Five Simple Ways To Track Your Running Progress

Now that you’re logging miles on the regular, you’re probably going to want an easy way to track your running progress. There are a variety of methods you can use, all of which providing different interfaces and collecting different data. No matter what, there’s a way that will work for you!

Pen + Paper

The easiest (and most economical) way to track your running progress is by recording your times and distances manually, with pen and paper. If you can determine the length of your route (it can be as simple as gauging with your car’s odometer) and the amount of time it took you to run, you can easily log your pace and distance.

Smart Watch

While an Apple or Android smart watch isn’t technically a running watch, they both offer a great way to track your running progress without adding any extra gadgets. Most of us already have a wearable device, so it’s easy enough to toggle over to the fitness tracker, select our workout and track a lot of useful info to the corresponding health app.

GPS Watch

If you’re feeling a little more serious about things, and want to capture as much data as you can, turn your attention to a Garmin (or similar). GPS watches rely on satellites to track your run or walk, and can measure all sorts of metrics, from heart rate to VO2max to sleep quality to steps. The more advanced the watch, the more types of workouts it can track as well (think swimming, cycling, hiking, weight training, and more). GPS watches usually have a way to set up intervals and running workouts for you to track different kinds of training, which sets them apart from your regular smart watches.

Step Tracker

If you do want to add in a simpler device, something like a Fit Bit is great. It’s a little more discreet than a full on watch, but it still syncs to your mobile device and records things like distance and pace. Some models capture more data than others, but the concept is the same across the board.

App Trackers

In the event you don’t want a wearable at all, you can download a run tracking app like Strava or RunKeeper and use the in-app tracking to log your data. These apps are fairly accurate, and even offer a bit more of a social component by allowing users to make connections and comment on each other’s activities.

What kind of tracking do you recommend?

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