However, you might fall short of motivation and this is where smartphones and technology can help you stay on top of your fitness game. These Android apps are available for free on Google Play Store. These will help you if you are planning a 5-kilometer (3 miles) run or just getting into jogging.
1. Nike+ Run Club
Nike+ Run Club is one of the most popular running apps out there. Aimed at beginners as well as trained runners, the app offers personalized coaching plans that adapt to your schedule and progress. Besides tracking and storing all your running records, this Android app also has sharing features that let you share your daily runs with photos and stickers. Another feature worth mentioning is the built-in music player that lets you integrate your favorite playlists while you are running. It also offers encouragement from Nike’s professional athletes and celebrities such as Ashton Eaton, Kevin Hart, and many more. Moreover, you can also send a shout-out to a friend to help them stay motivated.
2. Strava
Strava is another great running app, which is also popularly touted as social media for runners. In addition to the great tacking features, the app comes with few competitive and ‘game-fied’ features. Along with running, the app is also great for long cycle rides and hikes. The leaderboard will keep motivating you to compete with yourself, your friends, and people in your area. It offers you monthly challenges that are designed to push you further. You can compare your performance over time with other members of the community and share photos, stories, and highlights of your activities with friends. Strava supports a variety of running trackers in addition to Android Wear 2.0.
3. Endomondo
Endomondo is another GPS-enabled app that can track all your workouts, including running, walking, biking, and a range of other sports. For every kilometer you run, the app will vibrate and give you audio feedback to stay motivated. It shows distance, heart rate, calories, and workout duration. Endomondo is compatible with devices from Garmin, Fitbit, Jabra, and other wearable brands. Although the base app is free, it also comes with a premium subscription that offers detailed statistics such as calories burned per month, running distance by year, and other useful metrics.
4. Runkeeper
Runkeeper is an all-time favorite app, especially for new runners. The app uses your phone’s GPS to track your running, hiking, and other physical activities. You can create personalized running routes, keep track of your performance, set goals, create fitness plans and more using this cool Android app. Runkeeper offers training routines for 10 kilometer, half marathon, and full marathon runs. It works with other health apps such as Fitbit and MyFitnessPal. This nifty app is easy to use and has pro upgrades that let you use more exciting features.
5. Runtastic
Runtastic is geared towards cardio exercises such as running, walking, biking, and hiking. The interface is easy to use and its mapping feature is accurate and impactful. This Android app monitors your running and offers stats, including workout duration, distance covered, and calories burned. It comes with a voice coach, which offers feedback after each kilometer to boost your speed and motivate you towards your goal. There is a dashboard that offers several graphs showing you information regarding your exercise. This smart app also has a premium subscription offering some high-end features.
6. RockMyRun
Music works as a great motivation for exercise and searching for the perfect playlist is quite a big task. RockMyRun takes care of all your music worries. This mobile app lets you explore new running music to push you towards your running goals. It plays various types of music and changes the tempo based on your heart rate while also keeping track of your runs. You can even set the tempo of a playlist. RockMyRun links to popular apps such as Strava and Nike+ Run Club. There are both a free and a paid version of the app, which comes with some rich features. The app also shows details about your run, tempo, heart rate, and total steps taken.
7. C25K- 5K Running Trainer
If you are planning to get into running, Couchto 5K or C25K is a great option for you. All you have to do is run 3 times every week for at least 30 minutes with this app activated on your Android phone. The app is not too hard on you and does not burden you with heavy goals but do try and not skip any session in between. The app’s structure prevents new runners from giving up and, at the same time, challenges them to continue moving forward. It starts with a mix of running and walking, and gradually building up strength and stamina to running the entire 5 kilometers. This mobile app also comes with usual features like calculating your distance, pace, and map your route with the GPS support.
8. Zombies, Run!
Zombies, Run! is a unique running app that turns your usual running into a fun game. As the name suggests, the app has zombies chasing you and all you have to do is run for your life. Since the game has a story to tell, you will need a pair of headphones stuck to your ears while running. You can select a custom playlist before you start running and the story will unfold in between your tracks through a series of dynamic radio messages and voice recordings. Jog in a park, run along a beach, or sweat it out on the treadmill, the app will make all of this quite exciting. In addition to the fun game element, the app also offers detailed graphs and stats about your entire running and game progress. You can even check out which song you play the most while escaping the zombies. There are both free and paid versions of the app available on Google Play Store. The main story consists of from Seasons 1 to 6 with zombie chases and the base builder mode. Free users can unlock one mission each week or can purchase a subscription for unlimited access to all the content for the duration of the subscription period.
9. RunGo
RunGo will be helpful, especially if you want to run and discover new places. The app offers turn-by-turn voice navigation and you can select from more than 100,000 routes around the world. It offers statistics such as time, pace, distance, and elevation. Similar to Google Maps, you can save RunGo maps offline. You can even create your own route with the built-in route creator. Finally, the app automatically announces points of interest and interesting information as you pass a landmark.
10. Google Fit
Finally, we have Google Fit, which is a fairly simple app that offers all the basic features present in a running app. It doesn’t include advanced training features like the other fancy running apps for Android. This Google app aggregates information from other apps to track fitness, nutrition, sleep, and weight. It supports wearable devices, including Android Wear, Nike+, Runkeeper, Strava, MyFitnessPal, and more. You can also get personalized recommendations and coaching for activity goals on the Google Fit.
Put Your Running Shoes On
Running is a great exercise that not only helps you to lose some fat but is also a great mood-lifter. The aforementioned apps are great for experienced runners as well as beginners, who want to get into running. Let us know which of these apps helped you the most with your running. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
