GPS Running Apps turn your iPhone or Android phone into a runner’s dream. Most of these apps will track your distance, speed, route, splits and elevation (climb and descent). With over a million apps, the choice of which GPS Running app to use can be daunting. The Running Wall street team tested a few of the apps and below are the results.

Run Keeper - We had good luck with Run Keeper and found the accuracy similar to a wrist GPS watch. Although, reading other reviews the jury is out on the accuracy. For our tests, we used the average setting which did not include heavy, dense forest or super tall skyscraper buildings.

The app provides an easy interface to adjust voice feedback, music and activity type. The feedback are great if you want to hear “coaching” during the run. I especially liked the audio feedback at each mile split, perfect for endurance or tempo runs. The app also has a manual entry option. This is useful for storing workouts not tracked by GPS, like when your phone dies, or GPS reception is spotty. One downside is the inability to view elevation in the app without going to the full website. Personally, I like to see how big that hill was right after the workout (usually smaller than I thought)

Nike+ GPS – “Map your runs, track your progress and get the motivation you need to go even further. Hear midrun cheers every time your friends like or comment on your run status.” -Nikeplus.com

One of the best apps if you’re looking to be social with your running. With the voice feedback, your friends can cheer you on mid-run via Facebook. You can also broadcast your results with Twitter, Facebook and NikePlus. The app has all the standard features including distance, time, pace, calories, and splits. Like Run Keeper, the elevation is not the best. Overall, this is a nice option, especially if you are a huge Nike fan. There’s definitely no lack of branding here.

This app does have a small price tag of $1.99 for the iPhone. Like most apps, the cost per enjoyment is always worth it.

MapMyRun - They say, “Read the reviews, we don’t like to boast.” And, in fact, the reviews are glowing. The app provides the usual distance, time, pace, calories, and splits. Along with heart rate (with separate monitor) and live map. The user interface is fairly easy to use and the cost can’t be beat, Free!

The live map is a cool feature (some other apps have it too) where your friends and family can see you running on a map. It’s all real time data, so if you don’t want your ex-girlfriend watching you run by the sorority house, maybe turn off that feature. For races, I think it’d be awesome to have friends and family watch your progress in real time. Especially helpful if they are meeting you at mile 22 in a marathon and are not quite sure when you’ll be arriving.

We did notice the accuracy was a bit off. On a 13 mile run, it was a full mile too long (14 miles!). To verify it wasn’t a fluke, we double checked with a different phone carrier, two other apps and a wrist GPS watch. Unfortunately, we got the same results. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Endomondo – A mostly UK based running app, Endomondo is one of my favorites. The accuracy has proven great and the app is easy to navigate. The website on the other hand is a bit microsoft-ish and not the most easy to use. We liked the ability to use a countdown to start your workout. For example, we set the countdown to 30 seconds and hit start. The app then waits 30 seconds before starting the workout, which allows enough time to put the phone in a carrier and ready to take off.

The immediate workout summary seems to be more thought out versus the other apps. Elevation is displayed right away. It’s somewhat social with voice “pep” talks from friends during workouts, but limited without the Facebook integration (likes and comments). It also features a heart rate monitor option and ability to “race” against previous workouts. Overall, I like the app for it’s simplicity.

Do you use a GPS Running App?

What’s your favorite?

via Lance Bergeson - Des Moines Register

Forey Jacobson, an iconic Des Moines area runner, was the victim of a violent act in November. He is recovering, but has a long ways to go. The local running community is coming together to put on a benefit for Forey which is Saturday, Jan. 14. The event includes a run starting at 10:00am at Mullets (1300 1st St.) downtown Des Moines. To join, the entry is $25 and also includes admission to the Full Court Press bar crawl afterwards and a concert later that night.

Registration is available at the Running Room.

For more info, visit the Forey Fest Facebook page or email friendsofforey@gmail.com. Proceeds from all events will go toward a fund to help in Jacobson’s recovery.

What is a Turkey Trot? Well, my definition is a race around Thanksgiving where the atmosphere is more about fun that finishing time. Most Turkey Trots also offer walking events and shorter distances for kids, so the whole family can join the fun. Of course, each Turkey Trot has their own variation with some going off road in a cross country style, others are more traditional road running and many races give out homemade pumpkins pies instead of medals. (my favorite!)

This year, start a new tradition before your Thanksgiving feast. Go Turkey Trotting!

Running Wall has compiled a list of all the local Turkey Trots. Here’s the link to find a race near you…Click here to find a Turkey Trot

Congratulations on all the Half Marathoners and Marathons who are winding down the training or have just completed an epic journey of distance running. Enjoy the cool, autumn weather, changing leaf colors and pumpkin spice lattes!

