best iphone running app?

PGL

Hi folks

I have been using the adidas micoach running app on my iphone since august. Its a good app in terms of the fact that you can set up training programs, it speaks to you updating you on distance, time, speed etc, and it also integrates very well with the ipod app.

However I have found that it appears to underestimate distance, and overestimate elevation.

I have run two 10k races (Adamstown 10k and Great Ireland Run) using micoach. It measured 9.86km for the Adamstown race and 9.76km for the Great Ireland. Presumably these two route distances were accurately measured out by AAI, so that would suggest the app is underestimating distance.

With regards to measuring the elevation or ascent, it measured 51m climbed for Adamstown and 107m climbed for Great Ireland. I'm not sure about the Adamstown 10k route, however I have found numerous other running app maps on the net for the Great Ireland Run route which claim that the total ascent is approx 40m. So it would appear that micoach is grossly overestimating elevation.

Have others noticed these discrepancies with micoach?

Can anyone recommend more accurate iphone running apps?

cheers!

PGL

has anyone got a view on this?

thanks

Gringo78

I've tried out a number of them:

GPSlite (free)
LogYourRun (lite version free)
RunKeeper (still free I think)
The Running Gypsy (free)
Athletedaybook ( 2 or 3 euro I think)
Tap-a-Lap (<1 euro)

I have an iphone 4 - I think the accuracy is not as good with iphone 3. I found The Running Gypsy, GPSlite & LogYourRun all to be reasonably accurate. By reasonably I mean as good as really makes no difference. Main issue with iphone running apps are they do not seem to have been designed by runners who previously used GPS watches. The main field I use on my Garmin 305 is average lap pace. The only app which had a lap button was Running Gypsy. Still only shows current pace which I don't like, haven't found an app which shows current average lap pace. I wish someone would just make an app that replicated a garmin 305 - that would be perfect.

Tap-a-Lap is a great little app I found - you use it for track running where a GPS is useless really. Input the track length and then every time you hit the screen of the iphone it counts a lap and shows you the pace you just ran for the previous lap. It disables the tap for 10sec after you hit it so theres no accidentally tapping twice or anything. You have the full record then at the end of all your laps. Very handy.

My Garmin 305 has packed it in so dependant on the ip[hone for the moment but since I do 2 sessions a week at the track now I've become less reliant on the GPS and I can judge my easy pace by feel on other days so its enough that I have an approximate distance, time & pace that the iphone gives me.

tHE vAGGABOND

I use Nike+ GPS app on my iPhone and really like it, have used it pretty much since it was released.

TrinityPhD

PGL wrote: »

cheers for that Trinity.

I've had a quick look at the mapmyrun app - it doesn't appear to have a facility to set up training plans for say 5k, 10k, half and full marathons etc, as is the case with the micoach app - or am I missing something?

many thanks

Said I'd answer this here rather than dragging the other thread further off topic

Doesn't seem to have those functions all right. It's basically the first one I tried, and I quite like it so I've stuck with it so far.

It does do the speaking to you thing, which is the function I'm most interested in. Tells me how I'm doing every 500m (but you can change the distance or set it to times) and it saves it and automatically uploads all your runs up to the mapmyrun website, which is nice. You end up with a decent and easily accessible record of all your runs. You can also add food diaries, other workouts etc. there if you like.

I think the pay for app comes with extra features but I can't be bothered to buy it, so I'm not sure exactly what they are. There also seems to be a way of linking in a heart rate monitor, but again not bothered so not much use to you.

One thing it doesn't do is save your split times. It gives you the overall time for the run and the distance run, but it doesn't give you any break down of where you were fast and where you were slow. Does the micoach (or any of the other free apps) do that?

stoneage

A nice one is sprintTimer. It is more geared towards shorter distances (photo finish) But but it also includes a motion activated lap timer.

Daniel S

Runmeter is the app I use. I absolutley love it!

Rew

Runkeeper pro, I use it for everything

Daz1214

sports tracker is due on iphone soon i believe, i use it on my nokia n8 and find it excellent, very accurate and it can be paired to the polar wearlink chest strap