Nominated against popular apps including Weight Watchers and The Food Network, MapMyRun garnered the most votes for the best of the best in the lifestyle category. This is an unparalleled honor and a major accomplishment for our team and entire community. With 11,000 entries from all 50 U.S states and over 60 countries worldwide, this year the competition was extremely fierce, and our work truly represents the best of the Web – and was voted on (and validated) by all of you!

MapMyRun will be honored at the ceremony on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, where CEO Robin Thurston will have the opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards’ famous 5-Word Speeches. Highlights from last year’s 5-Word Speeches include: Pinterest’s “Pinterest loves you Ryan Gosling”; Bjork’s “A.E.I.O.U”; and Holocaust survivor Tibor Sands for The United States Holocaust Museum “Thank you for remembering me.” The show will be hosted by critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer and actor, Patton Oswalt. Beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, fans can watch the show in HD at watch.webbyawards.com. A full list of both The Webby Awards and People’s Voice PV Winners can be found at winners.webbyawards.com.

The post MapMyRun Named Best Lifestyle Mobile App in the 17th Annual Webby Awards appeared first on MapMyFitness.

Our new look includes:

• Improved functionality: With a completely new navigation paradigm, we’ve made it easier than ever to access all of your favorite features quickly and easily on the site. Whether it’s creating a route, importing from the hundreds of fitness devices and sensors we support, or sending a route to your phone, the top tools are now much easier to find and use.
• Enhanced social feel: We’ve maintained the core technology and tools of the MapMyFitness family – mapping, tracking, and sharing – with an emphasis on social sharing. Our new site makes it simple and fun to share routes and workouts via Facebook, Twitter, email, sharable blog widgets, and via other MapMyFitness tools, and also makes expanding your friends network a breeze.
• More fun: Our simple new look and feel helps unify our brands (MapMyRun,
  MapMyRide, MapMyWalk, and MapMyFitness) and offers faster load times making it a joy to use regardless of experience level with fitness tracking and mapping tools.

How did we get here?

The research and design development process allowed our entire team to dissect the tools and features that matter the most to you. The navigation tool bar now has three main components – Home (where your activity lives), Improve (training plans and device integration) and Discover – which features the first phase of our Local pages. Local pages serve to package and populate local routes around you – making it much easier to discover and organize local fitness wherever you may be.

v4.0 is another step forward in the evolution of our brands, but also reflects a refreshed thinking in how we continue to build and improve the entire user experience online. Our design elements are now universal and recognizable on every page of the site – from the ‘My Dashboard’ page to Nutrition tracking. While the data has not changed, the way it’s presented is more intuitive and beautiful.

Under the leadership of our new design team, this refresh includes modifications based on customer service analysis and detailed traffic analysis patterns.

What does this mean?

We listened to what you said, and looked at the features you visit and use the most. Our web traffic is at historical all-time company highs, and with 70% of the MapMyFitness user base in the U.S, and as summer approaches we’re thrilled to support even more people getting out and getting active. We’re excited for better weather and we hope you are too.

So, take a look, get familiar, but most of all, keep the great feedback coming. We strive to deliver the best product possible and rely on our amazing community to make it happen.

The post Introducing our NEW Look appeared first on MapMyFitness.

How it works:

• Within the UP app, choose MapMyFitness as the app you would like to add to your experience.
• Once connected, your data will be seamlessly integrated to make the information you want available at your fingertips – including distance, pace, route maps, elevation and more.
• Within the UP app, you can view your activity from UP and incorporate data from MapMyFitness, including other imported workouts from any of the hundreds of devices MapMyFitness supports.

UP was designed for anyone who wants to live a healthier life, and tracks activities such as sleep, nutrition, mood, distance, calories burned and more. Now, MapMyFitness users (including MapMyRun, MapMyRide and MapMyWalk) have the ability to connect their app directly to the UP experience. This integration demonstrates what’s possible in wearable computing and the health and wellness ecosystem, and allows users to keep track of all of their activity using the technology they are most comfortable with. For more information click here.

