The following article is a guest post and a Trailsnet trail product review
Personal Running Trainer App for Smart Phones
treadmill or trail? – you decide
I have big dreams of running a marathon. Seriously, it’s a goal of mine to not only start and finish a marathon, but also run the whole time in between. No easy task, considering I’m pretty sedentary. Some days walking five miles is a struggle enough, let alone the mere thought of running that distance. But still, I have this dream and maybe one day I’ll take some quick-paced jogging-like steps toward achieving it.
Those of you who know me well know that I had an embarrassing situation happen at the Race for the Cure. I’d trained plenty on a treadmill, something virtually unheard of for me, then performed miserably once I tried running on pavement. This was enough to turn me off from running for a while, and then I heard that my sister has been running 5k’s just about every six weeks. What the heck! I’d gotten her into running in the first place, and now she’s making strides toward my goal of running a marathon.
You’re Going to Need Strong Cardio When the Zombie Apocalypse Comes
The time had come for some serious action. Sibling rivalry had set in, wounded pride be darned, I was going to get off my rump and hit the ground running. Wanting to know my sister’s secret, I went straight to the only woman who could give me insight into this curious situation – our mother. Turns out my sister has been using an iPhone app called Personal Running Trainer.
From Couch Spud to Running Stud
- Coaching and Motivation – Once you’ve selected the distance you wish to run, Personal Running Trainer schedules the training, offering flexible options so even a busy person like myself can find time to fit in a run. Once my workouts are scheduled I can select a customized playlist from my own collection of music. As I’m running, the friendly voice of a certified personal trainer coaches me through the routine, telling me when to run, when to walk, and when to pick up the pace. It’s all very motivational and much easier than keeping one eye on my watch and the other eye on the road.
- Five Distance Options – Even the longest distance starts with a single step, and Personal Running Trainer understands this, giving you options from 1 mile to a full marathon, and everything in between. Not only will this app schedule your workouts, it will tell you just how long it will take to bring you up to your desired fitness level.
- Designed for All Levels of Fitness – From absolute beginner to seasoned veteran, Personal Running Trainer provides motivational coaching for every level of fitness, with workouts designed for your particular needs, and more strenuous options available once you’re ready to increase your speed, endurance, or pace.
- Increase Difficulty at Your Own Pace – Feel like it might take some time for you to build up from a 5k to a half-marathon? No problem! Personal Running Trainer is built to match your goals at the pace you wish to achieve them. When you’re ready to increase the intensity, Personal Running Trainer will be ready with the program that fits your needs.
- It’s Free – Okay, not entirely free. The first program assigned to each distance is free, so you can still get a comprehensive series of workouts for all your distance goals, be it 1 mile, 5k, 10k, half-marathon, or full marathon. After this you have the option of purchasing the full version of Personal Running Trainer.
Running Right Through the World is More Than Just a Song By the Toasters
One of the things I like best about Personal Running Trainer is how easy it makes running. Looking at practice charts and trying to remember how much time to spend warming up, followed by 60 seconds of running, then 90 seconds of walking, alternating running and walking, followed by a cool down, it’s exhausting just trying to commit that information to memory, let alone trying to recall it while actually in the throes of a workout. Instead, I’m just cruising along,listening to music that I love, with a friendly voice reminding me when to speed up or slow down. I’ll tell you what, the only thing easier than practicing with Personal Running Trainer is reading exercise bike reviews.
Freelance writer Rachel Cook is always on the run, yet she tends to have very little time to fit in an actual run, that’s why she likes to make it fun when she does. Often drawing upon personal experiences for inspiration, there’s very few topics she won’t cover, except maybe alligator wrangling and jell-o wrestling. An avid supporter of all things related to wellness and personal growth, Rachel often suggests her friends review the wealth of information available at http://www.allexercisebikes.net.
2 comments
Thanks for the great article – so glad to hear you enjoyed Personal Running Trainer!!
I’m always interested in improving the app so please feel free to send me any suggestions or comments – thanks again!