App Review - Nike+ Running

         There are lots of fitness related apps out there, so it can be hard to find the one that's right for you, especially when they all seem to do the same thing. When it comes to running apps there are absolutely loads out of there to choose from (MapMyRun, RunKeeper and iRunner for example), but for this post I'm just going to talk about the Nike+ Running app.

What Does it Do?

         As the name suggests it keeps track of your runs for you and stores the data. It does this by tacking your movement using your phone's GPS system and using a built in timer. You can choose one of 4 settings for your run; Basic - Where you just run and are provided with stats when you finish; Distances - where you can either do a set distance and try and beat your time, or alternatively try and beat your maximum distance; Time - Where you aim to beat your longest run or try and do a greater distance in a set time; and finally speed run - this combines elements of the last 2 where you try and beat your time for a set distance, 1K, 1 Mile or 5K etc.

What you see when you finish

         For me the stats are the key to this app. If for example you just do a basic run when you finish you are initially given your time and distance. No big deal right? Your could work this out yourself if you have a watch and a map! Well this is where it gets more interesting, if you have done a personal best (fastest 5K or best distance etc) then you will get a voice message from a known athlete congratulating you on your result. Your time is then broken down to show your average pace throughout your run, and can be broken down even further to show you your time per mile. It will also show you your average pace / time / distance compared to previous runs so that you can see if you have had any improvement. If this wasn't enough you can look at a graphical representation of your run on the map, showing you where you were quickest on your route and where you weren't as quick, as well as breaking your route up into miles.

A breakdown of the run, green is fast and red is slow!

         You can share your stats and runs on facebook and twitter (If you want the attention!) and you can also get involved with the Nike+ community. When you post that you are doing a run using the app, your also have a 'cheer' option, this is designed so that when ever someone comments or likes this status you will here a cheer to encourage you to run!

What is the Nike+ Community?

         In my opinion the Nike+ Community is for those that take their running seriously, its a place for people to upload their stats and runs. It's for those people that are actively keen to run and for those with a competitive spirit. On the Nike+ site you are able to upload a route that you do and other people can try your route. This is where the element of competition comes in, as people can compete for the best times for the route or alternatively compete over who has ran in the most.

    

         You can also share things such as calories or Nike+ Fuel points used (Nike+ fuel points are a sort of branded version of calories which Nike like to use). As well as this you can also set targets such as run so many miles in a month or burn off so many fuel points. They also offer support in running things like marathons and such.

How much does it cost?

         Nothing. Which considering what it does is a bargain, as you would expect though they like to advertise their trainers and all of their other running related products to you so I suppose they just consider the app to be an investment which should encourage you to buy some of their more costly products! It is also available on both apple and android so practically anyone can use it provided they have a smart phone!

Is it worth getting?

         There are a couple of flaws I'm yet to mention. While as a whole the app is great and I haven't encountered any real problems (yet!) there are a couple of things that I find irritating. The GPS isn't completely reliable, whether this is due to me loosing signal during a run or whether its just not that accurate I'm not sure but I find that I can run exactly the same route but come out with different distances each time. This is something they have made efforts to correct, and even if it is inaccurate you can correct the distance by calibrating your run, though it would be nice if it just worked right the first time! Another alternative to fix this is to buy one of the Nike+ tags which can be put into your shoes to help track you this but your then having to pay to fix an app issue.

         I have also found the Nike+ community to be difficult to use. While it is a great concept it doesn't seem that straight forward, I have no problems planning a route on the site, and I have no problems uploading my run data to my section on the site but I am unsure how to share my times for routes on the maps! I'm yet to actually run a route I have mapped on the site, so it may be that if you run a route that appears on the site then it recognises this and puts your stats up, and as the map planning section also has 'heat regions' where there is large amounts of running, I assume from this that it must be sophisticated enough to recognise my route, though as I'm not doing a large amount of road running at the moment I am yet to find this out!

         Overall I do like the app and I especially like the cheer option to help encourage those who need it to keep their effort up (even though I myself don't like to post when I've been exercising). So in my opinion, even if you only run sporadically like myself then it is definitely worth a look!

Cheers, and get running!

Rich