As many of you know, October is breast cancer awareness month. A great way to help the cause is by joining the Women of Zeta Tau Alpha on Sunday, October 23rd. The race raises money for breast cancer awareness & education. This year is the 12th annual ZTA 5K (Run and Walk) held in Lower City Park in Iowa City, Iowa. There will be a raffle and food after the race along with music and a memory wall for those who have been impacted by breast cancer. The course is mostly flat with some slight uphills for a challenge. About 350 runners/walkers sign up and the event is chipped timed for super fast and accurate results. Panera Bread will even be there with their famous breast cancer ribbon bagels. Of course, the main reason to participate is all donations and proceeds go to Breast Cancer Awareness and Education.

Check out all the details here: http://www.runningwall.com/zta-5k

Coconut Chocolate Chip

The Results are in! Recently we got our hands on some new CLIF Bar flavors and wanted to share them with you. The new flavors include Apricot, Peanut Toffee Buzz (with caffeine) and Coconut Chocolate Chip. To win the box of CLIF Bars, runners simply had to answer the following question…

How many races do you run each year?

We tallied up the totals and here are the results…

Most Runners Race, 5-10 times and 2-5 times, per Year

the full breakdown for those "numbers" people

Also, congratulations to Brian! He was the lucky winner of the full box of delicious CLIF Bars. Enjoy the CLIF goodness!

It seems like all runners end up asking the same question at some point in their life when talking about marathon training. “Are you following a training plan?” There are so many choices out there, how do you know which plan one is best?

If you are as confused about which marathon plan to follow as I was, keep reading. Turns out, every runner is different. Our bodies are not all created the same and we are all at different running stages. Just because a program works great for someone else doesn’t mean that it will work for you. It’s best to listen to your own body and mind.

Here is a list of marathon training programs available:

Marathon: You Can Do It! by Jeff Galloway
Jeff Galloway’s book incorporates the run/walk method. I completed this marathon training plan for my very first marathon. I ended up a 4:09 finishing time and I walked 1 minute every mile. This was a great plan for transitioning into marathon running. The book also focuses on avoiding injury, which I can say worked as I ran injury free! On the other hand, this is not your plan if you want to “run” every mile. I would consider it a great beginner/first-time marathoner’s guide.

Run Less, Run Faster: FIRST Training Program
Run Less, Run Faster is their slogan and it’s true. This plan only requires three days of running each week. But…they also recommend two days of cross training. The plan focuses on three core training runs (speed work, tempo run, long run) each week. While three days may seem easier, the paces they recommend are slightly faster and more challenging. This is a great plan if running higher mileage doesn’t appeal to you. This is also perfect if you’re crunched for time (everyone, right!).

Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon
I have never trained with this plan but I noticed that it’s listed by the Boston Marathon website as a plan to follow. Hal Higdon provides good advice, but much of it isn’t new. He has been around for a long time and so has the information he provides. If you have tried the plan, let us know your thoughts!

Advanced Marathoning
This is a hardcore training plan for competitive runners. The book’s description sums it up perfectly.

“Shave minutes off your time using the latest in science-based training for serious runners.”

The plan offers training based on 55, 70, 85 and 85+ miles per week. You’ll find very specific pacing and advanced details into why you are running a certain type of workout each day. We’re talking paces down the second! I was at a running symposium last year and heard that elite runner Erin Moeller is self-coached and she follows this plan. This would be a good plan if you run multiple marathons and/or can handle high mileage and hard workouts.

My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso
This plan integrates Yasso 800’s as part of the speed workouts. Yasso 800’s are supposed to predict how fast you will run your marathon. The book is a great workout guide and simple plan to follow, although, I noticed that my 800’s predicted a faster finishing time than my actual finishing time (maybe it was the bathroom breaks!). This is perfect for runners who want to run a marathon and still maintain speed at the shorter distances. The book also offers some entertaining stories of Bart’s adventures.

Hybrid Plan (My Plan!): This is what I call a plan that I adapted for myself. Anyone can do the same thing and combine aspects of different training guides and create a plan to your liking. This is good for a person who doesn’t like to follow plans and has a hard time sticking to them. (Definitely me!) When creating a personalized plan, tt is helpful to have some knowledge about the different types of training runs. Having your own plan also allows the freedom to change your milage/workouts based on your body’s feedback.

Overall, no plan is perfect. Everyone has a favorite and most likely, that favorite will change over time too.

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions. It’s always interesting to hear what other training runners have use in preparation for a marathon.

-Michelle (10 time marathon finisher with a 3:38 PR)

Sarah Palin (registered under Sarah Heath) ran in the Jump Right In and Run half marathon in Storm Lake over the weekend. She finished in an impressive 1:46:10, good for 2nd place in her age group. (Results Here)

So this begs the question, “is Sarah Palin faster than you?” What other celebrity runners are also fast runners?

