Apps Nike Run Club 5.12

[mk313]

Nike updated their Run Club app to version 5.12. I took it for a run this morning (watch only-Series 2) and it worked great. Best it’s been since 5.8 (I think, whatever version it was before the app fell apart around October of last year). It still had a bit of a lag when I hit the start button, but only a brief one, then it recorded the entire run correctly, paused when I hit the two side buttons, and stopped when I hit the stop button on the screen. I know that sounds basic, but I can’t say that’s happened too often lately. And all of that while also running music in the background.

I’m not trying to convince anyone to use NRC, nor am I interested in debating the merits of alternative apps. I just wanted to post my findings on the NRC app. I’ll update it after I’ve done a couple of runs. 5.11 worked pretty well too, and then they ruined it in the 5.11.2 update, so fingers crossed that this fix is long term. If not, it’s back to the workouts app for me.

 

[japanime]

How long was your run? I generally log 6 or more miles, and that has caused NRC to crash just about every time.

 

[Fthree]

thank you. Definitely appreciated!

 

[mk313]

How long was your run? I generally log 6 or more miles, and that has caused NRC to crash just about every time.

I did a 5 miler. That being said, this same run (I do the same out & back almost every run) would always cause my run to crash, almost exclusively when I would pause it at the end, or if that succeeded, then when I tried to save the run after that. I'd get to the screen where you can choose to stop or resume the run & then it would crash.

I'm cautiously optimistic at this point, but I need a few more successful runs before I get excited. I"ll post here after I get another couple of runs done with it, or earlier if it crashes again.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

Nike updated their Run Club app to version 5.12. I took it for a run this morning (watch only-Series 2) and it worked great. Best it’s been since 5.8 (I think, whatever version it was before the app fell apart around October of last year). It still had a bit of a lag when I hit the start button, but only a brief one, then it recorded the entire run correctly, paused when I hit the two side buttons, and stopped when I hit the stop button on the screen. I know that sounds basic, but I can’t say that’s happened too often lately. And all of that while also running music in the background.

I’m not trying to convince anyone to use NRC, nor am I interested in debating the merits of alternative apps. I just wanted to post my findings on the NRC app. I’ll update it after I’ve done a couple of runs. 5.11 worked pretty well too, and then they ruined it in the 5.11.2 update, so fingers crossed that this fix is long term. If not, it’s back to the workouts app for me.

But I actually am interested in learning about the merits of NRC. I’ve been using the stock workout app, but I added a new Nike watch, and I’ve been curious. What does it get me that’s better/more interesting? I’m curious about the little coached workouts but haven’t tried any.

 

[japanime]

I did a 5 miler. That being said, this same run (I do the same out & back almost every run) would always cause my run to crash, almost exclusively when I would pause it at the end, or if that succeeded, then when I tried to save the run after that. I'd get to the screen where you can choose to stop or resume the run & then it would crash.

I'm cautiously optimistic at this point, but I need a few more successful runs before I get excited. I"ll post here after I get another couple of runs done with it, or earlier if it crashes again.

Five miles is a decent test of whether the app will crash. Glad to hear that you have had good results so far. I want to begin using the NRC app again myself, but the previous versions were so frustrating. Keeping my fingers crossed that Nike has finally figured it out.

 

[mk313]

But I actually am interested in learning about the merits of NRC. I’ve been using the stock workout app, but I added a new Nike watch, and I’ve been curious. What does it get me that’s better/more interesting? I’m curious about the little coached workouts but haven’t tried any.

I'm happy to share my thoughts on the NRC app, but I wanted to make sure that people knew that the new NRC app was working great (after one run), and that the conversation didn't delve into a "I can't believe anyone still uses the NRC app. It sucks. you should use ....." discussion.

Obviously, everything that follows is my opinion of the app, based on using it for many years, back through when it was initially introduced as Nike +. The Nike Run Club app has been great for me overall, but it seems like every few years they introduce a new version of the app with new features, but it either takes away features that you loved (like the Challenges) or makes the app unstable at recording runs correctly. In the cases where it doesn't record the run correctly, it eventually gets fixed, but it can be a long time coming.

