Runna: Running Training Plans Reviews

I've tried several semi-tailored running plan apps and strategies. My favorite so far has been this app, with Run with Hal as the runner up. I'm liking this app better because I can actually use it in between races with its maintenance plans. I've never been able to justify a full-year subscription to RWH because there's not much to do with it between races, but with this app it's useful every month of the year. Then the icing on the cake (and it's a LOT of icing) is that this app auto-syncs my workouts to my Garmin. Then the Ice cream on the icing is the personal support from actual coaches. That alone makes Runna worth it. Oh, almost forgot. The powdered sugar on the ice cream is that the plans get as ambitious as you want. I have a pipe dream of running a 100miler some day, and it's nice to know Runna can take me there. I haven't used that feature yet, but I'm sure it'll be great to have some day. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to move a workout to a different day, but I figured it out. I do wish I could edit the workouts in Garmin, or at least make small tweaks in the this app app. Finally, and this is not patently a pro or con, this app has provided the most challenging training plans. Arguably not enough easy runs, but also arguably a great blend for people who are less injury prone.

I love the flexibility and details provided within the this app app. I was looking for an app that would include detailed runs, not just distances but actual speed/pace goals for each run. And I also wanted help with fitting in the strength training among the running. Runna does all of that and more! The runs are actually quite fun and go quickly as most of them are broken up into warm up and then different paces followed by cool down and it makes the longer runs and the speed workouts go by so quickly! One feature that I think is awesome is that you can manage your plan by selecting number of days per week, what level of experience, time of last race, etc. You can do this during a plan without having to end/start an entirely new plan. It allows so much flexibility and really allows you to customize the plan to fit your goals. Excellent app!!

this app has been amazing in helping me stay running consistently and train for specific goals. I’ve ran on and off before, but at the beginning of 2023 decided I wanted to really get into running, do it the right way, and eventually run a half marathon. The distances and workout variations have been spot on for my fitness level, and I’ve already seen great progress just in the first few months. I’m confident that if I stick with the plan, I’ll be able to run that half marathon.

The specific things I like about Runna is that it uses GPS tracking so the distances are accurate, and it gives me specific paces to shoot for during my runs along with voice prompts when I’m either going too fast or too slow. As a beginner runner, it’s been incredibly useful for getting to know what each pace feels like.

10/10 would recommend!

I like that Runna has more details than a lot of other apps & plans out there. The run plans actually give you specific times/paces to hit unlike other apps that base your running off “effort” or “zones”. As someone who is new to run training I’m not familiar with zones or even my own effort sometimes. (Like running at a 70% effort isn’t as clear to me as running at a 12:30 pace). I also really like that they give you the strength workouts. Other run plans I have tried to use just said “cross train” so I was doing general strength workouts instead of strength training to specifically help improve my running. 10/10 recommend, & you can’t beat the price.

I signed up with this app to go from a half marathon to a full, and I ended up with tendonitis at the beginning of week 4. I was hoping this app would be advanced enough to adjust my plan to accommodate where I’m at, but it really just generates a plan based on what you put in and doesn’t recalibrate as you go on. I have a marathon at the end of September, and I tried to use this app in mid May to get me started. It would only accommodate a 16 week plan without any way to bridge the gap for when I signed up and when the plan was set to start. When the plan finally started, I followed it to a T including the strength training and slow, easy runs. I don’t know exactly what went wrong, but I do know that my PT says to put my marathon on hold so I can deal with my ankle.

After following many other well-established training plans and completing them without injury, I’m going to have a hard time ever returning to this app. Maybe in a few years when Runna is better tested and more flexible, it’ll be ready for the general public. Right now it feels like it’s still in beta which is a little scary.

I love Runna. I love how it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I’m really getting a lot out of Runna and I highly recommend it. I do wish the speeds were more accurate on a treadmill. It seems it has a hard time determining my speed. It could just be the Garmin watch not properly determining my speed but it’s constantly trying to figure out just how fast or slow I’m running. But I absolutely love how the workouts can be downloaded to the Garmin. The runs are very accurate out on the road but not so much on the treadmill. Thanks for such a great app! It will really get you to where you wanna be in your running journey.

Overall, I like the concept and functionality of Runna. But I want to warn everyone not to blindly follow a training program that is not fully tailored to them. Listen to your body.

I started a half marathon training plan on this app at the end of December to improve my half time, I thought I’d feel amazing and strong, but after a few weeks in, my legs were constantly sore (not the good sore). I was worried I may get injured, so I reached out for help and advice, but my trainer suggested all looks fine with my times, maybe cut back runs from 4 to 3.

