Runtime makes it easy to track where you run, walk or hike
Runtime from Conrad Stoll is a simple fitness app that does one thing and does it well -- it tracks your most important statistics while you run, walk, or hike. I'm using it to track my cross-country skiing and snowshoeing this winter and have been exceptionally pleased with the app's performance.
The best feature of Runtime, and the reason why I still use it five months later, is the way it organizes your activities according to "Places" that you define. Instead of a scrollable log of your different exercise sessions, Runtime allows me to organize my sessions by trail loop, making it easy for me to see how many times I skied the Stephens trail or went snowshoeing on the Noyes trail.
Runtime is easy to use, which is major advantage when you want just get running and don't want to fumble around with an app. Just fire up Runtime when you are ready to head out and select the "Place" you are going to run. Add a new session and then click the "Start" button to start the timer. The app supports interval training and has the ability to pause if you need to take a break for any reason. When you are done, you can save the run to your "Places" log and then call it up for future review.
Runtime provides detailed statistics on each run, including distance, pace and steps, which are from the iPhone 5s M7 motion co-processor. The app displays your run on a map and color codes it so you can see where you were walking and where you were running. Several different map options allow you to see your run in a satellite view or a moving 3D view that takes you along the path of your run.
The GPS tracking was accurate for picking up my path through the woods, and the app did a decent job detecting when I was running and when I was walking. The step count was consistent when I was snowshoeing, but struggled to pick up my movement when skiing. This a limitation of the M7, which only detects certain activities as step-based movement.
You also can view information on the pace and altitude of each run, which are displayed in chart format. If you want to add personal details not captured by GPS, you can add a note to each stored run. You can share your runs via AirDrop, KML/GPX export or on social networks like Twitter or Facebook. Support for Dropbox import and export ensures you won't lose your history when you upgrade or change devices.
Runtime has a basic feature set that is balanced perfectly by the app's usability. Runtime is so easy to use, taking me less than a minute to open the app and fire up the tracker before I hit the trail. When I am done, Runtime stores only the critical statistics that I need to measure my performance.
Runtime is available for $2.99 from the iOS App Store. It is compatible with the iPhone and requires iOS 7. There are no in-app purchases, no ads and no required logins to use the fitness tracking part of the app.
