The Hero Rush obstacle course race I completed last Saturday took place on trails and had participants running in sand, over roots and around rocks.
With no pavement to ensure sure footing, I found myself mentally engaged during the run as I looked ahead to make sure my feet wouldn’t trip over a large stick or something of the sort as I ran along. It made the run a lot more stimulating and I was in the mood for another trail run early this afternoon.
I decided to drive to some nearby trails with Sadie around 11 a.m.
That is the look of get that camera out of my face pure joy. 
I knew Sadie would be more than game for an afternoon run since she was neglected all morning as I worked in our home office. When we got out of the car, she ran all over the place, peed three times and then body slammed into me as I tried to get my gear in order before taking off.
The “gear” I speak of is my new iPhone and armband!
I bought my new armband on Amazon last week for $9.50 because I thought the little keyhole was so innovative! And, yes, because of the light pink color.
I was up for a new phone on our phone plan and last week I became a first-time owner of an iPhone. To say I love it would be an understatement. It’s so darn fast! My old phone was incredibly slow (it was an old Droid and took nearly five minutes to simply turn on and load everything), so I feel like my new phone is some kind of a wizard.
Ever since my phone arrived last week, I’ve been searching for fun apps to try and before our trail run today, I downloaded the (free!) Run Keeper app to track our distance and pace since I forgot to charge my Garmin. (I’d looove your app recommendations!)
The app was really, really easy to set up and I was surprised when a woman’s voice talked to me every five minutes to tell me five minutes had passed and inform me of my average pace.
After my run I investigated this mystery woman’s voice and saw that you can play around in the settings section of the app and set up voice notifications at different points during your workout. (The app has you choose what kind of workout you’re doing when you set it up – walking running, biking, etc.) It was so, so cool! Technology these days…
Since I know a lot of you guys are hardcore runners and hardcore iPhone lovers, this might be old news to you, but for someone like me who is a little slow to warm up to apps and iPhones, I was pretty darn impressed!
As for the run itself, it wasn’t a super speedy run for me because 70 percent of it took place in sand. I listened to a Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me podcast from a couple of weeks ago that I missed and tried not to trip on the huge roots along the trail.
About 1.5 miles into my run, I had a pretty major wipeout that made Sadie run over to me, lick my face and jump around because to her a serious spill = serious playtime.
One good thing about running in sand is that falling in sand isn’t painful!
Lunch
After our run, I quickly showered, ate a double chocolate chip cookie, printed off my resume and some writing samples and drove to Starbucks to meet up with a potential new local freelance client.
I planned on eating at home after our meeting, but ended up getting awfully hungry and since I arrived early, I scarfed down a spinach and egg white wrap while I waited.
I also ordered a nonfat cinnamon dolce latte for a little sweetness.
The meeting went well, but now that I’m back home my stomach is grumbling and telling me it’s time for an afternoon snack!
Question of the Afternoon
- If you’re a smartphone user, what is your favorite app? Any “must have” apps that I need to download?
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I love that arm band! Key holder in an arm band? I am sold! Too bad any time I run my gps fails to track my runs about halfway through, or I’d consider getting it too. Sadie looks adorable as usual!
OH MY GOSH your iPhone case is adorable! Where is it from?
Some of my favorite apps:
Instagram (obviously)
Rue La La (I’m sure you’ll love that one!)
PicStitch (for creating photo collages)
Pandora
Wells Fargo (or any app for online banking.. a must have)
Soundhound (put the phone up to the speaker or sing part of a song you can’t remember the name or artist of, and it will tell you!)
Where (shows gas prices)
Nike Training Club (for quick but intense workouts)
and finally..
Charity Miles! For this one, you just clock into the app at the beginning of your run/bike/walk and pick a charity. For every mile you complete, they give money to the charity of your choice! So awesome.
Enjoy your new phone! 🙂
Hi Julie,
I use my iPhone all the time when I run. I use the Nike Running app and I love it! It tracks your run and speaks to you every mile with your pace and time. Also, on the GPS map, it color codes for you when you slow down and speed up (a little extra motivation if you ask me!). If you like to know your time splits when you are running, then this is a great app. Plus, it keeps track of all your runs and gives you an average pace. I like to have that kind of tracking system, especially when I’m training for something. You can also program a music playlist to go along with your run and change it as you see fit. It’s an easy app to use and I highly recommend it!
