Run With Hal

This app is going to be a game changer for me. As a mom of 3 busy kids and going back to school I do not have the mental energy to plan workouts let alone a several month journey to my first marathon. I love how I can enter my race day, my standing rest day, the days I am available, and my goal pace. It lays it all out for me so I don’t have to. I also love the “Hal says” feature. It’s very encouraging, even when I skip a day! My race isn’t until June and it is giving me maintenance runs so I’ll be ready to start officially training in January. So the maintenance runs did not prepare me for the actual marathon training so it was a rough first couple of weeks, but I’m feeling like I’m getting stronger the more I stick to it, I just have to slow my pace down (slower than the plan recommends). Also, the cross training day is still entered as a run. For example: it asks the duration and distance. I biked for 35 minutes and went 8 miles, according to the bike. It had me double check because that pace is crazy fast. lol. It would be a nice feature to be able to enter the actual Xtraining activity. Not a big deal. I still like the app and appreciate it’s convenience.

i used Run With Hal to train for my self-directed marathon when i was 15, having ran my first half marathon prior, the app helped me continue on to the next level while encouraging healthy rest before starting my next plan and reminding me of the importance of rest days and cross training. since then i have taken a break from consistent running and have just started back up 2 years later, with the intention of getting back into shape before training for my next race. Hal’s motivational notes at the end of each run are so encouraging, and the adaptability of the training plans is so helpful in making the goals feel attainable. i would definitely recommend the paid version even though the free version is great, i trained for the marathon using it, the paid version has so much helpful insight like cadence and other stats, and having the ability to really adjust the schedule has been really important at this time in my life. thank you so much Hal!!

I really like the idea of this app. It’s easy to use and I like that there are descriptions for each workout. I’ve run 7 marathons (and probably 30 halfs) using pretty much the same plan and am looking to follow a new plan while training for my 8th marathon after having a baby last year. However, I’m only a week in and struggling with the inflexibility of the app. For whatever reason, it scheduled a long run on a Wednesday even though I said I could only do long runs on Sundays. It also doesn’t allow any flexibility or modification for weather. Right now, NYC is in a heat wave and I simply can’t hit the paces the app says I should for tempo runs. If I adjust, it “grades” me lower. If I run even .2 of a mile more or less than what is called for, the app also “grades” me lower. I know several running coaches and many would recommend slowing in response to weather. Yes, consistency is super important in training for a marathon, but the inflexibility in this app makes it almost unusable. I also feel like the mileage per week is all over the place - some weeks high, some weeks low. Lastly, I wish this app took into account past running history. I’ve run many races and having been running 2-3 times per week before starting the plan. I feel like the plan from this app just makes up a schedule and paces out of nowhere. Not sure I’ll continue to use it.