The post UP by Jawbone™ Integrates with MapMyFitness appeared first on MapMyFitness.

Along with blackened toenails, many runners tend to suffer from iliotibial (IT) band syndrome—an overuse injury that often causes pain on the outside of the knee. It’s usually blamed on a tight IT band, which leads people to stretch and foam roll the wide strip of tendon on the outside of their thigh in hopes of loosening it. But that may do little good. Strengthening, not stretching, could be the best way to deal with the problem, Canadian researchers reveal.

In a small pilot study, nine people suffering from IT band syndrome underwent a 6-week rehabilitation program that focused on strengthening hip muscles like the gluteus maximus (your butt muscle) and gluteus medius (a muscle that helps raise your thigh out to the side). At the end of the study, all the runners were able to run pain-free. The length of their IT bands remained unchanged despite efforts to stretch it, but everyone’s hip strength increased.

“The IT band is like a chunk of leather, and it will never stretch,” says study author Reed Ferber, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Calgary and director of the Running Injury Clinic. “By foam rolling and stretching, you only minimize the symptoms.”

So what do your hips have to do with your knee pain? The gluteus maximus and gluteus medius attach to your IT band, Ferber explains. When these muscles contract, they pull on the IT band and keep your hips and knees aligned. However, if these muscles aren’t strong, your hips and knees can twist. This triggers the IT band to rub over underlying tissue and cause pain on the outside of your knee, he says.

To fix the underlying problem, you need to strengthen your hips. That’s why Ferber recommends performing these two exercises to prevent and treat IT band syndrome.

DO THIS: Do 1 set of 10 reps of each exercise on day 1. On days 2 and 3, perform two sets of each exercise. Every day after that, do three sets. Perform the exercises well before or after a run. Foam rolling the IT band is still beneficial because it reduces the symptoms, so Ferber suggests using it in combination with the strengthening exercises.

The post Cure This Common Running Pain appeared first on MapMyFitness.

We want to reach out and let the Boston community, as well as the running community worldwide, know that we are here to support you with all our hearts.  Perhaps you’re organizing a tribute run with friends or family – thank you for using us as a resource for this.  

We are deep in the process of planning a big event and will be calling on all of you soon to get involved and help us show Boston our love.

In the mean time, we’d like to share a poignant post from Bradley, one of our engineers in Boston about his experience on Patriot’s Day.

————

Left the house this morning. Bells ringing filled the air. I was wearin’ the cross of my calling. On wheels of fire I come rollin’ down here.

This line from Bruce Springsteen’s post 9/11 anthem, The Rising, always makes me think of running. Whenever I hear it I imagine leaving at dawn to head to a race. The “cross of my calling” is my club singlet and race number. “On wheels of fire,” I come rolling down to the finish line.

Sometimes, even when you wish it wouldn’t, life just goes ahead and closes the circle. I wanted to share two thoughts about the Boston Marathon.

The very last moment.

The day for me began early much like it did for those running the race. A group of friends left town at 6am to head to Hopkinton and volunteer at the race start. As a “Corral Monitor” my job was to make sure that no one moved forward in the starting order into a corral that had not earned the right to start in. In reality, we had no issues with corral jumpers. I spent the morning spotting runners that were a corral too far back and letting them know that they could move up if they wanted. After the race started we headed to Newton, to the race’s 30K mark. This is where my running club gathers annually to cheer on and support our team mates in the race. My club is an incredibly diverse group of runners. Our fastest on Monday was less than 2 hours and 40 minutes. The slowest would have finished in well over 6 hours. Those who are not running enjoy being out there and cheering on each and every last runner. This year that runner was Urvi. Urvi was battling an injury and, we knew from the earlier checkpoints, lagging behind quite a bit. I think everyone was excited the see her come by and give that boost of energy that you can only get from such a large group of people cheering just for you.

