Summary

The author prefers Nike Run Club (NRC) over Strava for its comprehensive features tailored to runners, personalized coaching, and integration with Nike products.

Abstract

The author, a long-time Nike enthusiast, has switched from Strava to Nike Run Club (NRC) as their primary running app. They highlight NRC's extensive guided runs, personalized coaching plans, and integration with the Nike Training app, which together offer a more holistic fitness experience. The app's ability to track shoe mileage and its inclusion of curated playlists that match running tempo are also praised. The author appreciates NRC's simplicity and the fact that it is entirely free, without the need for a premium subscription to access its full range of features, unlike Strava.

Opinions

The author admits a personal bias towards Nike, which influences their preference for NRC.
They find the NRC app to be more than just a tracking tool, offering a variety of guided runs and coaching for different skill levels.
The author values the exclusive features of the Nike+ version of the Apple Watch, despite not considering them worth an additional cost.
They appreciate the social and achievement aspects of Strava but believe NRC offers a more comprehensive running experience.
The author emphasizes the convenience of NRC's built-in playlists that match the tempo of runs, removing the need for users to curate their own music.
They are impressed with NRC's ability to create personalized training plans for races, including cross-training workouts through the Nike Training app.
The app's simplicity and ease of use are highlighted, with the option to use only the basic features if desired.
The author finds the shoe tracking feature particularly useful for monitoring the lifespan of running shoes.
They enjoy the competitive and community aspects of NRC, such as challenges and leaderboards, which motivate users to stay active.
The author recommends NRC to others, especially those who have not yet subscribed to Strava's premium version or are looking for a new running app.

Why I Use Nike Run Club Instead of Strava

I love Nike. In fact, I’ve loved Nike for as long as I can remember — in a design class at school we had to make a keyring using acrylic, which we’d carve and then put in some strange heating contraption to make parts of our key rings rise. I remember very little of that class, except my key ring was the Nike logo.

Nike was my preferred brand even as a child, and until I was about 18, I wore them exclusively whenever I didn’t have to be in formal shoes.

I mention this to say that I’m a little biased. If Nike Run Club (NRC) was Reebok Run Club, I probably wouldn’t give it a second glance. I can’t even guarantee it would get a first glance, come to think of it.

I actually only came to know about NRC because I bought the Nike edition of the Apple Watch — which, yes, I bought because it was associated with Nike. (To clarify, I was buying the Watch regardless, but I chose the Nike+ version because of the brand.)

In fairness, it’s not just a logo that separates the Nike+ version of the Apple Watch from the regular one. It also comes with exclusive watch faces, which are trivial overall but if you prefer the aesthetics then it’s a reason to buy one. I wouldn’t pay an extra £100 for one, but the Nike+ version is exactly the same price.

(If you have an Apple Watch and think you can only use NRC on the Nike+ version, fear not — it’s a standalone app that you can download.)

Like seemingly everyone else, I used to use Strava. When I first downloaded Couch to 5k, I logged my miles in Strava and loved the achievements, the social aspect, the photos I could add to each run. NRC barely got a look in; I didn’t see the need for it and I didn’t spend any time trying to see the benefits of it.

That was a mistake.

I’ll preface this section by saying I have nothing against Strava. It’s fantastic and possibly best in class in certain areas. It also covers multiple activities so if you’re a keen cyclist as well as runner, NRC won’t be of any use to you.

But I recently moved to NRC exclusively, and here’s why:

It’s more than just a run-tracking app. It’s a fully-fledged fitness companion, with guided runs for beginners to advanced athletes. NRC has you covered whether you need a 5-minute run to get you back into the swing of things or a 60-minute jog listening to coaches, Olympians and the team behind Headspace. NRC even has dedicated sections for specific types of runs, making it the perfect companion regardless of your goals — from treadmill runs to speed intervals.

Building on the first point, the NRC team has even created playlists to accompany the runs. The playlists are selected for their tempo to take the thinking out of your run. You don’t have to worry about finding music or worry about your pace; just land your feet on the beat.

There’s a coach inside! If you’ve got a race coming up, regardless of its distance, you tell your NRC coach, answer a few questions about how long you’ve got to prepare, how many days you can run in a week, how far you can currently run, and it builds a complete plan for you — for free. It even links up with the Nike Training app to include cross-training workouts, building up strength away from the trail.

It’s as simple or as complex as you want. If you don’t want the news feed, coach or guided runs, you don’t need them. NRC is adept at just being there when you need it. In fact, one of the complications on the Watch is simply a button that says ‘start’. When you tap it, it starts tracking you.

Never wonder how much life is left in your shoes. Like toothbrushes, running shoes need replacing at regular intervals. And also like toothbrushes, it’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been using them. Not with NRC, though!

It has Nike’s entire shoe catalog built in, and you simply select which ones you own and for how many miles you’d like to run before replacing them. After each run, you can then select which pair you wore, and it tallies up your miles over time. Now you’ll know exactly when you reach 500 miles.

Challenges. The NRC app includes a leaderboard, events near you (and around the world), and challenges that you can compete in wherever you are — take part in the You Can’t Stop Shanghai Challenge, for example, by logging 26.2 miles between November 23 and 13 December, alongside more than 82,000 other runners. None catch your eye? You can make your own!

Nike Run Club is also free — completely. There’s no premium upgrade to unlock additional features, which is a huge plus for me. The free version of Strava is useful, but it’s limited. If you haven’t made the jump to the premium version, you’re looking for a tracker, or you’re open to trying new things, I highly recommend giving NRC a try.

Just do it.