Track Runner Version 3.0 brings Interval Trainer and Pacer

We are very excited to announce that version 3.0 of Track Runner just went live, bringing interval workouts and a lot more. So for those of you that can’t wait – get it here: http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=95c6a10c-84a7-4c26-98eb-5d6b9df93698. So, what’s new in this update?

Intervals:

There are a lot of activity trackers, but we wanted to turn Track Runner into your personal running coach. Does your coach babble on about your training being “half way done” when in fact you are sitting on a park bench and having an ice cream? (I wouldn’t want that as my coach!) The new intervals feature in Track Runner analyses your performance during your training and gives you voice cues to speed up or slow down so you train at the right level.

Preset are four interval workouts for different skill levels that adjust to your progress. But you can just create your own custom training in a few taps. Combinations are endless (figuratively speaking) with distance and time based intervals and adjustable intensity.

After your interval workout you can analyze your performance in your diary which shows you an interval by interval breakdown on how you have done.

Pacer

Pacer is a neat feature that I can personally see replacing freestyle runs most of the time. If you want to run 5k in 28 minutes for example, the pacer guides you through your run so that you keep running at a constant speed and don’t steam ahead in the beginning and are too exhausted in the end. It is great for improving your personal best. Advanced runners can enable negative splits, an effective strategy to improve race times and train energy conservation.

 

Redesign part 2:

We also continued redesigning the user interface. From diary to stats we made sure that entries are easy to read and pleasant to look at. The Performance Genius also got a facelift and countless other pages a bit of a tidy.

Misc. and bug fixes:

Finally, a few more tweaks: you can now challenge a friend via social networks to beat your record once you set one. We expanded the Help/FAQ section with useful tips about the new features as well as syncing runs and GPX import/export. We  fixed some bugs and improved stability. For example, if you had problems with your records being off or returning –8s after you imported a run from another tracking app into Track Runner, recalculating them (settings – general) will fix this issue.

We hope you’ll enjoy trying out our new features and are always happy to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions.

Happy running!

Sarah & The App Cauldron Team

Fitness Is in the Air – The App Cauldron Celebrating #MobileFit Month

Our friends from WP Central declared June to be #MobileFit month and our App Cauldron team is tackling the challenge head-on.

To give June a run for its money expect a Track Runner update end of May! Much thinking, tinkering, coding and testing has gone into this one but it is well worth it we think. We’ll get into the details once the update is published but let me promise you this: it answers our most popular feature request and in many way surpasses expectations. More soon.

While we finish up and put our last testing in – beautiful running weather here in Boston – we also look ahead. We are currently working on two more fitness apps that will sweeten MobileFit month for the more casual fitness/wellness junkie. Working with cutting edge software in cooperation with Microsoft, the apps will put soon to be released Windows Phone technology to maximum use.

While Microsoft is kindly promoting Track Runner in its Windows Phone stores we’ll also be active spreading the word at the Heartbreak Hill Festival and in cooperation with local running groups. But of course we know that most of you out there have an iPhone or an Android device and I stopped counting “Is the app available for …” when it reached 3 figures. With that in mind and convinced that runners will benefit from Track Runner’s newest features, we have built up a small fleet of test devices. So if you don’t have a Windows Phone but would like to test the app – for example to blog about it - please shoot us an email on “TestTrackRunner@theappcauldron.com”.

Be active – not just in June – and enjoy training with Track Runner!

Sarah and The App Cauldron Team