Nico's blog

Reducing the number of running apps/sites I'm using

Too many "leaks", let's try to fix that!

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The problem

It struck me recently that I'm using a lot of sites/applications to track my running habits:

• Suunto app
• RunGap
• Strava
• Running Campus
• SmashRun
• Intervals.icu

That's 6 different apps/platforms, which all contains my runs/rides etc.

I'm cautious about my privacy, and try to be careful:

• my daily phone runs Sailfish OS,
• I don't use anything from Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp),
• I prefer DuckDuckGo over Google,
• etc.

So when I realised that all my runs habits/metrics were spread on all those platforms, I thought it was time to fix it.

Also, there's no way I could use each of those 6 apps/sites every day, so cleaning up seemed like a good idea.

What's my usage of those platforms?

Suunto App (iOS)

• Synchronise my watch and download my runs,
• Upload running routes I created,
• And from time to time some intervals training (see my blog post about it).

RunGap (iOS)

• Synchronise runs to all platforms
• RunGap takes a source and allows you to upload to many platforms
• I use it to download my runs from Suunto, and upload it to Strava and SmashRun
• Nothing is stored in the cloud, it only saves locally on your phone
• The search features is also useful when looking for a specific run

Strava

• No need to present the app
• I use it mostly to track what my running friends are doing,
• and also to share my runs
• I stopped paying for their Premium plan (or whatever name it has these days) as it was not bringing anything special compared with SmashRun or the Suunto App
• I also use it to track the mileage of my shoes

Running Campus

• Launched by Niko (from running-addict.com) ~3 years ago
• Initially it only contained training plans, and just for road running
• Now it expanded to trail running and also a wider community (through Discord channels)
• I was an early backer of Running Campus in 2019
• I used it a lot in 2020, not that much in 2021, and renew in 2022
• Main reason was to support the project
• But I'm not using it that much these days

SmashRun

• I wrote a complete article on Smashrun a while ago
• Smashrun is geared towards analysing your runs and giving you a lot of details / options to drill down into a specific run
• I use it a lot, mostly for analysing my "tough" sessions (e.g. intervals, hill repeats)
• There's also a "friends" part which allows seeing what your running friends are up to (provided they're also using SmashRun), and also sends a weekly email about how you compare (see this article).

Intervals.icu

• I also wrote an article about Intervals.icu while testing SuuntoPlus when it got released last year.
• Same approach as SmashRun, i.e. giving you a lot of details on your runs
• (Although Intervals.icu also supports other sports such as cycling)
• Intervals.icu also allows you creating workouts that can then be synchronised to your running watch
  • that's the reason why I started using it, and liked it
  • I use it less these days, as the Suunto mobile app now supports creating workouts straight from the app

How much do I pay for each?

• Suunto App: free
• RunGap: €11 / year - gives you access to all features
• Strava:
  • Free for basic features
  • If you want to use the more advanced features (route planning, HR/Power analysis, ...), then it costs €60/year
• Running Campus: €99 / year
• SmashRun: €35 / year
• Interval.icu: €40 / year

How useful is it?

• Suunto App:
  • initially I used it only for synchronising my runs from my Suunto watch,
  • then I created routes, also using the "heatmaps" feature,
  • more recently, I started using it for creating workouts.
  • Status: very useful, I can't remove it.
• RunGap:
  • very handy, includes a lot of sources/targets for sychronising runs between platforms
  • the developer, Kristian, is very responsive and keeps improving the app
  • Status: very useful, provided you want to control how your runs are synchronised between platforms
• Strava:
  • I once described it as "Facebook for runners"...
  • I'm using it mostly to share my runs with friends, and see their runs/activities,
  • I'm not using any activity analysis (I'm not a Premium subscriber).
  • Status: somehow useful to keep in touch with running friends
• Running Campus:
  • Useful when preparing a race or when you want to improve,
  • I'm not using the Community part that much.
  • Status: Not useful for me at the moment.
• SmashRun:
  • I don't use their badges that much, although it's fun
  • But all the analytics part is really great
  • The only downside is that browsing it on a mobile phone is painful
  • (although there's an unofficial iOS app, but it only gives basic information)
  • I really like the "Friends report"
  • Status: useful, I could do without it but some features are interesting for deep dive analysis.
• Intervals.icu:
  • I like it a lot but now that the Suunto app includes the ability to create workouts, I use it a lot less.
  • The interface is nice but I barely use it.
  • Status: Not useful for me anymore

Decision

Ideally, I wanted to go down to 2, maximum 3 apps/sites, and of course they had to be both useful and aligned with my values - cost was not the main reason to take the decision not to use an app/site.

With that in mind, I decided:

Apps I am keeping

• Suunto: no choice really, else I can't get any workout from the watch,
• RunGap: it works flawlessly for synchronising workouts, so I'll stick to it for now
• SmashRun: I still like looking at detailed statistics about a run
• Strava: even though to me it's a "Facebook for runners", it's still good to see what friends are doing, and also connecting with new folks I meet at races.

Apps I stop using

• Running Campus: as said, I don't really use it anymore, and while I absolutely like what Niko and Tristan are doing, paying €99 a year for something I'm not using is not worth it :)
• Intervals.icu: same, I'm not using it.

Let's see in 2024!!

I'll rethink the above in 2024:

• RunGap: I could do without it, provided I use the Suunto app to push my runs to Strava directly,
  • but RunGap provides a lot more control/granularity
• SmashRun: I'll see how often I use it for detailed statistics. So far, my gut feeling is that I use it less and less, and a bit more the Suunto app, which Suunto keeps improving.

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Tags: Running