Strava-lawsuit jitters? Discover the feature-rich freedom of Adidas Running
Even if the Strava-Garmin-Suunto lawsuit has since been voluntarily abandoned, this whole debacle has made me think about the alternatives available if I want to or even need to abandon my use of Strava. It’s good to keep it light when it comes to app addiction, and the lawsuit is a timely reminder that perhaps I was too dependent on the globally popular running app.
With so many options on the market, including Race keeper and TrainingPeaks, it can be difficult to know where to turn. After a period of searching, I found the Adidas running application. Full disclosure, I had never heard of the app before, but I liked that it was unashamed to cater to all ability and experience levels.
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After completing these setup steps, I was able to quickly access all of the app’s features. The app is incredibly easy to navigate, with tabs for activity tracking, community engagement, and progress reporting all located at the bottom of the interface. Let’s see what this application is capable of.
Advanced activity tracking
The app is focused on tracking running, although it’s also possible to track a wide range of other activities, including soccer, hiking, cycling, and even esports. The desired activity can be selected from a “quick list” of three options or by scrolling down and selecting from a long list of alternatives.
The app is a fully functional fitness tracker that uses GPS to record movement and metrics such as distance, duration, heart rate (with a connected sensor), pace, calories burned, and cadence. These are presented in a well-designed and intuitive interface, easy to interpret even by glancing at it during a race.
To help you stay motivated, the app also offers a wide range of audio files that you can listen to while you run. These can even guide you through warm-ups and warm-ups in addition to guiding the runs themselves. If you prefer music as your constant companion, the Adidas Running app will work with all music apps, including Spotify, Apple Music and others.
Setting personal goals
After successfully completing a few different races, I was ready to take my Adidas Running experience to the next level. This meant taking ownership of my progress by setting goals. I wanted to run more regularly, so I created a goal in the app to run at least 5K four times a week. I loved the accountability, but I wasn’t too thrilled when I was told I’d missed my daily goal after running less than the 5k goal!
Alongside these goals, the app includes numerous training plans, including for distances of 3km, 5km and 10km. Each training plan adapts to the level of each user and includes step-by-step guidance. Think of it as your own personal running coach, but much cheaper. As you go through the beginner plans, you can then explore other training plans that help you prepare for your first 10k, half marathon, marathon and more.
One of the best parts of the Strava experience is the ability to connect with like-minded people, whether they’re friends you know who love running or strangers from around the world who share the same passion as you. There’s a reason it was labeled “Facebook for Athletes.”
Fortunately, Adidas Running offers a similar level of connection, but with less emphasis on competitive running. Rather, the goal is to make running fun and enjoyable. Like Strava, it has a social element that lets you connect with friends and participate in local Adidas Runners communities. Unfortunately, the user base isn’t as large as Strava’s, which could be a problem for some users whose friends aren’t ready to switch apps.
The app allows you to share your tracked runs and other tracked activities with your community. Earn support with Live Cheers in real time while your friends (assuming they are on the app) motivate you during your activities and return the favor by following and liking their followed activities. You can also participate in group challenges and virtual races while earning badges.
An evolving Adidas Running experience
At the time of writing, at least in the UK, Adidas announced that a premium subscription was no longer available. Their official announcement states that they are changing the way they do things on Adidas Running and are preparing for a new experience. This change is “on the horizon,” but there is no timetable on it. It’s quite enigmatic, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Adidas unified its offering into a single global adiClub subscription rather than requiring an app subscription.
Other countries and territories may still offer a premium subscription, which previously opened access to adaptive training plans, interval training, personal records of your achievements, automatic pausing of your activity tracking when you stop moving, and much more. If you download the app, you will be able to see whether a premium option is available or not.
I’ve loved my time with the Adidas Running app, and if I ever need to part ways with Strava, I know who I turn to instantly.
Download Adidas Running: Run Tracker for iOS And Android.
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