Well, I thought it’d be cool to do a little searching and see how you stack up. Below is a list of some celebrities and their finishing times for a marathon distance…I wonder if they keep their finisher medals next to their Emmys and Oscars?

• Sean Astin, Los Angeles Marathon 2010 (5:16:12)
• William Baldwin, New York City Marathon 1992 (3:24:29)
• Anthony Edwards, Chicago Marathon 2003 (3:55:40)
• Will Ferrell, Boston Marathon 2003 (3:56:12)
• Katie Holmes, New York City Marathon 2007 (5:29:58)
• Mario López, Boston Marathon 2002 (5:41:41)
• Edward Norton, New York City Marathon 2009 (3:48:01)
• Ryan Reynolds, New York City Marathon 2008 (3:50:22)
• Dana Carvey, Ocean to Bay Marathon 1972 (3:04:21)
• Freddie Prinze, Jr., Los Angeles Marathon 2006 (5:50:49)
• Meredith Vieira, New York City Marathon 2010 (5:59:00)
• Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon 1994 (4:29:20)
• Sean Combs, (P Diddy) New York City Marathon 2003 (4:14:54)
• Mike Malinin, (Goo Goo Dolls) Chronicle Marathon in San Francisco 2000 (3:23:56)
• Alanis Morissette, Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon 2009 (4:17:03)
• Lance Armstrong, New York City Marathon 2007 (2:46:42)
• Roger Craig, Chicago 2004 (3:54:00)
• Kerri Strug, New York Marathon 2008 (3:56:06)
• Lynn Swann, New York Marathon 1993 (4:26:21)
• Pat Tillman, Avenue of The Giants Marathon 2000 (3:48)
• George W. Bush, Houston Marathon 1993 (3:44:52)
• Michael Dukakis, Boston Marathon 1951 (3:31:00)
• John Edwards, Marine Corps Marathon 1983 (3:30:18)
• Al Gore, Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:58:25)
• Sarah Palin, Humpy’s Marathon 2005 (3:59:36)
• Tom Vilsack, Little Rock Marathon 2005 (5:28:39)

Every couple weeks we send out a “Race Report” to the local runners around the Midwest. Each Race Report is different and varies from highlighting local races to giving away shirts, Clif Bars, and even Camelbaks! If you’d like to be the first to know about upcoming races, contests and other sexy running gear, enter your name and email at the top of the page. And don’t worry, Running Wall hates spam, advertisements and sharing emails. We will never cheat on you and give away your personal info, just send you a Race Report every couple weeks.

Here’s an example of the last Race Report…

WooHoo! The hot summer days are tapering off. With cooler weather, comes longer distances and half marathons are where the party’s at! A half marathon or 13.1 miles is long enough to make it a challenge but short enough to still enjoy the post race festivities. And who doesn’t deserve a party after running all summer?

One of those great post race parties, follows the Park to Park half marathon in Cedar Falls, IA. Music, pizza, beer, BBQ and massages make the finish line seem like heaven. The course also offers a 10K and 5K and all three races are walker friendly.

The 33rd annual Bill Seymour Half Marathon in Grand Island, NE is another opportunity to challenge yourself and maybe win some cash if you’re fast. If your not (like me) stick around and you could also score some cool door prizes from local sponsors.

What about refueling after running all those miles? The Beeds Lake Restoration Run in Hampton, IA has the perfect solution…a Free Breakfast for runners!

And for the trail lovers, the New Bo Fest Half Marathon course runs along the Cedar River on the Sac & Fox trail. The race is Sunday before Labor Day in Cedar Rapids, IA, giving you an extra day to recover.

Until the next report,
-John

P.S. Congratulations Bonnie and Mike on your new Running Wall shirts!

The American Cancer Society in association with the IMT Des Moines Marathon is offering runners the opportunity to help fight back against cancer. Training for an endurance race is a huge commitment. Now runners can make it even more meaningful but joining the American Cancer Society DetermiNation program.

DetermiNation athletes commit to raise funds to help save lives from cancer. Sound intimidating? It’s not. The American Cancer Society has established realistic fundraising goals for each race, and provides the tools needed to make it easy and fun. Think of DetermiNation participation as a personal stake in the fight against cancer.

Participants will receive free training to help achieve race goals, invitations to social events, race weekend VIP amenities which include access to an American Cancer Society tent, gear check, masseuses, cheer teams and special prizes, an exclusive American Cancer Society DetermiNation racing shirt, a personal fundraising website, recognition for fundraising success, the opportunity to participate in honor or in memory of loved ones and wear special ribbons to recognize them, mentor support and e-newsletters with important race information, inspiration and training tips.

Visit acsDetermiNation.org to learn more about the Des Moines DetermiNation program or call Darci Borcherding at 515.727.0048