Nike Run Club: Running Coach

UPDATE 3: with version 7.42+, sync issues appear to have been fixed. Sometime a few versions earlier, things really started to shape up. Super happy with the improvements! UPDATE 2: every update breaks the sync with the watch. Run data is lost. The time to fix is 20-30 minutes of logging out, refreshing, etc. After 14 years I might have to go exclusively to Strava. UPDATE: with phone on iOS 17.1+ and watch on watchOS 10.1+, as well as NRC 7.30.0, sync issues appear to be fixed. That brings me from 2 to 4 stars. I use this app every day, so I will update accordingly as I confirm over time if syncing, as well as the issue of constantly logging out, are fixed. Experimentally for me, it seems that being a major version behind on iPhone and Watch were adding to the problems. ORIGINAL: I’ve been using the Nike Run Club app for over a decade. Been using it for three years with an Apple Watch. Version 7.30.0 as of Nov 2023 claims to fix issues with activity syncing and getting logged out of the app constantly, but these problems seem to get more and more frequent. Several months ago, I had an issue once in a blue moon. Recently, it’s been every day. Losing workouts, nothing syncing between watch and phone, constantly having to log back into the app. What a bummer.

This app is amazing. I get bored most of the times while I’m trying longer runs and Coach Bennett’s cheesy jokes have managed to get me past the 8 mile mark which is pretty crazy considering 3mi was a STRUGGLE before starting NRC. However the UI itself is a little questionable. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled this app a couple times and it doesn’t mark properly runs I’ve done before and there’s no good filter system for looking through the huge catalog of runs they have available, you literally just have to scroll A-Z through every single run. Also as somebody who lives in a colder area I force myself outside for long runs and do speed runs on the treadmill, and I’ll often forget to mark a run as indoors until it’s too late and you can’t change it while in the middle of running (maybe NRC could just make a warning or something saying hey, you don’t look like you’re moving on the GPS). The Apple Watch integration is a little finicky also, maybe 40% of the time it doesn’t show stats on the watch and I wish the indoor running would let me put my phone down and just use the watch’s sensors for tracking the distance. Also I’ve used this app a lot and I’ve started to notice a lot of the messaging gets super repetitive, like I swear they use the same script for multiple runs which is a little annoying.

I’m really impressed with the coaching available as part of the app. I picked up running recently and had started tracking runs in Strava. I decided to check out NRC because a friend of mine is using it and referenced it. I’m sure glad that I did! Previously I would just go out and run hard. But it’s hard to motivate for that kind of pain. I decided to try NRC’s 10k program to give me something to work toward. It has me doing speed runs, recovery runs, longer distances, etc. As a new runner, it has made running accessible and even kinda fun. My problem is with the app itself. My 10k program from Nike is a PDF and it says which “Guided Run” I should do in the app. It begs the question why isn’t the program itself in the app? Failing that I should at least be able to search the guided runs for the name provided. But, no. So that’s why 4/5 ⭐️. It seems like they could do so much more with this app too. The coach doesn’t know my pace so can only say the level of effort I should put in. But the app does! It doesn’t seem like it would have to be very sophisticated AI to customize the training plan to me. Age should be considered too. As a 50-something I’m just not going to build strength and stamina at the same rate as a younger runner. In short, I’m happy. I’m glad I’m using the app. You should definitely download it and give it a try. AND there is still a lot of opportunity for it to grow and improve.

Whether you’re just starting to run or you’ve run for years this is an incredible app to have. Not only does it track where you go but as soon as you finish you are able to report how easy or hard the run was and it tracks your every pace from start to finish. Every day you are able to look back on your progress and throughout the week the Nike Dun Club Trainers give you confidence boosters to encourage and to support your efforts. The guided runs are very helpful and are exactly what you need if your just starting out and don’t know where or how to start or if you want to get better and are looking for that support. Not only are you able to look back on everything you do but you are also given awards every time you run a little bit longer or however many times you run that week. With every mile stone you are given a new category just to remind you how far you’ve come. Not only is it an organized and very efficient app but if you like music while you run it offers to connect with your preferred music app or if you don’t have one it offers to give you their playlist to help keep you upbeat and running. I started this app because when Covid-19 had begun and I was forced to go back home and end our lacrosse season early. It was our coaches that wanted to keep us together and encouraged us to get the app so we could join a yards for yearly program and to run 1 million yards in one month, this was back in April 2020 and we did it until May. Even though that has ended I’ve been consistently using this app every day and I plan to use it so long as I can walk.

I have despised running all my life. It was never my cup of tea when it came to working out. Yet despite my disdain for running, I would occasionally go on runs in hopes of becoming more fond of the sport due to its many health benefits. Unfortunately after running half a mile I would already be out of breath and just unhappy. Now I realize that’s because I was starting out too fast and I wasn’t running with the right purpose (according to Coach Bennett on the Nike + run app, these are two common mistakes that runner can make). On July 1st of 2020 I decided to give running yet another shot, but this time I opened my Nike+ run app and did the “first run” guided run. By listening to Coach Bennett’s instructions I was able to run for twenty straight minutes without a break, which had previously been an unheard of feat in my life. Coming from a girl who was usually winded by .50 miles, I was baffled to see my screen read a distance of 1.70 miles! To some, these numbers will seem meager. But that is the beauty of running, you don’t need to compare yourself to others. It’s all about making yourself a better athlete with each run. I have already improved upon my pace and distance and it’s only the middle of July!! Anyway, all of this is to say that the Nike+run app has helped turn an activity that I have dreaded all of my life into one of my favorite things to do. Now I look forward to running because it clears my head and challenges me to push myself in a positive way!! 10/10 recommend!!

Let me back up my words with a little story, I used to always want to be a good runner. However, I never had enough motivation to do it more than three times in a month (if even that). I tried the guided runs and they were great but I never felt motivated enough to run the next day. However, through the Nike Run Club app you can connect with your friends and create challenges and set distance goals. My good friend on the app created a run challenge for 60 miles in a month last April and I really wanted to finish it and be able to say that I did it but I only managed to log two miles before losing motivation. This year he created the same challenge and I told myself that I had to finish it. 60 miles isn’t much for a lot of people but for me, a beginning runner who has never logged more than 15 miles in a month, it seemed nearly impossible. With that being said, I ended up forcing myself to run 2.2 miles everyday for the first two weeks but after that I felt this crazy motivation to run more. In that one month, I went from running my first 5k to running my first 10k. The competitive atmosphere among my friends and I pushed me to finish the challenge in only 22 days. Thanks to the Nike Run Club’s challenge feature, I am now running more than I could’ve ever imagined. This month (May) I’ve managed to run my first 10 mile run (which was AMAZING) and also run 80 miles in this month. When you are looking for a running app to get you from being a beginner to becoming a great runner, I highly recommend the Nike Run Club app for your every need.