I did cut back, but it was not enough. I got to the point I was in physical pain everywhere on my legs, and I couldn’t even finish one of my runs. I decided to stop running altogether, a week of rest later, still feeling absolutely terrible.

I have 2 weeks left till my half marathon and at this point I am not even sure I’ll be able to run. I am insanely disappointed.

Based on the symptoms I have, I am worried I may be at least in non functional overreaching or maybe even overtraining territories. Which takes months and months to recover from.

I wish I never started this training plan. Please, be careful and don’t listen blindly to an app. Listen to your body.

I really love Runna over all, especially that it has the option of adding strength training workouts. My main complaints are that Runna doesn’t realise when you’ve stopped at a light so it keeps telling me to speed up (at some point it said my pace was 440 minutes per kilometre 😅). It’s nice to know when you are a bit too fast/slow but every 30 seconds or so, it becomes very grating over a long run. Maybe some runners find this very helpful though - not sure if there’s a way to turn it off.
Also the strength workouts are very long even when it says it will take 45 minutes and they are very intense but enjoyable.

By using this app I get so much more than Strava offers for runners. Overall pace with current pace with lap pace all on my watch (with a nifty little gauge visual), live coach in my ear telling me when to speed up or slow down, AND the coveted cadence. Plus, you can still import the run to Strava and get your kudos (I know you want them). On top of the actual in run features, the coaching has made me a better runner and so much faster. I’m currently working my way through a 12 week half marathon training and I have no doubt I’m going have a new half marathon PR. Thanks this app!!

I’m a runner that wanted to get back into a training program, so I downloaded this app. I answered every question honestly and even added weight training to my regimen (which is exactly where I went wrong).

It’s glaringly obvious that the strength training “plans” are poorly made and likely computer generated, especially since I was doing weighted forward lunges for every part of my body (even on upper body days). Needless to say, if your training as a runner and work those same muscles during every strength training workout, you’re going to over work the muscle.

Luckily, I quit using Runna before I did any permanent damage. However, I don’t think an app should be pushing “personalized strength training” when it’s not actually (or properly) offered.

I started using Runna after my half marathon, beginning to train for my first marathon. It’s been so nice to just get on Runna and know exactly what I’m doing that day in a simple format. You also can pair strength training with your running plan, which was something I neglected in my half training. Runna has made that super easy and they seem to be continuously making updates trying to improve Runna for users, which is great!

I love every aspect of this app for running training! It provides all the details I could ask for and then some! The only thing I wish they, and every other running program, would implement better is the strength training. Longer workout sessions shouldn't be the only thing that separates the strength levels. Also, some better strategies for the strength training. It seems a bit all over the place.

I’m currently 4 weeks into my plan towards a half marathon I’m doing in September. The plan is simple to follow. I suggest those who plan on using Runna to push harder than what is suggested during speed workouts. I have way more left in the tank, so I tend to push faster than the suggested pace. Other than that the deloads scheduled throughout the plan is refreshing and the runs are challenging but not hard. Currently looking to finish my next half marathon in 1:42. Last marathon was 2hrs.

I have been running now for about 3 years. I was using another workout program and planned my own runs. Find this app has really changed my running experience for me and allowed me to really focus on my running goals. Runna have worked wonders for me! I am starting my last week of my first 8 week training plan and look forward to continue to use these training plans and reaching my goals!

I got a 2 week free subscription for premium and I will never go back. I have an Apple Watch and used to track my runs on that but instead I wanted to be able to have someone organise my runs, pace, and week personally for me and that is exactly what this app does. I can’t tell you how convenient it has been for me and helped me get to my goal in a healthy way.

Little animated ppl showing the strength exercises and the attached videos for more info are very helpful. Also the articles that are available to get into on my own time are super interesting and informative. And the chime sound when you check something off is 10/10 serotonin. Downloaded from an Insta ad and glad I did !

Runna app as structure to plan out your runs week by week, but also has flexibility to change around the days easily if needed. Tracks your runs by time, speed, and distance. The coaching during the runs is awesome and you can listen to your own playlist and or podcasts with Runna as well. Definitely happy with Runna 😍❤️❤️

this app has everything I haven’t seen in other training apps. They have beginner, intermediate, race plans, etc. this app even incorporates strength work which is something you don’t see much from running apps. The only thing that I can’t figure out is how to record an indoor run, but that’s remedied by using my Apple Watch and importing later. Great job overall!

