April is a good month to practice exercise in the open air, and running is one of the most accessible and direct fitness options out there. While of course you can simply go out into the street and start doing laps, it’s highly recommended to have a system that tracks the distance you run and time you invest so you can evaluate your progress over time. Here we introduce a few of the best free jogging Android apps.
There is one just important thing to keep in mind: the need to have your smartphone attached to you while you run so you can make use of the device’s GPS and geolocalization features, which will let you store the route you’ve just run and the distance travelled. In addition, if you have a pulsometer that works by Bluetooth you can associate it with the app so that it measures your heart rate. There are all sorts of armbands available to help you comfortably carry your smartphone, you just have to find the one that will bother you least.
Runtastic
One of the best-known apps. Runtastic allows you to calibrate the type of exercise you’re going to do from among more than 30 different types and select the type of training in case you want to set a specific objective. While the app is activated, you can see, if you’re doing a moving exercise, the time of the run, calories burned, and your location on a map. You can even make it memorize the music you’re listening to on each section of the run.
Runtastic offers the option to register using your email or your Facebook or Google + credentials. This lets you access the service’s official webpage to view your session history and check your progress. The app’s PRO version is paid and includes several additional options such as configuring routes or completing a training series in intervals, among many other features.
RunKeeper
Maybe the most comprehensive app among those you can find for free. Besides doing everything that Runtastic does, Runkeeper includes loads of incentives, such as the option to follow a series of exercise routines designed to suit your goals, whether they involve losing weight, preparing for an important test, or improving your general level of fitness. Whatever you choose, you can keep exhaustive track of your progress and even create your own routines beyond those included by default.
In addition, RunKeeper provides a summary on your user account of all the data on your activity, and even rewards you with “achievements” as if it were a video game. You can also follow your contacts who also use the app and view their statistics, and even challenge them to beat your scores if you fancy.
Endomondo
The free version of Endomondo includes all the basic features of the running apps in terms of viewing and storing data as you run (and also lets you choose from an enormous list), but also has a series of challenges included to measure your physical form, whether it be running 5 kilometers in the shortest time possible or cycling the same distance of the Giro d’Italia.
Another of the most interesting features is that you can run routes shared by other users, where you can see their duration and distance as well as the best times of others. This feature, together with the fact that you can share your activity with other users and on social networks, makes this a very participatory tool.
