Peloton Sucks As a Running App.

In our running app tour (see my reviews of Runna and Nike Run Club ), I focused on apps specifically designed for runners. But there are several general fitness apps that are also aimed at runners, and it’s time to talk about one of the most important ones: the Peloton app . If you’re deeply familiar with the Peloton ecosystem, this is likely the option you’ll choose when you want to add running to your daily routine. So how does it compare? Let’s lace up and give it a try.

What is the Peloton app?

Peloton is best known for its exercise bikes with built-in video screens, but that’s only a small part of the company’s offerings. There is a companion app available for Android and iOS that includes cycling workouts , strength training, running, yoga and more. If you have a Bike, Bike+, Tread (treadmill) or Row (rower), your $44/month All Access subscription includes access to the app.

But you can also use the app yourself, without the need to purchase large hardware. For $12.99 per month (after a 30-day free trial), you can take audio-only outdoor running classes, as well as strength training and yoga videos. Also included are Peloton “trainer” workouts; they give you instructions to follow when working out at a regular gym.

There’s another tier in between: The Peloton App+ tier costs $24 per month and includes the platform’s signature bike workouts, as well as treadmill and rower workouts. You can do these workouts on your own third-party bike, or take the app to the gym and track them while you use whatever cardio equipment they have.

Please note that most of the brand’s “ongoing” content is video tutorials designed to be viewed on a treadmill. With the cheaper App One tier, you can take three of these classes per month—which might be enough if you just want to run the treadmill every now and then as a contingency plan.

For outdoor running, you’ll only need the lowest tier, the Peloton App One. If you want to add video tutorials that you can do on the treadmill, you’ll need the App+ tier for $24 per month.

Why the Peloton app is good (for runners)

• Stores your workout minutes within the Peloton ecosystem.

• Has a wide range of runs with charismatic trainers and popular music.

• Includes a beginner’s program and a marathon training program.

• You can export your runs to Strava.

• Strength training and yoga are available in one application.

Where it’s missing (for runners)

• There is no built-in Garmin integration.

• There are no summary statistics such as weekly mileage.

• Maps won’t sync with Strava

• Only two training programs

• No guided sessions for long marathon programs.

Tune

When you first open the app, you’ll need to create an account with Peloton and verify your email address. You can then choose a username that will be public and enter your date of birth.

You will then see a screen asking you to sign up for one of the app’s subscription levels, as described above. (Remember: Always cancel your subscription immediately , and then decide if you want to renew your subscription.)

Next, you will be asked to “check your privacy settings” by entering your country and state. Oddly enough, the states are in reverse alphabetical order. There are virtually no privacy settings available on this screen. (I’ll talk more about privacy later.)

You will then be asked whether you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced, and what types of training interests you most. There are walking and running options, indoors and outdoors. This screen appears to be for customizing the “ideal top-notch recommendations” that appear on the app’s home screen.

Using the application

The application has five main screens, accessible using the buttons at the bottom:

• Home : Here you will find recommended workouts.

• Classes : Here you can find runs and classes that you would like to take.

• Just Workout : Here you can choose an activity, such as outdoor running, to track without attending a class.

• The fourth place is either a screen offering you an upgraded membership or (if you have a full account) a social feed.

• Profile : Here you can see the workouts you’ve completed, set a goal, or view the badges you’ve earned.

When I tested the app by setting up a free trial for the App One tier, there were only a few workouts available. The “Outdoor” tag showed 15 audio activities (seven jogs, five walks, three walks+runs), and the “Running” tag, which included treadmill sessions, showed five. If you uncheck the “free classes” box in the class filter, you’ll see a lot more.

Running with the app

When you run with the app, you select an outdoor run (be sure to select “outdoor” or look for the “audio” tag) and then press “start” when you’re on the road and ready to run. The instructor will tell you what you need to do, including some warm-up exercises like knee raises, and then walk you through the class. There is music playing in the background and a playlist is part of the activity. The instructor can talk about the song that is playing and why they chose it.

The app can track your approximate pace and location using your phone’s GPS. This is usually not as accurate as using a dedicated running watch , but it is enough to make sure you are measuring your mileage.

The instructor will tell you to run faster or slower based on the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale, where 0 is stationary and 10 is full effort. You may be asked to run for 7 points and recover with a walk or light jog for 2 points. Your pace, that is, the number of minutes per mile, doesn’t matter. You can ignore the instructor and go faster or slower than indicated and the app won’t notice or care.

If you don’t want to do a guided run but still want to track it in your Peloton app, you can use the center button to “Just Run,” as it used to be called. (Now it’s just a button labeled “Outdoor Running.” You can track other activities the same way.)

During and after your run, your phone will show distance, elevation gain, calories burned, and pace. As you run, you’ll see your current pace, average pace, and best (fastest) pace.

