An App for the Traveling Athlete

Running across Rocky Mountain trails. Hiking up Vail Mountain or in Denali. Cycling through San Diego and along its beaches. Racing a marathon in New York or an Ironman in Coeur d'Alene--or better yet, Kona.

I can dream about visiting these destinations as much as I want, but there's always one looming question. Where am I going to stay when I get there? Hotels can get expensive. Lodging that meets my every desire can be tough to find. A kitchen. Close to the beach or trails. Ski in-ski out. A place that's almost as good as home. I can deal with making my bed and reusing towels. And I hate begging for a mini-fridge just to keep my water bottles ice cold--I tried the cooler method once and it didn't work. Picky, I know. My requests might seem like impossible demands, but they might be more attainable than I thought.

Meet Dwellable, a vacation rental website with a recently revamped iPhone/iPad app that could be the answer to many a traveling athlete's where-to-stay woes when it comes to dream destinations.

I'd hardly call myself a traveling athlete. Yes, I've run marathons in California (on a BQ quest) and Boston. But most of my races are a few hours drive from home. I'm more the runner who travels, with the running happening more by accident than on purpose. Except after flipping through the Dwellable app--an entire phone battery's worth because I got lost in the pictures--I want to become a traveling athlete, a frequent one.

Apps Addiction

Confession: I haven’t opened the EpicMix app on my phone since April when I closed out my season at Vail. I tried to collect any final pins and ride at least as many lifts as the day before. Then I took one last look at my vertical and points accrued and said good-bye until next season. I was addicted...at least until the final chair in part because I subconsciously equated with more chairs and more vertical with a greater calorie burn at the end of the day. My legs were burning after all.

But that was four months ago. That’s not to say that I’ve been sitting on the sofa, tanning on the beach, dining at the food fests and letting summer get the best of the fitness gains I made on the mountain over the winter. It’s all about prepping for the next season so we can rock it even harder than the last. Right? So while EpicMix takes a much-needed vacation, my attention falls to the other apps on my iPhone: the fitness-focused ones that can keep me in shape when I can’t ski 12 runs or log 20,000 feet of vertical in a day. The ones that can suggest new workouts I could never concoct on my own. The ones that are almost as good as working alongside a personal trainer because they provide real-time feedback.

The only problem is there are thousands of apps fitting that description. Take one look in the iTunes store and it's overwhelming (I know--I was researching apps for a magazine story two months ago and nearly got lost). So I took the guesswork out at buzz.snow.com where you can read about seven apps that'll keep you motivated to exercise even when you don't have a trainer pushing you through that last rep.

What fitness apps do you have in your cache?

Photo grabbed from marc.flores at flickr.

Get Fit With Your Phone's Apps

I only recently joined the technology revolution by finally trading in my old school, very basic cell phone for an iPhone. And let's just say I didn't completely do it willingly--I needed my current phone to die before I bit the bullet. But in exploring all the new features I've been missing out on for years--from the simplest perk like text messages that don't take ages to type to the ease of internet at my fingertips--I continue to remember the phrase Apple's grilled into my head: "There’s an app for that." 

How many times have you heard that phrase when it comes to iPhones and iPod Touchs, and now even with Androids, BlackBerrys, Palm PREs and smartphones? Making dinner reservations, there's an app. Identifying a song you like, there's an app. Scheduling a yoga class, there's an app. Access to my local yoga studio's schedule is only the start of the fitness-focused apps. From class schedules to mileage trackers, you'll be hard-pressed to not find an app to keep you on top of your workout. Add one—or all—of these fitness-focused apps to your phone and you’ll never feel like your workout has to suffer when you can’t make it to a training session.

Go Swim. You can’t make it to swim practice and want some drills to improve your stroke. You can’t remember what drill your coach suggested you practice—you know its name but not how to do it. Sound familiar? Enlist the help from this free iPhone app that features a comprehensive library of more than 50 drills illustrated in photos and videos. Go Swim doesn’t just offer drills, you can also stay on top of all your swimming news while interacting with other athletes on the Fan Wall. Free, available in the iTunes store.

CardioTrainer + Racing. If you’ve heard of the Virtual Training Partner available on Garmin Forerunners, Android users can get the benefits of that program on their phones. That means: This app challenges you to beat your old times by offering a virtual race simulator that include a voice shouting into your ear to tell you how ahead or behind you are from your target. CardioTrainer is free on its own, $2.99 with the Racing component, available in Android Market.

iMapMyRun/iMapMyRide. Want to repeat that training ride you did last week with the triathlon group? How about following the 5K route you’ll see at your next triathlon or the 13.1 miles of the Rock ‘n’ Roll half? This free iPhone app uses your phone’s GPS technology to map your routes, which you can then share with friends and workout partners. Plus track your speed, pace, distance covered and more on your next ride or run, and use it with MapMyRun.com and MapMyRide.com for more personalization. Free, available in the iTunes store.

FitDeck. You’re training on your own today and desperately need some ideas to keep you from doing the same routine for core work, stretching or strength training. You need FitDeck, which works on most mobile devices, to spit out slides that will guide you through a workout. And you can’t use the excuse you skipped because you didn’t have weights or resistance bands: It has exercises categorized as upper, lower, middle and full body that you can do anywhere. $9.99, available at fitdeckmobile.com.

Lose It. You’ve learned that what you eat is just as important as how hard you train when it comes to reaching your athletic goals. So keep tabs on your calorie intake—and outtake at a spin session or road run—with this free iPhone app. That’s Fit (link: http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/04/28/the-best-fitness-iphone-apps/) called it a “glorified calorie counter” but its food database is helpful to make sure you’re refueling properly after training. Free, available at the iTunes store.

These are only five app suggestions for your phone and smart device. There are tons more to download either via your favorite fitness website (i.e. Women’s Health magazine and Shape magazine) or at your phone’s online store. Just search fitness and you’ll unlock the possibilities—and your training will thank you.

Photo grabbed from Robert Scoble at flickr.