Relatively new to running and Runna has been super helpful for planning my training sessions. Takes the guesswork out of when to runs and how far or long. Also great to mix up training styles. Definitely recommend and we’ll worth the price for a tailored plan and on demand run coaching tips though the chat feature on Runna .

I have thoroughly enjoyed using Runna. The features are user friendly. I love the communication with my garmin app / watch to log my runs. Customer service has been responsive and helpful. The variety of runs has been great and the progression has been so much better at preventing injury than other apps I’ve used. 10/10!

Based on my current fitness level, Runna generated a personalized training plan that includes targeted strength training designed to improve performance and minimize the potential for injuries. They recently added support for treadmills which is great as the weather turns cooler and some of my training runs will be indoors. My only wish is that they included options for heart rate-based training since I live in a hilly area and pace-based training doesn’t take hills and the amount of work my body is doing when climbing grades. I have heard that this in the works and I’m anxiously awaiting the new feature.

I have always wanted to get into running but time after time I would try and fail only to end up thinking I must just hate running. The new to running plan was just what I needed. I am running further than I ever thought possible and am slowly increasing my pace and endurance. My only gripe is that I didn’t try this app sooner. Great work this app team!

I’m relatively new to running and Runna is everything I was looking for. I’ve never run in high school or college so I never had a coach. I didn’t know what any of the terminology meant - tempo runs, fartlek, etc. Even more so, I didn’t know how to gauge my pace. The this app app has audio guidance in your ear that tells you if you need to speed up or slow down to stay on pace. The plan shows you all weeks in advance but also tweaks it if needed as you go. And you can rearrange workouts within the week too. This has been so motivational to use and is like having a coach in your pocket. Highly recommend!

More than any of the other running apps, this app feels like it was designed BY RUNNERS. The Apple Watch app gives thoughtful and relevant feedback (without being annoying) and the mobile app provides alot of options for customization. Overall, really solid app and one that I am happy to be paying for to guide me through some big training blocks.

Makes planning and achieving goals easier. Makes me feel more prepared for runs and races.

Update:
I’ve completed one full plan and am halfway through my second plan. Runna is simply wonderful. I’m able to plan out my runs and adjust as needed based on my schedule. I have reached out with questions and concerns and have received a response very quickly for both help with Runna and my running. Can’t recommend this highly enough!

First off, the idea behind Runna is amazing. I would still suggest it to people to use. I love the personalization and the detailed metrics along with the syncing feature on my Apple Watch. What I find a great amount of issue is the bugs within Runna itself. Primarily, the Watch app. You either have to chose your phone or your watch to record your run. You won’t get as good of metrics on your phone but it will sync to your headphones 100% of the time. I personally like the watch due to the interval training screen on my watch so I don’t have to pull out my phone constantly when running. HOWEVER! My big big big issue with Runna , is that Runna on my watch will pick and chose when it wants to connect the prompts on my headphones (AirPods). When I’m doing interval that gets super frustrating. I’d really like the regular prompts to notify me since they switch every .25 to .10 miles and I always have to check to see if I’m on pace or not. However I don’t want to sacrifice the details of my runs and it’s really frustrating. There is limited options in the settings on the watch to make this work and I have not seen anything to help the issue.

I generally think if I’m paying $20 a month for a service like this I shouldn’t have these many issues to be honest.

I’m a casual runner who isn’t looking to qualify for a major marathon or win prize money in races. But I need help knowing what to do and don’t know enough to plan my own workouts. I wanted a running coach but couldn’t afford the prices people were charging. I tried a few other apps and printing out programs I found on the internet, but I wanted MORE. I found it with this app. I’m coming back to running after an injury that required surgery, followed by depression and weight gain. And I’m falling in love with running again. Runna is just what I needed, and I’m so glad I gave it a try. It even combines strength workouts, too, which I’ve found are really helping. Thank you, this app!

I haven’t run since before covid, whole era ago!

When I was running, I was dealing with a slew of health issues that I’m only beginning to understand how to manage now.
Thanks to this app, its training plan and coaches, I just hit a 10K PR yesterday. Something I didn’t think or imagine I could accomplish!

this app does a great job of adding in strength training to running plans. Even if you are a seasoned weight training vet (me), this app adds in movements that excel past that but also add in strength moves for anyone that either dislikes or isn’t comfortable with strength training (also me haha).

this app does a great job of juggling developing running skills based on where you are to where you want to be at a pace that is doable. They also add in tips, tricks, and access to real people that answer your questions. By far and wide, best app and plan available for anyone who wants to move more, attain personal records, and become empowered when you see just how much you can accomplish when you dedicate yourself to you.