I switched the the NRC watch app when I got my Series 2 Nike/Apple watch in early 2017 (from using the phone app), and it worked perfectly for almost 200 runs, until October, when they released the Series 3 watches. From that point on, I had tons of issues with the app; things like the app wouldn't start a run (although it showed the countdown to the run starting), or it would crash when I tried to save a run, or it wouldn't record any distance. I suspect that the main issue is that the version released alongside the Series 3 watch was designed to take advantage of the newer/faster/more energy efficient processors in the Series 3 watches, and the Series 2 can't keep up, at least while also playing music in the background. I haven't heard of anyone having serious issues with NRC on the Series 3. I would buy a Series 3 if I knew that was definitively the issue, and I knew that the app wasn't going to be broken again when they release the Series 4 watch. When I say that fixes can be a long time coming, the app stopped working correctly (series 2) around mid-October, and now, in early February, it seems like they may have gotten around to fixing it, so 3.5 months.

Back when they ruined the phone app, I saved a copy of the older phone app & just kept reinstalling that on my iPhone so I could continue to run. With the watch app, since I can't do that, I try out each of the new versions of the app (I still manually record my runs into the phone app, even when I'm not running with the NRC app) so I can keep all my running data in one place & I get alerts when new versions of the app are released. If the app version works, I keep using it, but if I get any errors, then I switch over to the Workouts app, until the next version of NRC is released. Fortunately, lately almost all of the error I see lately still allow me to find my actual running data so I haven't really lost anything, it's just a pain to have to manually update every run.

I like the NRC app for a couple of reasons.
1. I have a lot of 'friends' on the app and I can open the phone app or the web interface & see how I am doing compared to them. It's pretty motivating when I'm 2 miles behind someone to get out there & run when otherwise I wouldn't. I find that the app helps me to run on more of those days when just I don't feel like it. Also, the watch app will sometimes (I'm not sure what the parameters are for this to happen) show a message that I'm 4.5 miles behind a friend & that allows me to adjust my run length to overtake them in the standings. Maybe I turn a 4 miler into 5 miles. Sure these are little things, but Nike has done a good job of gamifying exercise to make it more enjoyable (at least for me). They used to be way better at this, and you could set up really fun competitions with friends. They took that away many years ago & I think they brought back some version of it, but I haven't used it since.
2. NRC offers achievement badges for various milestones (fastest 5K, longest run, running on your Nike Run Club anniversary, running on Chinese New Year, running 50 miles a month, etc). I find those enjoyable to get, and motivating to get out there when it's cold out (like the New Years badge).
3. Every now & then, you'll get a audio message at the end of a run from a Nike athlete or coach, saying 'great run' or something like that. This was a lot cooler back in the day when they used a lot of Nike athletes. Lately, it seems like it's only their running athletes & coaches. They used to have messages from famous athletes in all kinds of sports. The messages are random, so it's always fun to hear one.
4. I can see (on the web app) how I compare to other runners within my age range/sex, so that is also motivating.
5. The website (and to a lesser extent the iPhone app), shows a history of my running activity that would be difficult to achieve with the stock workouts app. I can see what my mileage, distance and average speed was by month (or by run) going back all the way to 2006. I have a Numbers Spreadsheet that I update every month, based on this data, that compares my stats to prior years so I can see if I am improving or not.
6. Nike has a running routes section of their website (not available in the iOS app) that allows me to see where people are running in an area. I use the heat map feature of this when I travel to find running routes that the local are using (for some reason, the maps won't work on Safari at least on the Mac-not sure if they would work on the iPad, but I doubt it, I think they might be built using flash) It is literally the only reason I ever open Chrome on my Mac. I found an amazing running path in San Diego that was only a mile away from our hotel last year.
7. Also on the running routes section of the website, you can create running routes. I use these in maybe an odd way, but I like to run whenever I travel. Afterwards, I like to take the GPS data and draw a running route on the Nike site, and add my run to it. (I think Nike's idea was for people to create them beforehand & then run on those routes)
When I'm done I can see my running routes on a map of the world & it's pretty cool to see, plus every time I look at it, I am reminded of fun trips I've taken.

Anyways, kind of a long post, but those are some/most of the reasons I like the Nike app & will continue to use it. I haven't tried to coached runs, but I'm sure they are done well.

