The RunMotion Coach application has been created by international runners and coaches to enable anyone, whatever their current ability, to achieve their running goals. Here we outline a guide to using RunMotion Coach to help you to take full advantage of all the features of the app.
Contents
Welcome conversation on RunMotion Coach
When you download the app, meet your digital coach. This allows us get to know you, find out more about your running history and your current fitness, especially if you can tell us about a race that you have completed recently. This race, as well as others that you can add to “My Profile”, allows us to estimate your VO2 Max (and also your endurance when you enter at least two races) so that your training plan contains precise training paces .
After this initial conversation, remember to enter your email address in “My Profile” -> “My RunMotion account” to make sure your account is saved if you change your phone or drop it during a running session 😉
Define your first goal
In the “Goals” tab, define your first goal! There are two types of objectives in RunMotion Coach: a main objective and intermediate objectives.
The training plan is focused on your main objective. When you add intermediate races, the days preceding and following these races will also be adjusted to ensure you are relatively fresh for your race and sufficiently recovered.
We recommend that you set a maximum of 3 to 4 main objectives per year and space them out so you have at least 2 months to train for each one. An intermediate objective might be a half-marathon for example if you are preparing a marathon with a 3 to 4 month training plan.
Sometimes, set training plans will be for 8 or 12 weeks. However, in the RunMotion app we don’t really work like that because it is rare that you will begin training exactly 8 or 12 weeks before your race. If you start training perhaps 17 weeks before your race, you will begin with a preparation period more focused on speed. Then the main block of your training plan for your goal race will start 12 weeks out from race day. On the other hand if you start training 7 or 9 weeks before the goal race, the RunMotion app will also automatically adapt the plan for this and so you don’t have to work that our yourself. As we always say, all you have to do is run!
It’s also worth adding that in any case, the last 2 weeks before the main objective are tapered to ensure that you arrive in the best shape for your race!
Discover your training plan each week
Discover your training program each week! Let us know how you’re doing, how you’re finding the training and also your availability.
Modify your schedule
By clicking on Modify (in the Premium version of the app), you can move round each training session to suit your schedule. Hold down on the three lines next to the training session you want to move, and drag it to wherever suits you. However, we do recommend that you avoid putting 2 hard days of training back to back.
Each session, you can also receive tips and advice from a digital coach’s advice in the Premium version. You can also choose the coach’s personality in “My profile” if you want a positive, authoritarian or philosopher coach!
Precise training paces
For each session, if you have entered some of your past race times into the app, you will be set precise target paces. The training paces calculated by RunMotion Coach depend on your V02 Max and your endurance, and the easy runs are set at a pace of 60% of your V02Max .
Heart rate zones
If you have entered your maximum and resting heart rate in “My profile”, the corresponding heart rate zones will also be indicated. The target paces are intended for flat and non-technical terrain, so if you are on a hilly route or a trail, then heart rate will likely be a better indicator.
Trail Running
For a training program focussed on trail running, a target elevation is indicated each week if you have a trail race as your main objective.
Upload your activites from your watch or tracking app
Connect your Garmin, Suunto or Polar GPS watch or Strava app in “My profile” -> “Connect a tracking app” to synchronize your activities into the RunMotion Coach app.
Note that GPS watches do not notify us of a change in the activity, but Strava does. For example, if you change the title or type of activity in Strava, it will also change in RunMotion Coach, but not if you change the title on Garmin, Suunto or Polar.
You can also manually add activities in “Add an activity”.
Training Feedback
Let your digital coach know how you’re doing, and the app will recalculate your next week of training based on your feedback. If you miss a session, that’s okay, it happens. The coach recalculates the training program according to the general trend of your training.
Share your workout
Once you’ve completed your training session, you also have the option to upload a photo from the workout and share it on your social media.
How to receive the coach’s feedback and share your workout
Please note, that both the feedback and workout sharing features may not work the first time you view them after your workout. You need to return to the homepage and then go back into the workout in order to use these features.
Weekly Review
Each week you will be able to analyse your training load, a unit that allows you to take into account all the sports activities you do (running, cycling, swimming…).
With this guide, you should have a good overview of how the RunMotion Coach app works . Many other surprises await you in the application, especially the coaches motivational messages 😉