Planning a 5km route

[MrsPenfold]

Hello,

I don’t own a fitness watch (and don’t really want to). Is there a way I can plan a 5km route? I tend to do a longer warm up walk so never start the app up and kick off my session from my house plus my default apps on my phone track all of my steps/distance for the entire day. What apps are good to use to plot a 5km (2.5km there and back route) from a specific starting point. Strava?

Thanks!

Aline

[Hidden]

Definitely go with Strava, it works for lots of us on here, I'd only recommend the free app, you don't need to use the paid version 👍🥳

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Are you meaning to plan a route or just record a route ?To actually plot a route I use plotaroute.com

But just for recording a run I use the free version of Strava

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi MrsPenfold , just to give you a different perspective - I never bothered plotting any routes and still don't, even two years on from completing C25K. With experience I know roughly how far different routes and sections of routes are, and that works for me.

I use the free version of Strava, but while it will tell you how far you've run, and you might be able to find a suitable existing 5k route on it, the route creation facility is subscriber-only afaik.

Tbh you probably don't need to be concerned about having a 5k route until after you've completed C25K. The programme is designed to get you to be able to run for 30 minutes, and most people following it don't manage 5k in that time.

As you're in the UK Parkruns offer measured 5k routes, if you fancy trying that in the future.

Happy running!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

The RouteYou app should do the job.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

I use the Footpath route planner app.

If iannofatruffe is recommending RouteYou, it must be very good, but I don’t think it’s available for my devices.

[RosesAreRed777 Graduate]

Google Plot my Route you can plot your course and see the distance.

[Frenc Graduate]

Hello! Strava is great for recording your route. For planning a route, I swear by an app called Footpath. I’ve worked out many a route on it and it’s encouraged to me to be bolder with my route choices. A great little addition are The Yellow Walk Maps that OS do. There’s probably one for your area. Good luck plotting! 😊

[GoogleMe Graduate]

I'd put it even more strongly than Cmoi - if you are doing C25K, and despite the name, it is all about duration and not distance and it might be less a case of you don't 'need' to measure/plan distance than plain 'don't'. I have seen too many come undone through looking at distance whilst doing the programme. If you are thinking in terms of out and back, the app/podcasts will tell you when you are half way through. I feel it is a nice carrot for graduation or post C25K+ podcasts or when you've consolidated and feel itchy for something new to move on to distance tracking then.

All of that said, I use OS Explorer maps to look for interesting routes (paper, paid app subscription, Bing) and free Runkeeper to track time and distance from the point at which I start running. (But I am a nosy runner so "I wonder what's down there" is my kind of planning)

Do check out the guide to the plan in the pinned posts.

[CBDB Graduate]

Mapping out routes:

I love the Footpath app. Almost fully functional in its free version, but simply reduced to allowing the saving of only 5 routes at a time.

The subscribed version has the UK OS maps included, and the subscription price is lower than if you were to subscribe to the OS app.

So I tend to subscribe through Apple but in the months when I don’t use it (e.g when on the injury couch) , I kill my subscription.

Tracking your runs:

I love Runkeeper. It is a fully functional run tracker in its free version. You can program in intervals and have different motivating voices telling you your stats,

I do like it more as a tracker than Strava, and I particularly like the privacy and “unsocial-ness” about it.

Having see add if this, all my apps automatically feed my running and rowing to Strava, so I can enjoy the social network aspects of Strava.

[Chinkoflight]

Lots of good advice here. I use Strava for recording all my exercise, be it walk run or cycle. I don't pay for the upgrade service. However for UK I do really like the Ordnance Survey maps app which is extraordinary good value which has full route planning which works well on the phone. Many people save their routes which works very well when you need inspiration say on holiday as they all pop up in your location with real data about time and distance. But here's a tip. If you use Strava, (or even Google) and walk what you think might be an OK running route and record the metrics. It's especially helpful to spot unsuspecting gradients etc which might cause problems etc. Then you can run and pace confidently. Watches are quite helpful as they do give quite useful basic information which I find interesting having been prompted by a health problem to improve my health. And finally, Strava (as do many apps and phones) has a Beacon feature which allows a nominated individual to monitor you en route. This in my case provides reassurance to my wife while I am out running should 'something' happen to me.