Then, when you view a workout from your profile, pace is shown as your average pace and average speed is shown in miles per hour (these are the same thing, but in different units). You’ll also be able to view graphs of your pace, speed (again!) and altitude.

Training Plans

Workout plans are located in the Programs section of the activity screen. (I didn’t see it in the free trial, but it is in the paid version of the app with full access.)

Peloton’s programs are a little difficult to follow. Everything is scheduled by week, so you can’t get an overview of everything to get an idea of ​​the mileage. The workouts are also time-based, as the platform offers (for example) 30-minute sessions rather than 3-mile sessions. The exception would be the long term—more on that in a minute.

When you start a program, the first workout is unlocked and you need to complete that workout (or press a button to skip it) before you can move on to the next one. This means you can’t move workouts or do them out of order—you can do each one or skip them. That’s all.

You also need to stick to a weekly schedule. You have seven calendar days to train in the current week, after which they stop and you move on to the second week. This way, if you finish early, you won’t be able to start the next week early. And if you didn’t make it to the last workout before the week change, it’s too late, you won’t be able to do it now.

Peloton has two programs for treadmill users and two for outdoor running:

• You can run (treadmill)

• You can run outside (outdoors)

• Road to your 5K (treadmill)

• The road to yours 26.2, parts 1, 2 and 3 (open area)

The two You Can Run programs include two 20-minute workouts each week and begin with running/walking workouts. Gradually you will run more.

The Road to Your 26.2 plans are for runners who want to train for a marathon. They include strength training, which is great. But the inflexibility of the program schedule, as I described above, would be a problem for me if I expected it to lead me to the finish line of the real marathon that I paid money to participate in.

Runners sometimes say on forums like Reddit that they don’t think midweek runs provide enough mileage to prepare for a strong marathon, and that it’s better to add some more running on their own.

But by far the most common complaint about the marathon program is that it relies on guided runs but does not provide guided runs for long runs . Long runs are the cornerstone of any marathon training program. But all Peloton gives you is a 10-minute instructor-led warm-up, and then you’re on your own to complete your target number of miles. This seems like a strange reversal when you’re probably doing it because guided runs help you overcome the challenges of training.

Social features and privacy

When you take a Peloton video course, your username appears on a leaderboard where others can see it, and below it is your approximate age and gender (something like “F is 40”).

Peloton says that “profile pictures, leaderboard names, tags, and badges are always public.” However, you can hide other things as well. Here are the available privacy settings:

• You can make your profile “private” so that only approved followers can view your full profile.

• You can choose whether your workout history will be viewable only by you or by other people. If your profile is private, you can select “My Followers” or “Only Me.” If your profile is public, you can choose “Anyone on Peloton” or “Only Me.”

• You can hide yourself from searches

• You can hide yourself from suggested contacts when someone syncs their contact list.

• You can disable contact syncing for yourself (i.e. use your phone’s contacts to find others)

• You can hide outdoor jogging route maps.

• You can hide your age and gender in class leaderboards.

• You can turn “personalized experience” on or off; same with “activity-based marketing and advertising.”

All these settings are available in your profile in settings. Yes, some of them are confusingly similar. In some cases, you’ll need to turn on the switch to hide your data, and in others, you’ll have to turn off the switch to opt out. And finally, just a few months ago , Peloton will let you block users .

What you can do with and without a subscription

Without a subscription, you only get a free trial with a limited number of classes. With an App One subscription ($12.99 per month), you can access outdoor runs (guided and Just Run), plus strength and yoga classes. You’ll need an App+ subscription ($24/month) for full access to all workout types, including the ability to take more than 3 treadmill classes per month.

What this app does well

The main benefit of Peloton’s running features is that they work with the Peloton ecosystem. If you’re trying to put in the time for an annual challenge, running through this app will keep everything in the same place. And if you have friends who also live in the Peloton world, you can train for a marathon together or discuss your favorite guided runs and instructors.

Beyond this integration, I can’t see why anyone would want to run with the Peloton app unless you’re truly in love with running with your favorite instructors. Guided runs come with a chatty voice and carefully chosen music, which can be nice for a change, but is it really worth $12.99 a month or more?

Okay, I’ll say one more nice thing: Even on the cheapest tier, the app has strength training and yoga built into it, including a number of classes specifically designed for runners. Since runners are known to skip strength training (much like lifters skip cardio), this can be a good way to always have a workout literally in your back pocket.

Pros and cons

The biggest downside of Peloton as a running app is that it doesn’t really feel like a running app! It only tracks the most basic metrics (time, distance and pace of each run) and only has a few boring training programs. You can take guided runs and improve your training programs with Nike Run Club – and the app is free!

Honestly, running is just an addition to your regular fitness routine. If you like other components like strength and yoga and don’t need much in the way of metrics or workouts, then it’s convenient to do your runs using the same app. But if you’re just looking for an app that tracks your running well, I’d skip this one.

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