I must warn you… The arm band is great, but it tends to slide down my arm the more I sweat during a workout! But not too bothersome, plus it’s only $10!
I don’t run with my iphone, personally. I don’t like the added weight (yes the couple of ounces does bother me), and I don’t listen to music when I run. So unfortunately I can’t offer you any advice. But that cookie does look delicious 🙂
Congrats on your new phone! Love the case:). Body rock tv is a great app along with Nike Training. They both have mini video clips of exercises. The Nike app takes a little longer to download. All Trails is another app that gives you details about great trails in your area.
I love apps! My favorite fitness apps are all the apps from lolo -Beatburn elliptical & treadmill versions, especially. They are guided audio workouts that use your own music, and shift the tempo of the songs to match your pace. I also love the Zombies, Run! app and their new 5K app, too.
i love your iphone case! so cute! I had to seriously buy 5 arm band until i could find one that fit my tiny little arm {so embarrassing} Its nice though once you find that one! I love that yours has a key holder! very convenient. I’m listening to pandora country christmas music now! can’t get enough already!
I use Runkeeper on my iphone. I hardly ever update my apps but I updated all of mine a few months ago. I have to say I really didn’t like the frequent (every five minutes) updates at first but it’s grown on me. In fact, it pushed me to run my fastest half marathon a few weeks ago. It really kept me on pace. I still can’t wait to purchase a Garmin though! I hate having to worry about dropping my iphone or getting sweat on it and I run with mine a lot.
http://specials.msn.com/msnvideo/video?videoid=50809151-4ae3-4b9c-ac2f-15c04f3d2f1f&from=en-us_msnhp
someone else posted this too, the link didn’t work for me…
seems like sadie would enjoy this too 🙂
Someone just turned me onto the charity miles app. It’s a little slow, but once you get it working each time you run they will donate to one of a few different charities!
I live on Pandora and my starbucks app. Everything else is fun but I don’t really use them a ton.
My favorite apps are “checkbook hd free” and “mapmyrun”!
The Nike Training Club app is awesome! They have a variety of workouts that are perfect to do at home!! I love it when I don’t make it to the gym or when I travel!!
I finally caved in and bought an iPhone when my husband and I moved to Bangkok. It has been invaluable for getting around this new, crazy city! I’d be lost without the GPS. Two of my favourite apps so far are:
Expenditure: a super simple budget tracker. It’s a great way to monitor everyday spending.
TalkingThai: a Thai dictionary where every word is spoken to you in a soothing, female Thai voice. Nothing like trying to subtly listen to your dictionary when you’re talking to a salesperson.
Yay iPhone! I just got the white iPhone 5 too and LOVE it, so much faster that my old 4. Top apps for me are Evernote (it’s my second brain), 2Do tasks app (best to do app out there IMO – and I’ve tried lots) and Pandora.
I totally have this arm band in hot pink – my fiancee actually bought it for me because of the colors and the keyhole =) It’s so comfortable while running. Also – addicted to the Pinterest app. I love that you can take a picture with the phone and automatically pin it!
I love the Stitcher radio app – it’s an easy way to listen to the latest episodes of your favorite Podcasts. I’m a huge fan of anything NPR, the Nutrition Diva and the Get Fit Guy!
PS Where did you get your iPhone case? It’s adorable. I need one, like yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm5B_pyPd20
have u seen this video? is this the same kind of dog that sadie is?
I love RunKeeper! I’ve used it ever since I started running last year. I have it set to tell me every minute what my time and distance are! I also love AroundMe (you can type in a store/restaurank/bank, etc and it will list the closest ones to you), Dice with Friends (like yahtzee), IMDB (so I can look up info on any movie or movie star!), Scorecenter (I am a football fanatic), Target, Publix
Hi Julie! I’m popping in to let you know that I very much admire your blog and love the workouts and recipes you put together! I nominated you for the Sunshine Award, because you seem like a very true person and you inspire people to be their best selves! Thanks for all your young wisdom!
http://fitandfeistyfelipe.blogspot.com/2012/11/letter-to-my-health.html
Puppy kisses after a fall can make anything better! I’m crossing my fingers that potential freelance client works out!
