My experience with Runna

I have been consistently running since April 9, 2024. By the time I’m writing this post, it’s been about 1.5 years. During this time, I’ve had at least one run per week, except for when I was sick or on vacation.

But it wasn’t always smooth. I knew I was running for my health, but at some point, I started to feel bored and stuck in one place.

My original goal was simple — I just wanted to make running a part of my routine and reduce the negative effects of sitting in front of the computer all day.

Back then, all I was doing was going out for a run. Most of my runs were short — 2–4 km. Over time, my distance increased to 5 km and sometimes even 10 km. However, 10 km runs felt very hard for me, and they were usually really slow. Plus, on those days, all I could do afterwards was sit on the couch or sleep. That’s why I did such long runs only once a month — mostly because I had an active 10 km challenge on Strava. So, thanks, Strava — it helped!

In May, I realized that my original goal was achieved: running had become a part of my life. But what’s next?

Next, I decided to aim for better results. Now that I could easily go for a run without forcing myself, I wanted to focus on improving my stats — pace, distance, VO₂ Max, and so on. I set the following goals:

Run 21.1 km and do it without suffering.
Be able to run 10 km easily without falling asleep afterwards.
Avoid injuries during the process.

But how to do that? I needed a solid plan that I could manage easily.

Around that time, I saw an ad for the Runna app, so I decided to check it out. And honestly, so far it’s the most useful app I have on my phone.

Some screenshots from the app and my current plan

What I Like About It

Training plans. Runna offers different training plans to help you achieve various goals. It can help you recover from injury, maintain your running form, prepare for a specific race, and much more. You name it — it’s there. I picked the plan to prepare for a 21.1 km run. I didn’t have any race planned; I just wanted to run that distance without injuries.
Guidance. I love that Runna provides guided workouts compatible with almost any fitness watch. I used it with Garmin, Apple, and Coros — all synced perfectly. You can clearly see your target pace and distance for each session.
Plan management. Life happens — sometimes I can’t train, sometimes I just don’t feel like it. In Runna, I can easily move workouts to another day or schedule a vacation. I used this feature once due to some health issues, and it was really helpful. The app even adjusts your training load after a break to help you ease back into it.
Structured workouts. My running routine became so much more fun. I now have a good mix of easy runs, long runs, tempo runs, and intervals.

Things to Be Careful About

It’s an app, not a personal coach. Runna gives you guidance, but it can’t perfectly evaluate your abilities. The plan is based on the data you provide, so be honest when setting it up.
It doesn’t know when you need a rest. You have to listen to your body. Seriously — pay attention! I learned this the hard way. I increased my training load too quickly and eventually realized I needed an extra break to recover. Otherwise, I would have ended up injured.

I’ve been using Runna for about four months now and completed several plans:

A 21.1 km preparation plan (just for myself)
A short 3-week plan to get ready for my first official race
And now I’m following a plan to maintain and gradually improve my results

And I’ve achieved all of my goals — thanks to this app.

Runna is a great tool that helps you reach your running goals. But, like any tool, you need to use it wisely to avoid injury. The app can give you the plan, but only you can make sure you’re ready to handle it.

P.S. Just to be clear — I’m not sponsored in any way. I’m not even a blogger with a big audience. I just genuinely like the app and wanted to share my experience. But if you want to try this app, you can use my referral code — RUNNAU46AV8T. You’ll get a 2-week trial.

I don’t have a lot of readers, but who knows, right?

And as usual, good luck with your training!

Pace and Grace