With the 2024 London Marathon fast approaching, the painful expressions on the faces of many runners as they reach mile 20 will likely have an antithetical effect on viewers than the one common logic would dictate. Rather than being perturbed by the pain, thousands will flock to their favourite search engines to find and subsequently sign themselves up for the monumental challenge, inspired by the occasion. Of those, many will also search for the best marathon training plans. Innumerable plans are available on the web, and Runna is certainly an app you’re likely to come across on your travels.

As many of you know, owing to overuse injuries and symptoms of cervical myelopathy that have persisted post-operatively (and a subsequent reliance on opiates), I’ve unfortunately had to cut my plan with Runna short by approximately 3 weeks. It’s highly unlikely (unless I decide on the day to do something extremely stupid) that I’ll be completing the marathon originally planned for late April. Nonetheless, I’ve spent 13 weeks training with them, so here’s my post-plan review of Runna’s app.

The Benefits of Using Runna’s App

In my original review of the Runna marathon training plan app, I spoke extremely highly of the company, their team, aims, and the app’s ease of use. I also discussed a plethora of benefits of using a training app, many of which are unique to Runna. These remain largely unchanged, so I won’t be dedicating too much of this article to these. If you’re after a more thorough assessment of the app, click here to read my initial review. For now, I’ll simply list what I see as the major perks of a Runna Premium membership.

• Effortless integration with multiple fitness watches (at the time of writing, this includes Apple Watch, Garmin, Coros, Fitbit and Suunto.)
• Goes above and beyond other apps when it comes to strength training, mobility, and pilates – with the option to add these into your plan at the click of a button (or tap of a screen, really).
• Highly accomplished, knowledgeable, and experienced team of running coaches (including GB Olympians), physiotherapists, yoga and pilates teachers.
• Discounts! By being a Runna Premium member, you get access to a selection of discounts from their partners. At the time of writing, there are 40 discounts available – far too many to mention. To name a few, though, they include Garmin, Shokz, Sweaty Betty, Pro:Direct, and Science in Sport.
• Innumerable articles and videos discussing key components of training for running, including running form, nutrition, and fuelling strategies.
  

Criticisms of Runna’s App

When opting to run four times per week, irrespective of the ability level chosen (beginner, intermediate, or expert), the intended purpose of the plan (whether training for a specific event or choosing a “Running Maintenance Plan”), the app would, without fail, program the week with two speed sessions (or on expert, one of these may be replaced by a hill session), one long run, and one easy run.

There may not be a “right” or “wrong” methodology, I’m certainly no expert in this field. But most research and advice from running coaches recommends an 80/20 split, meaning 80% of your runs are completed at an “easy” pace.

Of course, Runna’s marathon plans aren’t obliged to follow the 80/20 rule and adopt what they feel is an approach more likely to yield better results for their user base. As I spoke about in my initial review of the app and as I’ve noted positively above, their team consists of some extremely accomplished, knowledgable, and experienced individuals. In short, they know what they’re doing.

But one concern I have with the aforementioned scheduling relates to the typical user of Runna. Having spoken with various members of their team, I know that the company’s target market is not just the beginner or intermediate runner. They want to be the training app to help runners of all experience levels achieve their goals. But, admittedly without any concrete data to backup this claim, I’d hazard a guess that beginner and intermediate level runners such as myself form the majority of Runna’s user base.

How I discovered Runna’s marathon training plans, and how many others are finding out about the app, is through (like most things these days) influencers on social media sites. Some of those influencers are experienced runners. Others are people who’ve amassed a following for trying to achieve the marathon distance as a non-runner in need of a coping mechanism following heartbreak (successfully, I must add – congratulations to Elle.) Stranger still, I know one individual who’s trying to go from non-runner with spinal cord compression to marathoner (P.S I’m by no means calling myself an influencer, but you get the point.)

As a result, I wonder whether the approach taken by Runna is really appropriate for a good proportion of the people exposed to said accounts. I’ll touch on this further in my conclusion of whether I would recommend the app.

This really is my only criticism in reviewing the Runna app. What’s more, I think it’s something that can be resolved with relative ease. It wouldn’t be too difficult for Runna to ask the user what percentage (or how many) of their weekly runs they would like to be easy or speed based. They could even introduce a sliding scale with explanations of the likely benefits at each percentage of easy-to-hard runs.

