
Show HN: I run too fast, so I made an app to slow me down - vinnycoyne
http://pace.fm
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rjk909
If you're looking for an idea for a pro feature, have users calculate their
stride length (they'd need to run say a mile and count their footsteps)

then convert that to a tempo in BPM for a desired speed (that's like a five
minute math problem there, to quote my math profs, it's an exercise for the
reader)

then play songs within 5% of that BPM.

Boom. Pace yo self.

~~~
aquark
This would be very interesting to try -- I don't trust the GPS accuracy of my
phone over short distances, so using GPS to detect pace changes could be error
prone.

As an extra advanced trick: adjust the stride length for incline changes ...
though I don't know how you get that information accurately enough!

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facebiff
First, congrats to this guy for building and releasing software that solved a
problem he had.

But in my experience, a good way to improve your pace, become more consistent,
and improve your running form in general, is to NOT WEAR HEADPHONES. You need
to be very aware of your surroundings, mindful of your breathing and
heartrate, and aware of your cadence to really have a good sense of your form
and speed. Seeing an elite runner wearing headphones during a race is very
rare; most claim it's because they need to _concentrate_.

Playing music while running not only makes is harder for you to hear what's
going on around you, hear your own footsteps, etc, but it's a huge mental
distraction (for me at least). If I'm listening to music, even passively, I'm
more likely to revert to a sloppier form, change pace, etc.

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iambateman
When I started running, I didn't have the discipline to keep pace. So my
splits were like 9...9:30...10:15...10:30.

But developing discipline to know your own body and abilities might just be
the most important part of training. Hopefully this helps you be _more_ aware,
not less.

(FWIW, after 8 months of training, I've learned to run miles within 10 seconds
of each other, without a metronome.)

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ollysb
Just curious, could you run with this accuracy on any route or only on your
regular run?

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iambateman
Last week I got 8:12, 8:16, 8:20 on a circle route with no traffic. On a less-
known route I imagine the variance would go up, but not because of starting
too hard out of the gate.

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pearjuice
With Android having a magnitude bigger market share, why is that so many
companies, PoCs and MVPs tend to bootstrap for iOS? I get the whole "they are
big spenders, so they are more likely to buy my app", but if your concept is
so great why not invest a little more time in also deploying for that massive
Android audience?

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atonse
I've only developed for iOS, but the 2 weeks I spent 2 years ago developing
for Android, I was simply relieved that I only had to target one Android
tablet, so my genuine question:

Is there any such thing as an "Android audience?" Calling it a "Samsung Galaxy
S4 audience" or "Moto X audience" might be more accurate, right? Because if
you want to reach that so called entire Android audience, you have to target
much older operating systems and set that as your lowest common denominator.

~~~
hibrian
I think there's an "Android Audience". Regardless of device, they/I want
portrait and landscape, android look 'n feel (Actionbar, etc), desktop
widgets, background push, and so on. There are fairly easy ways to support
some new and old APIs without resorting to lowest common denominator, such as
checking the version before making the API call, and reflection. It is a
continuing support and testing issue to support "This works on 4.0+ only"
features.

The big problem with testing is interacting with OEM and 3rd party apps for
your own core app functionality. Such as launching an external camera to take
a picture: who knows what camera app the user has installed, and what it will
return back to your app.

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marknutter
This is a great idea, but unfortunately doesn't help us runners who find music
distracting while running.

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ndepoel
Try using a metronome then. I'm sure there's plenty of apps available for
that.

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jaynos
I picture a "Tell Tale Heart" scenario. This would drive me crazy.

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k-mcgrady
Great idea! Not sure exactly how much I like the idea of changing the speed of
the music. Did you consider beeps? e.g. set a target pace, as you drop below
it app beeps and increase beeps as you continue to slow (and the same for pace
increasing).

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ErikAugust
Had this idea - except mine would be a variation for training.

Instead of too fast, it would make an insane buzzing sound if too slow. The
problem I would think is accuracy. You hit a bad area, suddenly you are being
annoyed even though you are on target.

~~~
stereo
I've configured my cycling GPS to auto-pause when I'm going at less than 5
km/h. So sometimes, while I'm struggling to pedal up a big hill, my GPS adds
insult to injury and auto-pauses with a sad beep.

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seivan
I walk fast. It hurts my leg, and I walk to work everyday.

I found what worked, was that if I was walking with someone I'd normalize my
speed. Because other people somehow can pace them selves, I can't. Wonder if
it's related to ADHD.

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th0br0
Out of curiosity, what was the motivation for doing this? What is so bad about
running too fast? How is "too fast" defined?

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vinnycoyne
I've just started long-distance running, and when I run too fast, I tend to
burn out long before my target distance (and end up walking the rest of the
way home).

With Pace.fm, I can set a desired speed and the app will help me stay
approximately on-pace.

~~~
ScottWhigham
I always try for a negative split (slower first half than second half). It's
always better to have that extra energy to burn - which feels better: passing
50 people during your last five miles of the half marathon or getting passed
by 50 people? Most people start out too fast - just let them pass you and
smile as they do. Deep down you'll know that you will pass them in mile 10.

~~~
vinnycoyne
Thanks for the tip! :)

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zupa-hu
Genious! I am still running on treadmills just because of the feedback loop.
That app might change my life :)

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chrislawrence
Recommending this to all my novice running friends. Nothing like annoyance to
help set a good habit!

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vinnycoyne
Thanks!

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usaphp
I would change the title of the post.

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fredley
To what, and why?

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dunudu
It sounds really arrogant. I'm so amazingly fast that I have to use an app to
stop myself from taking off into the air like Superman.

~~~
vinnycoyne
I see your point — I didn't intend it to sound like that!

I'm a novice runner, so I tend to run too fast for my fitness level and burn
out too early.

~~~
bradleyland
I think it only sounds arrogant to someone who doesn't run, or who has never
experienced the problem.

I started running in March of this year, after having lived 35 years of my
life believing that there was something wrong with me that physically
prohibited me from running. Every time I tried running, I would end up gassed
very quickly, with my heart rate shooting up to 180 bpm. I tried all sorts of
things, but it turned out, I just ran too fast. Surprisingly, this isn't
something anyone thinks to tell beginning runners: slow down. I found that I
had to focus on running slower than was comfortable in order to get my
endurance up. It required real, conscious effort to slow down.

I don't know how many people experience this problem, but I know it was a
giant hurdle for me. Your app seems like a really fantastic idea.

~~~
mikegriff
I think that's something that most beginner runners don't think of. Endurance
base is so important but also the one that is neglected a lot of the time.

It's easy to think "I want to run fast so I have to train fast" but it's
harder to get into a mindset of "I want to run fast so I better not tire out
as quickly". Long steady runs are the best way to build this up (long being
relative to your level, of course)

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JavascriptMan
9km/h is slow :-P !

