When it comes to running, it sounds like it is the most straightforward exercise there is and it is, you lace up your trainers and run wherever however it gets harder than that when you run often. 

If you want to avoid injury, get faster and be a better overall runner, you need to deep dive into the world of apps.

The truth is 99.999% of us don’t want to pay for a coach so a running app is a great tool to support you on your running journey. 

It’s coming to search for things such as running coaches near me, 12 week marathon training plan and be bombarded with a range of different information and we want to keep things simple.

There are lots of apps which do different things or integrate into other apps to support an overall experience but the key from an app is both adaptive run coaching and tracking of your performance. 

Many apps also have a social feature and some have a competitive feature too such as leaderboards, be careful with those though as they might not be the best for your mental health. 

If you’re looking for the best app to rack up those miles, here are ours:

The 5 Best Running Apps of 2022

• Best Tracking: Strava

• Best for Coaching: Coopah

• Best for Beginners: Couch to 5k

• Best for Rewards: SportHeroes

• Best for Outdoor Runs: Relive

Best Tracking: Strava

What we Love?

• The ability to track your runs

• The chance to either share your runs with friends or make them private, helping to help runners mental health

• Kudos

What We Don’t Like

• That leaderboards are now only available to premium members

The Strava app is for runners (and cyclists) of all levels.  It is a great go to for those who want to track their runs and see their performance free of charge.  It is also a brilliant place to show off any PBs.

Strava helps you track your runs and progress across the week, month and year which can be great for any distance goals.

You can also upload those all important sweaty selfies!

The Strava app is free and ideal for beginners, with in-app purchases available for premium features as you advance.

Best for Coaching: Coopah

What We Like

• The fact all plans are adaptable based on your performance - there ain’t no PDFs here!

• The Strength and conditioning and yoga sessions

• The active community

• The rewards

• The Runstart Academy - Coopah gives a lifetime membership to someone in need for every subscription sold. 

What We Don’t Like

• Currently not integrated to all smart watches or Strava - it’s coming though ;).

Yes, we are bias with this one but we believe it is the best and it’s only getting better.  Coopah was built because the co-founders were frustrated at the cost of private coaches and the inflexibilty of pdf training plans.  

Many people are forced to do a 12 week marathon training plan or a 16 week marathon training plan or half marathon training plan and then forced to decide if they are a beginner, intermediate or advanced runner.  In 2022, runners should be able to use tech to have better access to adaptable training runs and this is exactly what Coopah does.

No more searching ‘running coaches near me’ instead Coopah gives you a personal coach, anywhere and at any time.

Best for Beginners: Couch to 5K

What We Like

• Helps millions of people get into running - what can you not love about that?

• Make specifically for those who have never ran before

• Offers a plan

What We Don’t Like

• Not adaptable

Most people's goals when they start running is to start a training plan and achieve a running goal.  This is usually a 5k if you are a beginner and this is exactly what this app does.  It takes you from sitting on the couch to running your first ever 5k.  Epic, eh?

The training plan not only helps with running shorter distances but also splits up runs and includes run/walk sets so everyone can do the plan. 

Once you’ve completed the plan, we recommend using Coopah as your personalised running coach, anywhere any at anytime.   

Best for Rewards: RunningHeroes

What We Like

• Rewards which aren’t based on speed!

• Virtual Races

• Weekly Challenges

What We Don’t Like

• Sometimes there is just too much going on!

Who doesn’t love being rewarded for doing something you love?  Running Heroes work with a range of brands in the running world to provide you with great discounts across a range of products.  The best bit is, this isn’t about speed, it’s all about just running. 

Not only do they provide great rewards but they have a mixture of challenges where you can win some great prizes.  Think holidays, flights, shoes, headphones…the lot!

Not fully tempted yet?  They finally do virtual races too which we love as you may not like racing in person due to the anxiety of it so you can run on your own but still be part of a race.

Best for Outdoor Runs: Relive

Why We Chose It: Relive’s creative mapping and post-run video components are second to none, which makes it perfect for outdoor runs.

What We Like

• Great for those who hate the treadmill

• The post run video

• The community features

What We Don’t Like

• No Strava integration but we get why

The post run video sharing the route you’ve taken is seriously epic, if you’ve not tried this app before, we seriously recommend it.   Not only do you get an epic post run video, you can also track your run and take photos and videos of the route which then shows on the run too.

Don’t worry about getting lost either, they have GPS tracking and the best bit?  There is a free version but if you really love the app, you can upgrade to a paid version for £6.99 a month. 

DOWNLOAD THE COOPAH APP TODAY

The Coopah app is supported on both Android and iOS devices.

You can download the Coopah app for Android devices from the Google Play Store. Users of iOS devices can find it in the App Store.