Running may be the ultimate exercise during the COVID-19 crisis. As a longtime runner, I know that it has a way of airing out one’s mind and providing some of the perspective that’s so easily lost during stressful times. And on a practical level, running gets you out of the house for an hour a day, and helps rev up your system without a trip to the gym. But showing up for my runs, mentally and physically, during coronavirus has required me to rethink a few things.
Like many others, I’ve found it easy to slip into bad habits during this strange time, like overeating, over-tweeting, binge-watching, sleeping at irregular times and durations, and avoiding exercise. It’s easy to associate the world outside the door with danger, because that’s where the virus is.
But I’ve found that if I can get the running part right, those other problems become easier to deal with. Here are a few gadgets, apps, and advice on how to make the most of your running habit amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The advantages of the Apple Watch
For a few years now, I’ve been using an Apple Watch paired with AirPods Pro for running, and they remain very helpful tools.
The Watch was originally marketed as a sort of remote control for the iPhone, a thing you could glance at for notifications or to see who was calling. But just a year after the device’s debut, Apple began marketing the Watch as a fitness device, and in many ways that’s where the device still really shines.
My running data needs are pretty basic. I use the Exercise app on the Watch to time my runs and to track my pace and average heart rate. When I get back home, the information my Watch gathered about my run transmits to the Activity app on my iPhone. Because I usually wear the Watch every day, its helpfulness extends beyond just running, since it also helps me achieve my “stand,” “move,” and “exercise” goals.
The Watch’s usefulness as a running device also increased markedly with the 2016 release of the AirPods earbuds, which have become an ideal companion device. At the time, Apple was still working out the kinks: The Watch initially didn’t hold a lot of music in its firmware, and moving music from iTunes to the Watch (via the Watch app on the iPhone) was a painful experience. But the Watch gained a cellular connection in 2016, which made it possible to stream Apple Music playlists during runs. A year later, Apple added the ability to stream podcasts, or download them to the Watch before runs.
