MapMyRUN GPS – live workout tracking [App of the week]
What is MapMyRun GPS?
The majority of smartphone owners struggle to be separated from their prized possession for long periods of time, so there are few devices better than an iPhone, Blackberry or Android phone to record your training activities.
MapMyRUN utilises the GPS capabilities of these devices to follow your fitness route and provide feedback on distance, speed and pace of the workout – great for working towards personal goals.
On top of the basic information, MapMyRUN also records how many calories have been burned and displays a countdown of calories remaining throughout the day.
The app is free to download on iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
Read our app reviews to find more applications worth downloading.
5 reasons to try the MapMyRUN GPS app
- Live feedback
The MapMyRUN app uses GPS signals to track your running route at a touch of a button. A live map is displayed so you can see where you are going and a number of useful stats are given, including time taken, distance, speed and pace. If you need to take a brief break it’s easy to pause the tracking and pick up again where you left off when you are ready to go. - Log your workout
Once you have finished your activity simply go into the workout section and a list of the last 10 workouts is displayed, including a map of the journey and a summary of the workout featuring the duration, calories burned and average speed. - Not all about running
If you’re not a keen runner or you take part in a number of activities then this app probably still covers it. With options ranging from road cycling and hiking to gym workouts and swimming there should be something for everyone. Although, it’s worth noting that some of these can’t be tracked using GPS so you might have to add some information manually. - Calorie counter
A handy section of this app is titled Nutrition, here you will find a ‘calorie budget’, calculated by some basic information such as weight and height, coupled with food or drink recorded by the user. the budget shows how many calories have been consumed, used and remaining for each day. A weight tracker is also provided for those who want to keep an eye on this over time. - Keep track of your friends
Like many of the latest apps this wouldn’t be complete without a social element to it. By logging into an account using Facebook you can set the app up to post routes and workouts to your timeline, or if you prefer find friends who also have the app. This allows you to track their activities live orchallengeinvite them to take part in your own route.
Lewis’s impressions of MapMyRUN GPS
When a friend recommended this app to me a couple of weeks ago I really didn’t think it would be of use. However, since then I’ve used it on a regular basis and I can see real improvements from it.
Not only is it handy for storing your workout information but it also acts as a motivation tool. The live information feed really pushes you to beat previous times and distances, not to mention those set by friends!
The Nutrition section is something I haven’t used a great deal (this actually requires me to enter information), but I can see where this would have benefits. For example, people trying to lose or put on a bit of weight can track their progress over time and track what calories are being taken on board and lost.
The only potential issue I can foresee is having to rely on the GPS signal for live mapping – not something I have come across yet but I’m sure they are some areas where coverage is not 100% so the live feedback may be temporarily suspended.
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Angus Farquhar
I use this app on a regular basis to help me train for Triathlons so it is great that it covers both running and cycling. I even log my gym activity in there as well and it has helped me get a personal best in last weeks race.
You’re right in pointing out the encouragement the voice feedback gives you while running but really it is the logging that is the best function. Being able to look back at the last month (both on the app and even more so on the website) really lets you see if you are on top of your goals or it just feels like you have been doing more training than you think.
The other great feature is that it allows you to run along routes you have recorded previously and then ranks all your times for that route against each other so you can see how well you are improving.
The only thing that I have problems with is that it is often slow to update after you save your workout. It sometimes sits for several minutes loading your workout information. So far though I have never had it fail to save anything so it is just pain not a problem.
keeping track of friends run while they are running does not work
I have attempted to make this work for a while and can not . I have Live tracking on. Start the run ans my wife can not see it.