKeeper had removed the app from the Marketplace a few months earlier, and I couldn’t reinstall it. ARRRRGGHH. I’d even been enticed to upgrade my RunKeeper account to the Elite status for $30, which gave me the ability to do live streaming of my position so that my family could watch me online during the half marathon. That send me on a hunt to try out as many other run tracking apps for Windows Phone 7 in search of the best one.
So far, I’d tried RunKeeper, Endomondo, and MapMyRun. As far as I can tell, here are some pro/cons for anyone that is looking for an in-depth comparison.
RunKeeper
Pros – The web interface is clean and intuitive. I like the ability to plan ahead and create routes of a certain length. You can view your workout route and pace/elevation charts. I also like the fitness reports so that you can compare your totals for the week/month/etc and see how you are doing. The fitness alerts are also very encouraging, so if you beat a personal best in any number of categories you get a notification email. It has the ability to import/export to TCX and GPX formats.
Cons – The JavaScript map functions can be flaky sometimes, though, so you have to learn the tricks. Also, it doesn’t seem like they have enough classifications for activities (for example, there is no designation for a stair-climbing machine, only an elliptical). As mentioned before, there is no RunKeeper app for WP7 anymore, which is a huge bummer.
Endomondo
The Endomondo web interface has a lot of the same functionality of RunKeeper, though it isn’t as complete.
Pros – There is a WP7 app. I love the app’s design – it’s nice and clean, easy to use, and not buggy at all. I like it a lot. The app will audibly tell you your split times every mile so you can keep your phone in your pocket and still know how you’re doing. The web interface has the ability to view your workouts and see split times and pace/elevation charts. It has the ability to import/export to TCX and GPX formats.
Cons – The Endomondo web interface is…I’m not really sure how to describe it. “In your face”? It’s frenetic. It much of the same functionality of RunKeeper, but the buttons are small, all the menus shout at you, and there are just too many things crammed onto one page. I don’t understand the organization of the site. Color is an overused designator – it would be very hard to use it you were color blind. The site layout and functionality also changes all the time (sometimes weekly).
MapMyRun
Pros – There is a WP7 app. The web interface lets you see the map of your workout.
Cons – There aren’t a lot of features. The WP7 app is very basic – just plots your GPS location on a map and provides minimal statistics.
Conclusion
In comparison, I like the RunKeeper web interface the best and I like the Endomondo WP7 app the best. So, I use the Endomondo app during my workout, then log into the Endomondo web interface, export a TCX file, then import the TCX file into the RunKeeper website. It’s kludgy, but it works. It’s the best of both worlds, I guess.
I suppose there is also a bit of “data stickyness” at play, too – since RunKeeper was the first site I started using and already has a considerable amount of data there, it was harder to migrate between the sites. None of the sites have bulk export (or import) functionality.
Also – I just found another one called Tracks, but haven’t tried it out yet. Looks interesting.
