Run With Hal

This novice runner and USMC Veteran is determined to run the Marine Corp Marathon this year. Being a novice I had no idea where to begin in preparation. It’s worth every penny to pay for the full blown app! I have a consistent weekly schedule I customized. The distance and duration of every run is calculated to get you to your goal. I get bored running in the same place all the time. The full app accurately tracks my runs to ensure I know how far I’ve gone, which allows me to try new routes and locations anytime I like. It’s amazing how well I’ve gone from couch to running over 13 miles a week in just a few months 4 mornings a week. I’m nowhere near ready for a full marathon, but I’m confident I will get there in the next 5 months given the coaching I’ve received already. The app even gives me a grade A through F to prop me up or poke me to work harder. I like knowing where I’m at in the process. No complaints here.

Hal's plans are great, and the app should be about helping you choose, schedule, and track the best plan, which it does kinda. The plans are inflexible: if you want to make a change, you have to delete the whole thing and start over-- except you can't delete it, it's archived. The archive is where you keep your completed plans, but since you can't delete anything, you have all of your completed plans with all of your trashed plans. There's no way to "look at" at a plan without creating it, so you create it, realize you want to adjust something, trash that plan and then you have to go back and REENTER all of the info. It's a mess. I haven't tried all the plans, but there doesn't seem to be help on how to progress. For example, I completed a novice 5K plan and wanted to try an intermediate plan: the longest run in the novice 5K was 3.1 miles, of course. When I created a 5K intermediate plan, the second workout is 7 miles. How are you supposed to run 7 miles in intermediate if you have never run 7 miles in novice? Run With Hal seems great for training you for a specific race at the level you are currently at, but there's nothing there to help you progress from level to level-- which is what the app should be good for given that the plans are free on Hal's website.

Simple interface that is easy to navigate. I signed up for Hal+ which is worth every penny. I have a Garmin watch that connects my runs. You can also enter manually which is a breeze. I like that I can rate workout difficulty and log fatigue levels to look back on. Tracks total miles, sets outline for upcoming 10 training days, adjusts program on the fly to amount of run days/off days/long day. I can modify a run week to less days or different schedule if I’m going out of town yet never feel like I am sacrificing the program and effort for the upcoming race. I have already recommended to a few friends and would continue to do so. The daily words from Hal are also great to focus in the point of the days workout allowing me to never lost sight of the bigger picture while focusing on the day to day.

I ran cross country & track in high school, but just stuck to working out in a gym after that. I wanted to lose weight & also my gym closed with the quarantine, so I thought running would be nice to do. Boy was i wrong! It’s much more challenging than it used to be, and I can’t even run a few miles comfortably anymore. This app actually helps motivate me, it keeps me in check for my pace and not overtraining, and for the first time ever i think i can comfortably run a half marathon! Comfortably?! Yes. Even living in a city, this app shares tips and gives me confidence that I can run. it might be slow, but at least i’m doing it. I wouldn’t be able to do it without this app. & i think i’ve only written one review on the app store before, but this app is so great i have to. And i rarely pay for apps either, so this is a big deal! Should you get the paid version? Well, i think so. try out the 14 day free trial & use it on your runs. it has a GPS and tells you your pace, and you can view all your workout tips in there, as well as pause the workout. it’s so good and i really love it! it’s completely changed how i run, and even with the Notes box has helped me keep track of how i’m feeling, and what i should aim for. thank you, Hal!

This program has been very helpful in providing a structured routine to get back into running. I have been using this app for the past three months and for the most part, it’s been great. I am not fan of the new grading feature. The app wants me to run a 18 minute mile and that’s incredibly slow (and I’m a slow runner), I probably could walk a mile in that time. So the constant mark downs are annoying and counterproductive. I get marked down for for running a 12:00-13:30 min/mile (I do my longer runs at a slower pace) because this is a comfortable pace for me- my heart rate is in the correct zone and I’m able to hold a conversation. Overall, a helpful program! I will continue to use as I have many runs planned for this summer and fall. I am currently training for a 10k, then 10 miles in August and a half in October.