My Thoughts on “Runmeter” for iPhone

I wrote an article recently for examiner.com about why runners should track mileage. I have a friend who runs with little regard to her weekly mileage and is oblivious to her stats. I don’t know why, but it irritates me. It goes against every fiber of my runner’s being….what runner does not keep up with their stats??? It bothers me to no end!!!! I digress. I was contacted by Lori at abvio.com about trying out their app “Runmeter”. At the time I didn’t have an iPhone, but luckily, my BlackBerry Storm died and I hopped on the Verizon iPhone train 3 seconds later.

Runmeter 5.0 was just released a few weeks ago and is available at iTunes for $4.99. I have used other phone based tracking software such as Bones in Motion in the past, pre Garmin days. Run Meter automatically syncs to multiple places like Daily Mile, Facebook, and Twitter without having to connect a device and download to your computer. Like other software, Runmeter tracks distance, time, pace, elevation, GPS map, calories, etc.

Example of Runmeter screen:

Photo: iTunes Store; Runmeter

I have taken it out on 3 test runs. I will be honest and say that it will never replace my Garmin. For one, I paid too much for that thing to ditch it, and two Runmeter does not track heart rate or sync to my cadence sensor on my bike. Also, I do not run with music and carrying a phone is cumbersome to me….all 4.8 ounces of it! I will however use this for races. Like I said earlier, it syncs automatically to DailyMile and Facebook. If you have the settings to post when you start your run, it will magically put up a little post on Facebook and DailyMile alerting your friends that you have started your run. They can then track your real time progress during your run by refreshing the page every so often. I have an out of town 10K coming up, so now my family and friends can track my progress live and know my results probably before I do. Imagine your family cheering you on live during a race without even being there. Speaking of cheering you on, there is an additional app you can buy (for .99) that gives spoken replies left on your workout post. (I did not buy this app, what can I say I’m just that cheap!) How cool is that!!?? You can actually hear what people are saying about your run while you are running. Now, depending on how your run is going, you may or may not want this feature. I can only imagine hearing….gee, you're running pretty slow today, or you SUCK during a difficult run.

I have not used all of the features as of yet, I really have only hit start and stop and let it run. But I think it can do some other cool little things as well, more experimentation is needed. One of the problems I have had with the app is GPS accuracy and I can not blame that on the app itself, I blame it on phone and user error. You have to carry your iPhone in just the right way to get the GPS to record accurately. First run, I carried it in a SpiBelt and it was roughly a quarter mile off. Next run, I carried it in my jacket pocket and it was nearly a HALF mile off. The last run, I carried it in an armband and it was pretty much dead on, less and .05 off. So, that being said, the app itself if accurate, but you may have issues if you carry the phone incorrectly. I guess the jostling around in my pocket made the GPS go haywire. This is what my run looked like that day on the map…..I really don’t run that erratically….unless a few cold ones are involved.

My only other complaint is how your workout is posted on Daily Mile and Facebook. When you start your run, it says “Laura ran for 1 sec” why can’t it just say, Laura started running. It makes you look like a total idiot….I ran for one second….who does that??? If your friends don’t know to refresh they might think you’re a little weird.

View of how your workout is actually posted on Facebook:

and this is the response I got from a “less athletic” friend

All in all, this is a pretty handy little app and an economical alternative to a Garmin. If I did not have a Garmin, I would definitely use this for every run. Thanks to Abvio.com for the app! I will definitely be using this on race days!

CEP Compression Socks

The fine folks at CEP sent me some compression socks to review last week. I have another brand of compression socks, but I think I wear them more for warmth and the so-called fashion benefit rather than for the true medical science behind compression. These other socks (that will remain nameless) just didn’t do much for me. They ended up falling down mid run, they are becoming stretched out, they have their brand name covering the entire side of your leg etc. But this is a CEP review, not a competitor bashing session! Lets proceed!

By now, we have all heard the claims about compression and athletic performance, but CEP running socks are the first scientifically proven compression running socks to maximize power, boost energy, and speed recovery time. Studies have shown that CEP socks can increase performance by 5%, which doesn’t sound like much, but could be 10-12 minutes off a marathon time! Read more {here} about the benefits as described by CEP

So, when I was first contacted for the review, I was asked to send my calf size measurement in. Hmmm, I’m already liking this more than the other brand already! A more custom fit….more than just a shoe size measurement. I mean, how does a company know how big your calves are based on your shoe size…come on now!!! I have pretty big calves, which is what causes my socks to fall down mid run. I was sent the women’s size III socks, which I was happy to find out is not their biggest size. Maybe my calves aren’t as big as I thought!

When I got them in the mail, the first thing I noticed was the toe and heel are reinforced with thicker fabric. This is another complaint with the other brand, because compression socks are often hard to get on, the heel area endures a lot of added stress from pulling them on, and now the heel area is wearing thin. With CEP’s reinforced heel area, I don’t foresee this being a problem. I also have very sharp talons toenails that I forget don’t trim often enough and they end up tearing through a lot of my socks. Again the reinforced toe should alleviate this concern for me.

CEP socks are comfortable all the way from the toe to the cuff of the sock. There is no pinching, binding, or rubbing. And they DID NOT MOVE at all during my 6 mile test run. The other socks starts sliding their way down to my ankles within the first mile. My legs felt energized and well supported. I’m not sure how much better I performed but I did feel like I had a little extra spring in my step. I did not feel the harsh jarring on my calves and shins as much as I do without compression. I also did another 5 mile run on a wet rainy day and although the socks were soaked, my (lower) legs remained warm. Even with the rain and wetness, there was no problem with blistering or rubbing.

For recovery, CEP socks are pure bliss. I pulled them over my tired and aching calves and I felt an immediate difference. The achy pressure was pretty much gone once I put the socks on, and probably helped work the soreness out faster than if I had not worn them at all.

I honestly have ZERO negatives to say about CEP socks. If you are interested in compression socks, they are well worth every penny and far superior to the other compression sock I used to wear. These are fashionable and functional!!!!!

CEP gets TWO THUMBS UP!!!!!