Thanks this app! 🥹

I came back into running after an almost 5 year hiatus. However, I’d been extremely active in other ways. I began this app with the get back to running plan, and it. Was. Perfect. Challenging but not over the top. I’d tried a few other very BIG name apps, that did more time based running, and every time I burnt out. I’m now in my second this app program and cannot say enough amazing things about Runna. It syncs with my watch and helps me stay on pace (I struggle to slow down) and has helped me completely fall in love with running again. Very excited to train for a half marathon in April!

Over the course of a over a year, my vo2 max was on a constant decline. I wasn’t sure if it was unseen health issues, hormone imbalances, or just simply if my running performance was getting worse for no reason.

The marathon plan I signed onto in Runna has obliterated that problem. My vo2 max jumped up a point in under three weeks. The plan in Runna also pushes me like I’ve never been pushed before. It also feels personal because the instructions given before each run mentions my name, and I like that touch. Great app all around. I can’t recommend this enough!

Runna content and how they tailor every workout to your goals/needs and experience level is very good, you can tell it is created by people who now their stuff. The videos and readings are very helpful and easy to follow even if you’re new to running.

The downside came in the tech side, when logging a workout after I finished Runna won’t let me actually finish the workout, it got stuck and the finish button didn’t do anything. Tried closing Runna and also restarting the phone and it didn’t work. Had to delete it. Additionally, I tried to log back in with my Apple ID and noticed that the first time it never works you have to do it a 2nd time in order to login.

I lost the workout data and there is when you lost me, that is a core feature for this kind of apps and you shouldn’t sell premium or upgrades if the main feature in Runna is broken. I’ll continue with Strava for now.

I am loving the tips and the content. I feel that I am really improving my running and actually know what I’m doing for once! One tip I would like is how to figure out how to do the temp runs better since they are new to me, math is hard, especially when I’m running.

For Runna , I enjoy the general layout but would like some UI improvements. Skipping through the week drop down gets confusing sometimes. If they were crossed out, or just disappeared/were not selectable (unless from a separate button labeled “past runs”) it would be helpful for me to know what week I’m on.

I started this app because I left my CrossFit gym and still wanted to stay active. I loved CrossFit because I didn’t have to think through my workouts every day and the coaching I got. this app does both! The freebie running plan they gave me got me hooked!! And honestly 9.00 a month is nothing when you literally have a ton of different running plan options and the ability to integrate strength training! I’m really enjoying it and what’s great is you can just give it a try for free first :)

Have really enjoyed Runna. It’s made me run more, faster, and longer. Improved my cardio fitness over a short few weeks. Overall, it’s great, except for a few things:
*Con - Strava integration is extremely loud with super long and obnoxious titles that read like ads.
*Con - Runna works great with an Apple Watch and if you run outdoors. But if you want to track your heart rate with an Apple Watch on a treadmill, it’s impossible to get it accurate. If you track with your Apple Watch, it will underestimate how much you ran and require that you run an additional 15-20% of your planned run. It’s extremely frustrating.

As someone new to running, this app has removed a lot of barriers of entry for me to just get started and focus on actually just doing the thing. It has a great user experience that makes it really comprehensible to get started. What's worked really well for me is the ability to track everything directly on my apple watch and then synching data after my workout. The watch app is like having a coach on your wrist, knowing that you're within your threshold of performance is a great way to know if you're doing things correctly, but also a great reminder to slow down or pick up if you're leaning too far down any side of the spectrum. I'm currently training for my first 5k and each week I feel more and more confident that my plan is leading me in the right direction.

I really really like Runna . Once you get started on of the plans, the reminders to run aren’t to aggressive and don’t make you feel weird for skipping runs or anything like that. I like running now because Runna is helping me stick with it.

The one gripe I have is that when doing any of the guided runs that have built in “laps” or intervals (ex. 3 mins running, 2 mins walking),
The interval will end and say I did 2:59 running and start the next, when the next ends it’ll say I walked for 1:59. Somehow, each interval is shorted a second. Now, in the grand scheme of things this isn’t effecting how I do things too much, I just add a second on my own. But on a longitudinal level, it’s supremely annoying and bothers me immensely that mathematically I should’ve ran 30 mins, but because I got shorted a second 10 times I only ran 29:50.

Maybe I’m not explaining this correctly or in a way that makes sense, but it’s def a pain point for me. Overall tho it’s a small thing and I do really like Runna .

I have overall enjoyed Runna . I initially used it to train for a half-marathon. Along the way I ran into quite a few technical issues. Most commonly not recording the run and then glitching when recording my pace. I also ran into issues of trying to end a run.

