Apps for Endurance Freaks

The digital revolution has not been lost on the endurance crowd. Runners, cyclists and ultra addicts now have thousands of apps, social sites, digital fitness tools, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to follow or download for their daily dose of prescribed pain.

If you are an endurance freak like me and live to train, race, and then start training all over again, you will want to check out my piece for Outside this month. In the magazine’s February issue, as a part of a larger story called “User Profiles,” I cover websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and apps for endurance freaks, including the likes of the iMapMyFitness suite, Attackpoint, Suunto’s Movescount social workout portal, and a few Twitter accounts by gods of the aerobic-endurance sphere.

The full article, “Endurance Freak,” is here. Below find a few items cherry picked from the text and a couple extras not in the Outside piece. You can click to check them out now before that long run or ride you scheduled for later this afternoon. —Stephen Regenold

Attackpoint. Multi-sport addicts log-on to post training stats and race reports then connect with peers to compare it all. The site’s niche topic and serious following keep it authentic and core.

TrainingPeaks. Need a 19-week Ironman training plan? Download it here for $99 and a pro-level coach will virtually guide you from first step to finish line. Free sign-up; a la carte training plans and monthly subscription fees.

Strava. Track your workout and compare it against friends or pros. Your GPS download syncs with Strava and displays online to rank and quantify your ride or run.

Triessentials app. Tri addicts click open this app each morning for inspiration and training tips. Quotes, photos, and tri-centric advice promises to “keep you in the game” no matter where you’re at.

Active.com Facebook Page. Links to endurance-sports content plus a community bolstered by 620,000+ Facebook “Likes” equal a solid foundation for tasks from race research to crowd-sourcing a question on a sports injury that continues to nag.

MapMyFITNESS Apps. Record your workout details — distance, pace, speed, elevation, calories burned — plus your route traveled on an interactive map. That’s the gist of this suite of apps that run on Apple, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices. 5 million+ downloads by fitness addicts around the world.

EndurancePlanet. Like NPR for the endurance crowd. Hundreds of endurance-oriented podcast shows made to be downloaded and then listened to as you run, bike or even swim.

Suunto Movescount. This Suunto-centric site lets you download workout and training stats from your Suunto watch. Track and compare with fellow Suunto junkies around the globe.

DC Rainmaker Blog. Thorough reviews of GPS watches, HR tools, and other endurance gear by a dedicated triathlete who also has a day job in the world of tech.

Endurance Sportswire. News and press releases on anything and all in the endurance world. Read by reporters plus about 5,000 people in the endurance sports industry for their niche daily news.

Athlinks. Forgot your time on that bike race or 10K run last year? Look it up here on the web’s purported “largest and most complete results database for endurance races on the planet.”

—Stephen Regenold is editor of GearJunkie.com. Connect with Regenold at Facebook.com/TheGearJunkie or on Twitter via @TheGearJunkie.