Tales on the Go

October 20th, 2013

Today I decided to try RunGo on a trail run. This was a new route in North Vancouver on trails I am not familiar with.  I created a RunGo route using the new web tool we have been working on, but had yet to test.

After a little work, the route was uploaded in the app.  I printed out the directions, just to be safe, and headed off for my run.

Well...my printed directions decided to stay home - oops!  I had a pack with my water, phone, headphones, snacks and a backup battery to recharge my phone, if needed.  I loaded up the app and off I went - with only RunGo knowing the route!

After a few kilometers "en route" I tried to take a drink out my hydration pack.  The tube seemed to have a kink or something, so I gave it a little tug to try and free it.  I guess I gave it more than a little tug though, because the tube detached from the water bladder, creating a waterfall down my butt!  I threw off my pack, flipped it upside down and quickly reattached my tube.  Luckily, I did this before I lost too much water, and therefore officially only suffered a wet butt!  Nothing to do but continue the run, I went to put my headphones on that had fallen off in my frantic pack removal!  Then I realized my phone and headphones were gone! I quickly backtracked and found my new iphone 5s plus headphones had been catapulted about 20 meters down the trail. Lucky for me, I use a lifeproof case, so my phone was still in mint condition.

After all of this, my run finally continued and I am happy to report that it was fairly uneventful, RunGo still has a few issues we are working out, but I indeed got through the run - and made it home without getting lost in the mountains!  I also got to discover some fantastic new trails.

I'm extremely happy that the battery lasted the entire four hour run without low battery warnings!  We hope to optimize battery usage even more, to ensure five hours of navigation on a single charge. For longer runs, there are some great external batteries that give you two or more full charges.

Just a tip - it's best to close all other apps, especially mapping apps, to maximize your battery life.  Simply double click on the home button to see which other apps are running and disconnect them.