I reached out and the staff was very responsive and open about technical issues they were working on.

I saw a lot of improvement after that. After completing my half-marathon I decided to keep Runna as I wanted to maintain what I built up. Unfortunately I have started running into the same issues of the runs not being recorded. I ran a 10k race this weekend and nothing was recorded. It said it had started the run but nothing did end up recording. I am training for another half in April and on the fence about keeping. The program is great but not sure I want to pay the cost for a program I could find free somewhere. As a casual runner it isn’t as important to me to have something super structured and well thought out.

I would recommend but caution about the issues!

The most frustrating thing about Runna is the audio prompts do not sync to your headphones when you’re using your watch during a run. I’ve heard some people say it works with your phone, but then other metrics aren’t available. I would have remained a subscriber if this feature had been available/fixed for the watch app; especially pace notifications for going too fast/slow than intended for a given training session. Pacing is what I struggle with the most. The pace notifications did not work at all, and I had all notifications turned on. I also didn’t really get the impression that it was very personalized for me. Maybe I just didn’t use Runna long enough to see those types of adaptations/adjustments to the plan. A bit of explanation about how that would work in theory, could’ve been helpful (e.g. intro video or message walking users through how and when the plan adapts to your performance, how long it takes to establish a baseline, way to provide feedback that it’s too difficult/easy?, etc.)

Honestly Runna is great. Easy to use. I was so excited when I found it bc I’m looking to do a marathon and Runna brings you through a easy and quick questionnaire about what your goals are. The first week comes around and while your running Runna tells you what pace you need to go out by saying “slow down” or “speed up”. I thought that was an awesome touch. After the first week I was beyond excited to start week 2 and of course this is where my problem sits. As your navigating through Runna their is no mention that I saw of a paywall. It’s $18 dollars a month for $100 for the year. A little disappointed as this is one of the more expensive paywalls I’ve seen but I’m not surprised. If you truly and really are dedicated to a goal of a race. Runna is for you. If you are looking for workouts with no intentions of completing a race. Go to the Nike running club app. They have 300 free running workouts.

I've tried many different running apps, but most of them have been disappointing. They often require strange workarounds to import activities, provide a subpar experience on the Apple Watch, and create plans that lack a proper balance between rest and hard work. As a result, I ended up getting injured at the beginning of last year. However, everything changed when I discovered Rana. I quickly switched from my existing marathon plan to Rana's, and my only regret is that I didn't find it sooner. It's evident that the developers have put effort into every aspect of Runna . Rana is designed by runners, for runners, and it has proven to be incredibly useful in my journey to improve my running times, overall fitness, and strength.

I’m a high school student that’s been running for awhile, due to my location reaching under 20 below frequently I’m not able to run outside as often as I would want. So I got Runna to help me with running inside and for the gym. I was excited to use the free features of Runna but turned out that you have to pay for an EXPENSIVE subscription to keep using after a week. Which is ridiculous with how there are other FREE and BETTER apps like the Nike coach one. If you don’t want to pay over $100 a month either do it yourself or go to Nike. The fact that it never mentioned subscription until AFTER sign up is disappointing as well as I want to know what I’m signing up for and how it’ll access my notifications. Runna is super disappointing and just not worth the money in terms of subscription. Don’t get Runna unless you’re a super rich person.

I got Runna after I saw a girl using it on tiktok to make a schedule before her half marathon race. I decided to try it out because I am so bad at being accountable for running during the week without a schedule. Runna has now changed the game for me. I recommend it to everyone because this app couldn’t have made it any easier for someone wanting to run outside (or of course inside). One of the best features is that it tells you when you are on pace and off pace for all of your workouts on my Apple Watch while I’m running. My half marathon race is coming up and now I feel extremely prepared.

I really do love using this app - the plans are amazing, the iPhone app is very easy to use, and I like how Runna connects with Strava. I will say, though, that it’s baffling how bad the Apple Watch app is. Every time I try to save a workout, the watch app crashes. I’ve tried 15+ times to save my workout this morning, and it’s crashed every time. Been doing this for 10 minutes so far today, and this happens more often than not. I’ve even had to factory reset my watch because it crashed too many times and wouldn’t turn back on (it got stuck on the Apple logo screen). The live pacing is also all over the place, jumping from 12+ min/mile pace to 8 min/mile pace over the span of a few seconds when I’ve barely changed my speed. The pause button stopped working on my run today, and I had to go into the watch app settings and turn auto pause on/off anytime I wanted to pause/restart my run. Hard to believe I’m paying this much money for such a frustrating app.