As we waited, someone received a phone call. The initial details were vague and confusing. Words with no context: explosion, bomb, finish line. At regular intervals someone else was sucked into the conversation and said, “Wait. What?” The smartphones came out and several sources seemed to corroborate: something had happened. Then Urvi arrived. Suddenly it was all forgotten. Urvi came up the road, clearly in pain and having a rough day. We all cheered as hard as we could. She even managed a smile and a wave as she passed. What came next was slow motion and surreal confusion. Trying to account for all of our friends in the race. Checking in with family and out of town friends that we were OK. Fighting back tears. (Urvi only made it a few hundred more yards before it was clear that the race was over and she stopped and came back). What I keep holding on to is that one last moment. After we knew something wasn’t right but before it became clear just how wrong it was. In that space in between we got one last chance to do what we all came for. We cheered for Urvi.

All the moments after.

It is difficult for me to understand myself, much less enunciate, how personal this is for me. On Monday night, Remlee said that it was a relief to know that all my friends and teammates were OK (She likes to call them “my people”). I admit that it is. The feeling of not knowing, in situations like this, if anyone that you care for is directly involved is excruciating. The feeling when that weight is lifted is undeniable. On the other hand, These are all my people. I have not yet run Boston and I am an out-of-town transplant of not even 8 years yet. But this still my race. All of the people that cross that finish line and all of the people that come down to cheer them on: I’ve never met most of them but I know them. They are my friends. Some of you will understand that, some won’t. I can’t explain it any better.

If you’re trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target. [From Facebook]

I always hate to be the one to repeat the common line but the purpose of terrorism is to terrorize. I saw this on quote on Facebook earlier and I was certain that it wouldn’t work. Not this time.

You simply can not instill a lasting fear in a group of people who have made a hobby out of seeking out pain and fear and overcoming it.

People who leave home so many days in the dark, the rain. the cold, the snow, or the heat just so they can push their minds and bodies to the limit for the chance to come back home and do it again the next day.

People who sit in bathtubs full of ice so that they can feel better. People who accept blisters, bleeding nipples, pulled muscles, stress fractures, and all sorts of other discomfort as a way of life and a price worth paying to do what they love.

People who put themselves through all of this just for the chance to participate in a sport that they know they have absolutely no chance of ever winning. Runners are only human. Like everyone else we are only too easy to kill for someone whose goal is killing. But to terrorize? Not even close. Battling fear, pain, and the ultimate fragility of our bodies is what we do.

You can not break us that easily. We go out every day and and try to break ourselves for fun.

Now that the fog has lifted a little, my friends are accounted for, and I’ve reminded myself to keep letting the people that I care about know it, I am ready to say this:

I don’t know who you are, why you did this, or what you hoped to accomplish. I do know what I am going to do next: 6x1600m @ threshold pace with a 1 minute rest. Go ahead and let me know if that is not what you had in mind.

With our deepest sympathy and support,

The MapMyFitness Team

The post Boston, We’re With You. appeared first on MapMyFitness.

Here’s what you can find in our latest release:

• Offline save: Finally, it doesn’t matter if you have a network connection or not – your workout is safe. Unsynchronized data will be uploaded the next time you run the app. No service? No problem.
• Workout comments: Encourage your friends by telling them how impressed you are with their workout, or fuel their fire with a little friendly competition. You can even add notes to your own workouts as a friendly reminder.
• Completely NEW friends feature: Now you can find friends through Facebook, Twitter, and your existing contacts. Make your social network a true social fitness community with just a few simple “add friends” buttons.
• New voice feedback options: We have more to offer than just distance – now receive updates on split time, time of day, and heart rate.



Version 4.6.3 is now live on MapMyRun, MapMyRide, MapMyFitness and MapMyWalk. Download on the app store and start connecting.



Apple and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

The post Get More Social with MapMyRun iPhone® 4.6.3 appeared first on MapMyFitness.

]]> http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/4-6-3/feed/ 0 http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/health-tip-put-down-that-salt-shaker/ http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/health-tip-put-down-that-salt-shaker/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:12:51 +0000 allison.glass http://about.mapmyfitness.com/?p=1809 The following post comes to you from our friends at dailyRX- a news network and leader in publishing health news for consumers and patients alike. Growing evidence shows cutting back on salt consumption reduces blood pressure and, in turn, the risk of stroke and heart disease. Two new studies show that a reduction in salt more »

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]]> The following post comes to you from our friends at dailyRX- a news network and leader in publishing health news for consumers and patients alike.