If anyone here is interested in becoming friends on Nike Run Club, let me know. To me, NRC is more fun, the more friends you have. My nike user name is my actual name & I'm not a fan of posting that kind of info on random websites, so either PM me your Nike user name, or else PM me for mine, or I guess if your NRC user ID is something that isn't personally identifiable, feel free to post it in this thread. Sorry for the extra step.

 

[jon08]

Does NRC app use use its own algorithms in estimating calorie burn and other data, or is its data the same as one would get running with the stock Workout app?

 

[mk313]

The weather has been terrible here, but it was nice today, so I was able to get out for my second run with the NRC app, and again, it worked just fine & saved the run at the end with no issues. Still only two runs in, but so far, so good.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Will NRC work for treadmill or walking?

 

[jon08]

Will NRC work for treadmill or walking?

NRC has an option for Indoor Run. Doesn't really work well with walking, though. Unless it's a really fast walk.

 

[mk313]

Does NRC app use use its own algorithms in estimating calorie burn and other data, or is its data the same as one would get running with the stock Workout app?

Sorry, but I have no idea about this. I don't really look at the calories burned. I just looked at them now, but I don't know how to tell if they are the same as the stock app or not.
[doublepost=1518368496][/doublepost]

Will NRC work for treadmill or walking?

Nike Run Club does have a treadmill/indoor mode. You just need to select it, which I think you have to do on your phone, which will then transfer over to the watch (you can do it beforehand & don't need to have the phone with you to record the workout)

It will work with walks, but if you try to record both walks & runs on the app, there is no way to separate them, so it combines them into your monthly workouts, and your average speed will be way off. If you're looking to use it just for walking & walking on the treadmill, it will work fine (in my experience) but if you're trying to mix walks & runs, I wouldn't recommend that.

Also, it does benefit from learning your average stride, so use it outdoors if you can a couple of times, so that when you use treadmill mode, it will know your average stride length, and can give you more accurate distances indoors.

 

[japanime]

I decided to give the new version a chance, and spent a week with it. I experienced nothing but frustration. Most times, it took the app at least a minute to launch on my Series 2 Nike+ watch. And sure enough, it crashed on the 15-mile workout that I did on Saturday. The crash occurred just before I hit the 8-mile mark. I said "f--- it" and just kept going toward my goal.

 

[mk313]

I decided to give the new version a chance, and spent a week with it. I experienced nothing but frustration. Most times, it took the app at least a minute to launch on my Series 2 Nike+ watch. And sure enough, it crashed on the 15-mile workout that I did on Saturday. The crash occurred just before I hit the 8-mile mark. I said "f--- it" and just kept going toward my goal.

Man that sucks! Sorry to hear it. I use a series 2 as well, but haven’t had any issues. It always starts a little slow for me, taking a few seconds to launch, but it’s done that since I first used it, but way less than a minute. And it’s been recording the runs fine. Sorry to hear that it crashed on you, especially on that long of a run. If this version starts to crash on me, I’ll probwbly just stick with the workouts app going forward.

 

[mk313]

One final comment to close out this thread for those who might come across it in the future. After two successful (for me) updates (5.12.0 & 5.13.0), Nike introduced version 5.14.0 that brought back the same issues as before. I know that others have had issues even with 5.12/5.13, but I wanted to post here to state that, as a Nike Run club cheerleader over the past several months, I am also dropping it. This issue seems to be related to the Series 2 watches, not Series 3, but still, it's a real issue and I can't recommend the nike Run Club app any longer.

 

[ftaok]

One final comment to close out this thread for those who might come across it in the future. After two successful (for me) updates (5.12.0 & 5.13.0), Nike introduced version 5.14.0 that brought back the same issues as before. I know that others have had issues even with 5.12/5.13, but I wanted to post here to state that, as a Nike Run club cheerleader over the past several months, I am also dropping it. This issue seems to be related to the Series 2 watches, not Series 3, but still, it's a real issue and I can't recommend the nike Run Club app any longer.

mk,

Sorry to hear that you're having issues with NRC. You're pretty much the last, serious NRC user on this forum. I gave up on NRC back in November and use iSmoothRun now. It works fine, but it's not without its own issues. The main thing is that it exports directly to your NRC account so you can keep your Nike friends and challenges. The GPS data transfers over too. The only thing that was screwy was transferring your shoe mileage, but I'm certain that's a Nike issue as I've had problems between the NRC app and the website screwing up shoe data.

iSR is $4, has semi-regular updates and has a decent AW app (can run stand-alone mode).

