1. STRAVA: Strava is the app I use on my smartphone that helps me track how far I've gone on a ride, how long it has taken me, how many feet I've climbed, my average and top speeds and even how many calories I've burned. Strava is free to download on your smart phone, however there is the option to upgrade to the "Premium" package for a monthly fee. The Premium package gives you a detailed power zone analysis, a heart rate analysis, a "suffer score", and it allows you to set progress and performance goals. Personally, I do not use the Premium version of Strava and I've found that I have everything I need with the basic, free package.
What I like about Strava: The main thing that I really enjoy about Strava is that every time I go for a ride or run, the app creates a map for me afterwards so that I can see exactly where I was and how far I went. I find it nice to have a visual of my route once I have completed a ride. I really like how Strava also keeps track of how far you've ridden that year, and also how far you've ridden since you started using the app. It even keep a running average of miles, times and amount of rides you've completed within a week. There is also the option to upload your route to Facebook and Gmail as well as sending your route via text message to a riding buddy. One final thing that I love about Strava is that it calculates the amount of calories burned based on height, weight, age and gender information that you enter into the app.
What I dislike about Strava: There isn't much that I really dislike about the Strava app other than that it does use up a significant amount of my phone's battery, especially when I am someplace that doesn't have the best reception. Sometimes to save my battery, I will only keep Strava running during the first half of my ride and will shut it off at my turn around point. That way, I can just double the time, distance and calories to get a rough idea of how hard I worked. Also, if you are in a heavily-wooded or remote area, it may be impossible for Strava to connect to your GPS location. It also does use a decent amount of data (not enough for me to be too botherd by it) so if you are a person who does not have unlimited data, you may want to watch how often you use Strava.
For more info visit: www.strava.com
2. MAP MY RIDE: The second form of mapping technology that I use is the website, Map My Ride. There is also a site called Map My Run that basically does the exact same thing. This website is great because it not only tracks your routes and physical fitness, but it also tracks your diet by allowing you to enter in what foods you have eaten and adding up your caloric intake for that day. I normally use this website when I know that I want to try a new ride and need to plan a route prior to hitting the road. Map My Ride is a free website that allows you to sign up either with Facebook or with an e-mail account.
What I like about Map My Ride: I like MMR mostly for its mapping capabilities. The website allows you to see a map either in a plain street view, as a satellite image, and even as a topographic map. So basically you are able to see exactly where you are going to go on a ride, what you'll pass and if there are any road/trail restrictions or parts that you should avoid. Another thing I really like about MMR is that it shows you mile markers along the route you've created so you can see how far it is between different stages of your ride. MMR is also great because you can set diet and exercise goals and track them to see if you're staying on track with your new regimen.
What I dislike about Map My Ride: I really don't have anything bad to say about MMR at this point. Maybe I haven't used it enough yet to see its flaws, but so far so good!
For more info visit: www.mapmyride.com
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