Dear running colleagues,
I start the forum thread to let you know about the app I wrote to help me control the running pace. It helped me a lot so I share the news, maybe it will help you as well. The app is called Pace Control and it can be installed from Google Play on an Android phone. Ah, and it is free! Before I begin “my storyâ€, please, also forgive me my English – I am not a native English speaker, but I hope you will be able to understand what I mean… :)
I have run regularly for about three years. I am not very young (almost forty), but I think I am still far from my top performance, so I still find motivation to improve my personal bests. Because of this I decided to run according to training plans that match my goals. Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to run the workouts right because I lack feeling the pace of my run. The common theme was to start too fast, I usually realized it before the end of the first fast interval (I felt my legs were burning) and then the only thing I could do was finishing this interval and trying to do the same thing for a few next intervals. But the longer the workout, the harder it was to speed up, and in the end, I was unable to do what was expected. I ended the workout totally tired and with the feeling that I failed.
I tried using GPS apps on the phone to solve this problem, but none of them matched my needs. They were either not reliable (consecutive pace readings differ a lot while in fact I run without speeding up or slowing down), I experienced some annoying bugs or I just felt this is not exactly what I wanted. And I missed the functionality to give me the feeling of being in control of my races. I dreamt of setting the race distance, expected time at the finish line and whether I want to run with the constant pace or with a negative split strategy (start slow and gradually speed up) and then I wanted to have regular feedback whether I am in line with my plan. This was a functionality I believe still is a killer even for dedicated running watches (they usually offer something similar but without a negative split strategy).
Ah, watches. Why not to use a running watch? I had my reasons. First, I like running with my phone anyway, because I can listen to music (I even have a playlist with songs at 180 BPM exactly) and in case something unexpected happens, I can easily call anybody I need. Second, I did not want to look at my wrist trying to recognize digits displayed on the watch face as this is not something natural at least when you run really fast, I just wanted to hear the voice feedback. And last but not least, phone I already had was powerful enough to do all the things the watch can do, so why to spend (sometimes irrational) money on a watch?
Luckily, I like programming and I wanted to learn how to develop for mobile platforms, so I just wrote the app I wanted to use. The name for the app is Pace Control. I’ve been using it regularly (in development build) for almost a year now and I also run some races with it. For example, thanks to the negative split function my last marathon race was something I could be proud of from the point of view of strategy – and I beat my personal best by almost 10 minutes…
I know that for many of you the app lacks some functionality. If you expect social Facebook-like functions, you will not find them. So far there is not even a workout history or a map. But Android being a multitasking platform makes it possible to run Pace Control together with other app at the same time. For example, I regularly run with Pace Control and Endomondo. Pace Control tells me how fast I run, so I know I do my workouts right, and Endomondo registers everything so I can easily analyze the training at home and see my full workout history. Of course, I will add some of the missing features to the app (a map is coming soon), but I decided to share the news with you now, because I found the app to be extremely useful for me even at this stage of maturity. If I get your positive feedback, I hope it will also motivate me better to continue working on new features.
Okay, I think this is enough for the introduction of Pace Control. If anyone is interested in trying the app, go ahead:
Pace Control homepage (I suggest at least skimming the manual):
http://pacecontrol.pbksoft.com
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pbksoft.pacecontrol
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pacecontrolapp
- thanks in advance for your likes :)