Definitely download the Whole Foods app…so many recipe ideas and it can generate a recipe based on you feeding in the ingredients you have at home!
I love my Iphone 5 too! You should try talking to Siri 😉
Find Friends is a cool and somewhat creepy app. It shows people that you’ve specifically allowed to see where you are, and likewise shows you where they are! Saves me from harassing the hubby asking if he’s on his way home yet… I can just see on the app! Also good if you have friends that do any sort of shift work as you can see if they’re at work or not right away 🙂
Words with friends, runkeeper, super sudoko, myfitnesspal are the ones I use a lot. My 2.5 year old granddaughter has one on my phone called “Toddlers Trifling” which is nice to occupy her on car rides. I tried a couple of call recording aps but haven’t found any that work yet. If anyone knows of any that would be great.
I fell in love with triail running after doing a trail race, it is a great way to mix up my runs. I have yet to get the iphone (hopefully soon!) But have been loving the Edomondo (fitness) and Dropbox (syncs smartphone photos directly to your computer) apps on my Blackberry.
What a cute arm band! I have not used it yet, but my mom’s group fitness instructor has recommended a HIIT app that allows you to time intervals with music by playing a beep at the appropriate time. I love my Tabata Timer app, My Fitness Pal, and Starbucks (you can pay on your phone!). I don’t really use anything too fancy schmancy!! 🙂
Your pooch just *looks* like a “Sadie”! A-dog-able!
If you like PicMonkey, you’ll like PicStitch — you can make cute little collages with your Instagram/regular photos with borders and everything!
I love trail running! It makes the miles go by so fast because you can’t see what’s ahead and the scenery is constantly changing – plus you really have to watch where you step. Our pup loves running the trails with us. In fact, my dad is staying with us right now and he’ll take her out on the trail for 5-6 miles and when we get home from work she still wants to hit the trail and go running with us. She can’t get enough!
Cute phone cover! The trail run sounds like a blast, spill and all ;).
Seconds Pro is an awesome app.
Sleep Pillow helps me fall asleep so quickly.
My hands down favorite app is Paprika. It stores all of your recipes and you can make super easy grocery lists from it. I think it’s $4.99 but SO worth it. I have it on my phone, iPad and MacBook and the app syncs the recipes so I have them on all three devices. You can pull recipes into it from online too.
I get a phone upgrade in February – darn hubby stole mine – and I am going to get an Iphone and join the world 🙂 I have a dinasaur right now so I am so excited – I will def have to come back here for some tips! Cute cover btw!
Charity Miles is a neat app. You pick a charity from their list and they donate a small amount for every mile you run, walk or bike. I haven’t had much luck getting it to work on my phone for some reason but maybe it’ll work for you!
The nike + app is great for running!! It’s my favorite– i’ve tried them all, and it’s often as accurate as my running buddies garmin– i found that runkeeper would be off from time to time.
I use mapmyrun app and love it!
Even if horror isn’t your kind of thing, you would LOVE the “Zombies, Run!” app. So fun and actually quite humorous. It’s eight bucks but is completely worth the cost. Basically, the app weaves a narrative in-between your songs that directs you on imaginary missions to help a survivors camp as their “Runner 5,” one of a group of runners they use to get supplies, save people, carry messages, et cetera. It’s kinda like listening to an audiobook or video game while still zoning out with your music. All the while you gather details about the characters you hear and their theories on what’s happening in the game. The best part is there’s a “zombie chase” option you can turn on that “detects” when zombies are close and forces you to speed up, so you get a great interval workout. When you finish a run you can also distribute the supplies you “pick up” to the camp. It’s really, really fun and since there are a ton of missions you can replay some and not feel bored. Buy it!
Oh, but don’t buy their couch to 5k app! I bought it recently and it’s completely glitchy. The actual game is the only way to go. Solid game and solid program.
Hey! I have that arm band but in black! Good ‘ol $9.50 for the win! 😉
CharityMiles is a great app. It logs your walk, run, or bike ride and donates money to the charity of your choice (you choose from their charities) based on how far you go. I’ve used it twice now.
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this, but Runkeeper also gives you a bunch of information about your run when you login to their website.