Perhaps you might be thinking that a user capable of deciding said figure themselves would indicate a certain level of knowledge negating the need for a training app entirely. Personally, I don’t think this is the case for a number of reasons.

First, rather than this being indicative of the user having more knowledge than their coach about running, it’s more about the individual saying, “Hey, I know my body. I don’t think I can cope with this level of intensity right now.” Perhaps further down the line the user could alter this percentage as they become more accustomed to the training load. I’m sure if you were working one-to-one with a coach and became severely fatigued, they’d alter the plan for a period of time to help your body recover adequately.

You are, of course, not controlled by Runna. You could simply decide not to do one of the speed sessions and instead opt for a recovery run (or no run at all). But it would be nice to see Runna give users more control over the intensity of the program.

Secondly, in my original review of Runna and as briefly noted above, there’s a multitude of reasons for using a training app for running that extend beyond the intricate details of the plan. Whether those benefits sufficiently justify the cost of the plan is for you to decide. Is Runna worth it? Personally, the time saved by not having to manually create workouts in Garmin Connect is enough of a justification for paying for Runna Premium!

So, Would I Recommend Runna?

There’s going to be both a short and long answer to this question. Let’s start with the former.

In short, my review of the Runna app is this. It’s an absolutely fantastic training companion and I absolutely would (and do) recommend their marathon training plans to others. If that’s good enough for you and you’re keen to try out the app, then download it and give it a go! If you enter the code GRITTY in the referral section of the app, you’ll get two weeks free access. Alternatively, you can click here to use my referral link to download the app.

The long answer, naturally, remains the same. But there are some caveats I’d like to add. These aren’t necessarily related to Runna or the services they provide, but rather the user of the app.

As I mentioned previously, there are a lot of runners (and more notably non-runners) who will see a non-running influencer on social media successfully complete a 16-week (sometimes less) marathon plan with Runna or similar app. This may spur them on to try and replicate the experience of said influencer. For some, their bodies will be capable of dealing with the intense training load. But an equal or perhaps greater number will, conversely, end up injuring themselves and abandoning the plan.

To clarify, I don’t put any of the blame for my overuse injuries on Runna’s marathon training plan. That’s solely my responsibility for trying to do too much too soon, particularly considering I started running three weeks post-op. But I know I’m not alone in my attempt to do something like this. I’m not the first nor will I be the last to set overly-ambitious goals.

But running a marathon is a serious undertaking, one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In discussions I’ve had with PTs on Threads regarding the ideal training time for a marathon, six months is a figure commonly seen – and that’s for individuals who have experience of distances up to around the 10KM mark. Many do it in less, while others (such as myself) temporarily abandon the prospect due to injury.

All I’m trying to advise here is this. Listen to your body. Don’t assume that because somebody else has accomplished something in a short space of time that it’s safe or sensible to try and replicate their experience. If you’re a non-runner, start with one of the ‘First 5K’ plans that Runna offers. As the old adage goes, don’t try and run before you can walk.

Conclusion

To wrap up my review of the Runna app and their marathon training plan specifically, I’ll finish by saying this. The Runna app has great potential to work for runners and non-runners of all experience levels. It’s an app that I highly recommend you download, even if just to try for a couple of weeks. But the user of the app has to be honest about where they’re at physically and mentally. Ignore the influencers and forget what you’ve seen others achieve. You are not them. We each have a unique set of life circumstances, different stressors, and divergent physical and mental compositions that play a role in our body’s ability to handle additional load. Don’t ignore them.

As mentioned in the criticism section, I’d like to see Runna offering more flexibility and choice in the design of each individual’s plan. It wouldn’t be difficult to introduce the sliding scale recommendation noted above, and providing the relevant knowledge to their users of how each variation is likely to alter the plan’s outcome is only going to bolster engagement with the company.

I’m extremely grateful for Runna’s support with this project, and although I will be shifting my training to something more appropriate for my current condition (more to come on that soon), I hope to continue working with the brand. They are, as mentioned numerous times, a great company with a supportive team – and one I’m sure will help runners and current non-runners alike achieve their personal goals.

Again, if you’re interested in a two week free trial with Runna, simply click this link to download the app. Alternatively, download the app via Google Play or the App Store and enter code GRITTY to claim your two week free trial.