So that's basically it now. No serious MacRumors runners are recommending NRC? Nike really screwed the pooch on this one. For a company that is so large, you'd think that they could put together a solid app/website. Oh wait, we all know they can, because we all remember the old Nike Running app and website. Just think that when we all complained about how slow the website worked because it was Flash-based, that their fixes/updates would just make everything worse, not better.

Nike needs to punt and just "brand" the stock apple workout app as NRC. Make it a separate workout or put it only on Nike AW's. Just let folks run using the stock app, and then at the end, let it upload the data to the Nike servers. Not that hard at all. It actually gives buyers an incentive to get the Nike AW over the standard AW.

 

[japanime]

mk,

Sorry to hear that you're having issues with NRC. You're pretty much the last, serious NRC user on this forum. I gave up on NRC back in November and use iSmoothRun now. It works fine, but it's not without its own issues. The main thing is that it exports directly to your NRC account so you can keep your Nike friends and challenges. The GPS data transfers over too. The only thing that was screwy was transferring your shoe mileage, but I'm certain that's a Nike issue as I've had problems between the NRC app and the website screwing up shoe data.

iSR is $4, has semi-regular updates and has a decent AW app (can run stand-alone mode).

So that's basically it now. No serious MacRumors runners are recommending NRC? Nike really screwed the pooch on this one. For a company that is so large, you'd think that they could put together a solid app/website. Oh wait, we all know they can, because we all remember the old Nike Running app and website. Just think that when we all complained about how slow the website worked because it was Flash-based, that their fixes/updates would just make everything worse, not better.

Nike needs to punt and just "brand" the stock apple workout app as NRC. Make it a separate workout or put it only on Nike AW's. Just let folks run using the stock app, and then at the end, let it upload the data to the Nike servers. Not that hard at all. It actually gives buyers an incentive to get the Nike AW over the standard AW.

I second what @ftaok says above. In fact, it was based on his recommendation that I switched to iSmoothRun back in December. It has been rock-solid on my Series 2 Nike+ Apple Watch, and I am once again enjoying frustration-free workouts.

 

[Robejazz]

mk,

Nike needs to punt and just "brand" the stock apple workout app as NRC. Make it a separate workout or put it only on Nike AW's. Just let folks run using the stock app, and then at the end, let it upload the data to the Nike servers. Not that hard at all. It actually gives buyers an incentive to get the Nike AW over the standard AW.

You all should try workOutDoors - It's great! I am very picky and it ticks all the boxes for me. The developer is very responsive and is putting out a great app.

 

[mk313]

You all should try workOutDoors - It's great! I am very picky and it ticks all the boxes for me. The developer is very responsive and is putting out a great app.

Does WorkOutdoors automatically log your data into Nike Run Club? If so, I’d be interested in testing it out. If not, I’d probably just stick with the default Workout app or iSmoothrun. Thanks for the heads up though.
[doublepost=1522938472][/doublepost]

I second what @ftaok says above. In fact, it was based on his recommendation that I switched to iSmoothRun back in December. It has been rock-solid on my Series 2 Nike+ Apple Watch, and I am once again enjoying frustration-free workouts.

OK you guys convinced me to give it a try. I bought it yesterday & I have to say the app setup is not very intuitive. After playing with it for a while, I realized that I have to force press to start/ stop a run. Does that work well for you guys to end a run that way? With the other apps I’ve tried. I”be always had issues ending a run with sweaty fingers & have just pressed the two side buttons to stop the run. That doens’t seem like an option with this app (unless I missed something).
While the app interface isn’t my favorite, if it can reliably record my runs and upload them to the Nike Run Club, I’ll continue to use it, as those are really the important things for me. Thanks in advance,

 

[ftaok]

