Running is one of the cheapest forms of exercise out there, as all it requires is the great outdoors and a pair of running shoes.
Oh, and some enthusiasm.
While no iOS app can force you outdoors, they can provide some encouragement. We take a look at the best app to get you running.
:: AND I WAS RUNNINGCouch to 5K - The popular Couch To 5 K (C25K) Program was originally designed at CoolRunning.com to help new runners ease into the sport, allowing thousands of runners to participate and enjoy one of the most basic human activities without injury or pain. This is one of the more well designed C25K apps in the App Store, having been designed by Felt Tip, Inc. (experienced Mac and iPhone developers). Use this app to train yourself across 9 weeks, starting with very short activities and getting to 5K. You can use it with your own music playlists and it even integrates with Nike+. Voice prompts for starting and stopping can be made with a male or female voice, and includes a built-in music control tab for controlling your iPod functions while on the go. Share your runs with Facebook and Twitter friends, as well. It's like having a trainer run along with you.
Running Log - Some of us just want to track our data and don't really want fancy GPS mapping or a trainer to tell us what to do. For those folks, Running Log may be the ticket, an app that simply lets you record your runs and make notes about them as to effort, duration, intensity, etc. See your stats in a handy report screen, or flip your iPhone sideways to landscape mode and see a visualisation graph of your entered data. Simple and effective for runners who already have their plans and runs in place.
RunKeeper Pro - The granddaddy of running apps, this one tracks how far you went, how long it took, what your pace/speed was, how many calories you burned, and the path you traveled on a map. You can then upload each event to the runkeeper website, for archiving, sharing, and comparing your runs with yourself and others. Runkeeper Pro also includes interval training systems with voice prompts, iPod and playlist integration (start specific playlists when you start running), geo-tagged photo capabilities, time splits, and more. If you want it all in one package, this is the way to go.
Motion Traxx - Far more than some electronica playlists, Motion Traxx is an app that streams the podcast of the same name, allowing listeners to run, walk or work out to music specifically crafted around workouts and BPM (beats per minute) to help motivate, maintain, and cool down a run or workout. In addition to being able to stream the podcasts (no iPhone space taken up by downloaded podcasts), users can bookmark favorite episodes, resume where they left of playback. Bonus content includes an advanced Run / Walk interval routine coached by Jeff Galloway, a respected runner, coach, and marathon enthusiast, and a boot camp style ‘indoor’ workout coached by celebrity trainer Kim Lyons, who starred on the hit reality TV show The Biggest Loser.