Running apps and form trackers are popular fitness products that allow you to track your running progress, distance, time, and calories burned. Some individuals may be wondering whether or not these products are worth it and if they actually help their fitness journey.

There is a lot of mixed feedback about the usefulness of running apps and trackers. Some people believe that these products don’t provide enough motivation to keep going. Others find them useful for tracking their progress and staying motivated to perform better.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of these factors so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not a running belt and tracker is for you.

What are the Benefits of Using Running Apps?

Whether you’re a beginner just starting a jogging routine, or a veteran athlete prepping for the next triathlon, your online footprint has probably led to you being bombarded with ads for running apps.

But the question is, are these apps actually worth using? Do they make good companions for your running belts, which likely already hold a number of things weighing you down? The answer to that question depends on a few factors.

We’ll come right out and say, running apps can be useful. They’ll help you target your training goals, keep track of your progress with metrics, and they can even “gamify” your exercise routine with experience points and levels.

What running apps won’t do is motivate you to get out there and start pounding the pavement. Motivation to exercise depends entirely on you, and a running app on your smartphone won’t suddenly instill you with the heart of a champion.

But if you’re committed to your goals, running apps will help you reach them.

For one, running apps offer you an objective, measurable, and almost definitive goal for your training. For example, if you want to work on your speed and endurance, then an app can recommend specific speed drills and interval training to help you achieve that goal.

A number of apps also provide you with heart rate readings and a running map. You can make it easier to track your routes, track your progress, and push yourself to a new level of performance.

Different Kind of Running Pods and How They Work

Running pods, also sometimes known as form trackers, are usually clip-on devices for your running shoes. At the most basic level, running pods will track things a smartphone app typically can’t, such as the weight of your footsteps, the rhythm of your cadence, and how fast your pace varies throughout a run.

More advanced running pods and form trackers, such as smart sole cushions, can be inserted into your shoes and then track even more information. For example, a smart sole cushion will track which area of your foot is absorbing the most impact, how much force your foot is putting out when you’re running, and how that affects your running gait.

These features can be important to monitor and improve upon for seriously devoted runners, who want to make sure they’re achieving the correct level of impact balance during their workouts.

Is all this Technology Actually Worth It?

This isn’t easy to answer, because it depends on the individual. If you’re a beginner who is just starting a new running routine, throwing money at various devices may or may not give you an extra boost of motivation.

We’re all aware of people who will buy fancy new gym equipment, and then let it collect dust. So whether or not running trackers and fitness apps are “worth it” depends on your motivation to actually use them.

Secondly, if you aren’t the type of person who would enjoy observing metrics and using all of the data to set new fitness goals, running apps are likely not for you. There’s nothing wrong with going for a jog the old-fashioned way, just you and a pair of sneakers.

However, if you enjoy keeping track of the details of your running regime, you’re a competitive type of person, or you need that extra push, then investing in some type of running tech can really make a difference.

It can help you become more efficient, stick to your goals, and even start to feel the pain a little bit so you can push yourself a little bit more.