Why did I create a new app?

Last updated: December 14, 2023

At first I wanted an app dedicated for running. It should be able to read all run data from the Health store, no matter whether I used the built-in Workout app or any third party apps to log my runs. In the first half of this year, I used other apps to log and track my runs, such as Workout app, Nike Run Club, Gentler Streak.

The built-in Workout app is great for logging runs and I can see a lot of information in the Fitness app after running. The problem is that I don't run everyday. Usually I would run 3 or 4 days a week and might have one or two days off in between. I also have goals for the total time and distance per week. The built-in Workout app and Fitness app are not straightforward for presenting this information.

Nike Run Club is dedicated for running and provides great guided runs. The problem is that it doesn't read the run data logged by other apps. It writes most run data to its own store but only writes limited run data to the Health store. Some useful data like running power is also missing. If I run with Nike Run Club, the percentage of each heart rate zone will not show in both Nike Run Club and the Fitness app.

Most of the time I do zone 2 running. So I want to know the percentage of each zone for the currently week, especially zone 2. I also want to know which zone captures the most heart rate (compared to other zones) for the day I run. I call it the dominant heart rate zone and want to check if the dominant zone of most days (if not all) in the current week is zone 2 in a straightforward way.

That said, I decided to create my own app in the second half of this year. Now I use the built-in Workout app to log my runs most of the time, use Nike Run Club to log interval or Fartlek guided runs (or any other interesting guided runs), use Gentler Streak to check the training stress balance for today, use AutoSleep to check last night's sleep fuel rating and today's readiness, and finally use My Runs for the requirements mentioned previously.

So why did I start with a Watch app instead of an iPhone app? This is the first time I learn to write code for Apple devices, although I've been using iPhone and Mac for many years. So I want to start easy and small to build a minimum viable product (MVP) and learn the lessons along the way. Then I'll build the iPhone app with all the functionalities of the Watch app as its core and add more advanced functionalities.

By the way, I have managed to lose 10.7 kg this year, up until today, without making significant changes to my diet.

Regards and happing running / Allen