Does WorkOutdoors automatically log your data into Nike Run Club? If so, I’d be interested in testing it out. If not, I’d probably just stick with the default Workout app or iSmoothrun. Thanks for the heads up though.
[doublepost=1522938472][/doublepost]
OK you guys convinced me to give it a try. I bought it yesterday & I have to say the app setup is not very intuitive. After playing with it for a while, I realized that I have to force press to start/ stop a run. Does that work well for you guys to end a run that way? With the other apps I’ve tried. I”be always had issues ending a run with sweaty fingers & have just pressed the two side buttons to stop the run. That doens’t seem like an option with this app (unless I missed something).
While the app interface isn’t my favorite, if it can reliably record my runs and upload them to the Nike Run Club, I’ll continue to use it, as those are really the important things for me. Thanks in advance,

I don't have any issues with force pressing to stop runs, but I normally don't have sweaty fingers. I do agree that the interface isn't very intuitive, but it works for what I really want ...

1. direct upload to Nike
2. AW + iPhone mode that works well
3. Doesn't crash
4. integrates directly with SmashRun.com

This is the only app that I've found that hits all 4. Is it perfect, no, but nothing really is. I started another thread that documents my issues surrounding iSR and HR. It's really an issue for me. I'll probably just go back to using my BT HR strap as that seems to work much better.

Maybe they'll fix my minor issues in a future revision.

ft

 

[mk313]

Thanks for the reply. I’m gonna give it a go tomorrow morning. I ran with the workouts app today as I couldn’t figure out the interface in isr but i agree with your comments above. If it will reliably track my runs and it uploads directly to Nike, that’s all I really need. Thanks for the app suggestion n.

 

[japanime]

Does WorkOutdoors automatically log your data into Nike Run Club? If so, I’d be interested in testing it out. If not, I’d probably just stick with the default Workout app or iSmoothrun. Thanks for the heads up though.
[doublepost=1522938472][/doublepost]
OK you guys convinced me to give it a try. I bought it yesterday & I have to say the app setup is not very intuitive. After playing with it for a while, I realized that I have to force press to start/ stop a run. Does that work well for you guys to end a run that way? With the other apps I’ve tried. I”be always had issues ending a run with sweaty fingers & have just pressed the two side buttons to stop the run. That doens’t seem like an option with this app (unless I missed something).
While the app interface isn’t my favorite, if it can reliably record my runs and upload them to the Nike Run Club, I’ll continue to use it, as those are really the important things for me. Thanks in advance,

I haven't been had any issues with the force touch start/stop function, though it does take a bit of getting used to.

Exporting to Nike Run Club has worked very well for me, though occasionally the app does fail to export the map (or, more likely, NRC fails to import it).

Overall, though, it's a frustration-free app that allows me to continue to log my miles with NRC.

 

[japanime]

Sorry to report that iSmoothRun no longer syncs to Nike+. The ability to do so was somehow broken in the app's latest update, and the developer is saying it is Nike's fault. That might be, but then the developer shouldn't be advertising the app as being compatible with Nike+

More than anything, though, I'm extremely disappointed in Apple for selling us a Nike+ branded watch on which the Nike+ app has never worked properly. What a joke.

 

[almostinsane]

Hmm interesting thread. I've been using NRC on a Series 2 last year and a Series 3 from the end of last year up to now and have never had it crash. I've used it from runs that are 4+ miles up to 3 1/2 marathons and never had an issue. Once I start it I do hit the wheel and put it into water proof mode so I dont accidentally stop the app (happened once).

 

[mk313]

I really think that the issue came about when they updated the app to coincide with the launch of the Series 3 watch. My Series 2 worked flawlessly up until then, but the new app was much more resource intensive and the watch struggled to keep up (from what I can tell, I’m not an expert). Until that app launched, my Nike app worked great,and was always accurate & never had any issues. Once the new app launched, it became sluggish on the watch, it took a long time to load & to start runs, and when it would announce my mileage at the 1/2 miles, it would always take a long time to read it out, much longer than before. And of course the app would oftentimes crash. In all of the threads I’ve seen on this, it’s always the series 2’s that have issues. It seems like the faster processors on the Series 3’s are able to keep up with the demands of the new app.

All that being said, I do still feel like Nike & Apple let us down with this one. If they only released the old app as Nike Run Club classic or something like that, I would still be happily using it. Oh well, at least the default activities app still works. It’s a pain to type everything into Nike manually, but hopefully ISmoothRun will be able to log into nike again soon & I can try that.