Growing evidence shows cutting back on salt consumption reduces blood pressure and, in turn, the risk of stroke and heart disease. Two new studies show that a reduction in salt intake may help blood pressure and one recent report finds that lower potassium consumption is linked to higher blood pressure.

Based on information in these investigations, the World Health Organization is now recommending individuals reduce their salt consumption to less than one teaspoon per day. Feng He, PhD, a senior research fellow at Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine and his colleagues led one of the studies. This team examined the effects of modest salt reduction on blood pressure, hormones, and blood fats (lipids) from 34 trials involving over 3,000 adults. Dr. He and his team concluded that modest reduction in salt for four or more weeks led to significant drops in blood pressure in people with both elevated and normal blood pressure.

The current recommendations to reduce salt intake from 9-12 to 5-6 grams per day will have a major effect on blood pressure, but a further reduction to 3 grams [less than a teaspoon] per day will have a greater effect and should become the long-term target for population salt intake, according to the authors of this study.

A related study also linked increased Potassium with lower blood pressure in adults. This study was based on 33 trials and involved over 128,000 healthy participants. Potassium is found in most fresh fruits and vegetables and legumes. The results show that increased potassium intake reduces blood pressure in adults, with no adverse effects on blood lipids, hormone levels or kidney function. Higher potassium intake was linked with a 24 percent lower risk of stroke in adults and may also have a beneficial effect on blood pressure in children. The research also suggested an increased benefit with simultaneous reduction in salt intake.

Based on these studies, the World Health Organization recommends reducing dietary salt intake to 5 grams (about one teaspoon) per person per day. Salt intake in many countries is currently much higher than this. The WHO believes such a strategy will save millions of lives every year from heart disease and stroke.

Most people would be shocked to know just how much salt is in their diet. The truth is only about 15 percent of our sodium intake comes from the saltshaker. The rest is hidden in processed snack foods, restaurant meals, pasta sauces, soup, lunchmeats, even bread and other baked goods. More than 90 percent of Americans—kids included—eat too much salt. When it comes to potassium, it’s easy to get plenty by eating the recommended 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

The studies were published online in April in BMJ — British Medical Journal.

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]]> http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/health-tip-put-down-that-salt-shaker/feed/ 0 http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/workouts/ http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/workouts/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:15:24 +0000 allison.glass http://about.mapmyfitness.com/?p=1793 Winter is technically over and things are beginning to warm up – and boy is it showing. Last week alone you logged more workouts and routes than at the peak of last year – congrats! Let’s help each other make 2013 our fittest yet. We’ll be highlighting our tools along the way to ensure you more »

The post It’s Raining Workouts appeared first on MapMyFitness.

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With routes being logged at record speeds, why not add a little competition into your workout? Courses are exactly what you need. Courses are portions of routes that are used to compare your effort against yourself or other members on course leader boards. Go on a ride, walk or run and record your workout with any GPS device. Any courses that overlap with your workout will automatically record your time to the course leader board.



Train against yourself to improve your time or challenge others to earn points and achievements. Don’t worry, we’re about more than just speed – Guru points (how often you complete a course) and Personal Record points (your all time best) contribute to monthly scores as well. Complete a course, earn points and challenge the leader board. Every month is a new chance to take a course title – so get moving. Don’t have any courses on your workout but think you should? Create your own course.

For all of our MVP users – Route Genius is by far the fan favorite. This tool is perfect for any business traveler looking to maintain their workouts on the road, or for those ready to workout in a new part of town. Simply input your workout requirements (such as starting point, length of workout, travel mode (run vs. ride), and desired direction) and hit ‘Recommend a New Route.’ It’s that easy. If you aren’t in love with the first recommendation, keep hitting the orange button and new routes will be created for you. On the go? Send your created map to your phone to immediately start your workout.



Things are heating up and it’s not even summer yet! Happy training and keep up the good work.

