run tracking app comparison

so the new walk/run tracking apps were tried out today... and they failed, but still, numbers are fun... so let's see... the - - - app failed before it started because it would not work without logging in and i am not logging into a website just to track my running... i use an app to make exercise easier at the spur of the moment i feel like exercising, not having to remember a password, type it into the little phone keyboard, and jump through hoops before i even get started... i am also not interested in broadcasting my personal information on any site that controls that information, at least not today... so strike out that app...

next up was -- and it starts off the moment the first button is pressed and does not provide the information the app i am currently using provides during the run... it has a voice that tells me some things, but i am not always listening and like a screen i can glance at for time, speed, and other info... but let's take a look at the data cuz the reason i was checking out other apps was the inconsistent and obviously incorrect data...

ummmm, it gives me mile times... 7:21 for the first mile... 13:07, 13:03, and 12:19 for each additional mile... except i did not complete 4 miles, so that 12:19 must be an estimate... 11:18 average min/mile... that sounds a bit more reasonable... it gives this strange bar graph without a legend that seems to coincide with distance and min/mi readings below the graph that change each time you touch a bar... each bar appears to be a minute... so it somehow says i went 3.18 miles in the first minute at 3:38 min/mi... huh?... no, pressing on the second bar does not change the distance, so i guess that means the total distance was 3.18 miles... and the mile time, grossly estimated and incorrect, was 3:38 min/mi... the second bar, or minute 2, tells me i was walking at a 2:51 mile pace... really... minute 3 has me at a 12:11 mile pace, which is much more reasonable... so like the current app, it seems to have a first minute or two error margin that skews any data it might provide... 14:22 for the 4the minute, and rolling right along through minute 36... great information, if it was accurate... relatively meaningless detail though... i suppose i could compare total average minutes per mile if there is a way to bring up those numbers across workouts, maybe... it also tells me i burned 327 calories... that's all the data i can find... it seems like a good app for someone who wants the basic data and also wants to broadcast that data easily to any number of social media sites...

it appears to have free pre-programmed workouts that might be helpful for those who like following instructions... there's everything from a sub 3:30 marathon to a "running 4 fat loss" (R4FL)... each plan has a calendar and workout schedule and plan description and trainer description and the trainers apparently have credentials and biographies in the app to give them more credibility... i don't follow schedules or others well, so that's not for me... but it's great for someone who wants that sort of external structure and i know many do... thumbs up for that part of the app if you want it... also thumbs up for the apparent easy in broadcasting to multiple social media sites (as an option)...

and then there's the -- app i use... comparison time... data is no comparison... this one gives more in a cleaner format that is easier to read and access... total time seems the same (give i pressed the stop on this one about 10 seconds before that one)... total time, 35:48 minutes... that's right, i broke the 6 minute lap barrier already... but mileage was skewed again due to distance at 3.51 miles... seems the faster i go, the longer the same 6 laps are measured... alas, the distance measurement becomes meaningless... average speed 5.9 mph... again, relatively meaningless due to the distance skew... average pace 10:11 min/mi... very different than the other app... and since both have major flaws in measuring pace and distance, alas, meaningless... max speed 35.5 mph... really? lol... no wonder that cheetah i passed looked shocked... 551 calories, very different... whatever that is based on, which should i believe (i am more apt to believe this app, just for the psychological boost :)

laps can be recorded on this app... i didn't see a simple way to press a lap button on the other one... so six laps: 6:08, 6:00, 5:56, 6:04, 5:56, 5:37... dang, just missed the 5:33 record i set yesterday... lap speeds: 9.7 (again, with both apps, the first lap is quite skewed... must be a gps thing), 5.0, 5.0, 5.1, 5.0, 5.3... hmmmmm, how do we get that 5.9 average now?... anyway, let's record kilometers... here we have a 5.65 km total distance... 9.5 km/h speed, 6:20 min/km pace, 57.1 km/h max speed (cheetah! lol)... and per kilometer: 1:59 time for the first km?... oh well... the rest: 7:04, 7:17, 7:25, 7:21... and speeds: 30.1 for the first (right), 8.5, 8.2, 7.9, 8.1, with an 8.7 last .65 km finish... alas, that first lap error is even worse today... maybe cuz there is severe weather and high wind?... the chart for the first km showing drastic fluctuations in altitude (oh yeah, this app provides altitude showing uphills and downhills, which are prevalent in this lap around this community)... this app also provides heart rate for an optional charge (i haven't checked that out yet)... and it has an easy one button share to it's website or facebook, but it is an option button that does not intrude on the data...

so the current app remains and the other two, well, i'll give the second another chance but the first is gone...