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]]> http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/workouts/feed/ 0 http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/bostonmarathon/ http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/bostonmarathon/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:00:30 +0000 allison.glass http://about.mapmyfitness.com/?p=1775 The Boston Marathon is a sporting event like none other. From the hardy back of the packers, to the primed up pros, the Boston Marathon remains a symbol of excellence for runners of all skill levels. With the big day in Bean Town on Monday, we are bringing you a few tricks of the trade more »

The post What’s it Like to Run the Boston Marathon? appeared first on MapMyFitness.

]]> The Boston Marathon is a sporting event like none other. From the hardy back of the packers, to the primed up pros, the Boston Marathon remains a symbol of excellence for runners of all skill levels. With the big day in Bean Town on Monday, we are bringing you a few tricks of the trade from 6-time Boston qualifier and coach Amy Anderson. Here are her top three tips:
• Be a worrywart: Race day weather has a significant impact on finishing times. While the weatherman is calling for near perfect race day conditions (high of 54 and a low of 45), you can never be too sure of what mother nature will bring to the party. After 20 marathons and counting, Amy recommends embracing your inner weather worrywart. “Obsessing over the weather is part of your moral obligation as a runner, so go ahead and worry about the weather.” Your stress may not change the weather conditions but it will provide you with something to focus the flood of pre-race anxieties on.
• Make it to BC (Boston College): The marathon course starts 26.2 miles west of downtown Boston and meanders its way through eight spirited communities. With a net drop of 130 feet over the first five miles and crazed fans lining the course, there is a huge tendency to get out of the gates way too fast. A fast start will over stress your muscular system making the later stages of the race harder than they should be. Amy suggests using Boston College as a queue to better pace your effort. “Once you make it past Newton and Heart Break Hill, Boston College is on your right, be thankful because the worst is behind you!”

  

• Respect your nerves: Miles upon miles, months of hard work and unrelenting sacrifice have all combined to get you on the line at the famed Boston Marathon – so, congrats! The dream you have painted is just as you imagined, except for one thing, there is a tornado of nerves spinning in your belly. Race day jitters can be unsettling to say the least. Amy likes to think of race day anxiety differently; “Nervousness is a healthy sign of respect for what you are about to do,” says Amy. That’s not to say you should let the jitters take you down, but rather open your self to the rush of emotions you are feeling and channel those into the 26.2 miles that lay ahead.

To all of the runners prepping for the Boston Marathon – good luck!



Amy Anderson running the 2012 Boston Marathon

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]]> http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/bostonmarathon/feed/ 0 http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/battle-of-the-cities-winners/ http://about.mapmyfitness.com/2013/04/battle-of-the-cities-winners/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:22:12 +0000 allison.glass http://about.mapmyfitness.com/?p=1748 Is your city the fittest? In honor of World Health Day MapMyFitness hosted a global challenge to find the fittest cities. The Battle of the Cities contest encouraged users worldwide to log workouts for city points. The winners were chosen based on the percentage of increased activity over the weekend compared to the last 30 more »

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]]> Is your city the fittest? In honor of World Health Day MapMyFitness hosted a global challenge to find the fittest cities. The Battle of the Cities contest encouraged users worldwide to log workouts for city points. The winners were chosen based on the percentage of increased activity over the weekend compared to the last 30 days. Over 18,000 cities competed and the results are in! See below for a full list of prizes.

World Health Day – Battle of the Cities infographic 

We’re excited to give away more than $132,000 worth of prizes to the fittest cities as a thank you for staying active and recognizing World Health Day.

Gold: Every person in your city (that has logged a workout) will win a 3 month free MVP membership + $10 gift card to the MapMyFitness Marketplace ($30 value). You heard us right – everyone. Congrats to Chicago, IL, Wheaton, IL and De Pere, WI.
Silver and Bronze: Every person in your city will receive a 1 month free MVP membership. Congrats to: Indianapolis,IN, Palatine, IL, Ankeny,IA, Omaha, NE, FortWayne, IN, W. Lafayette, IN.

Thanks to everyone for their participation and stay fit!

 

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