Just been giving some thought to what has helped motivate me during the past year in my running from the different online resources that I use. My top three – well it’s really difficult to decide as one thing on its own would be less effective without the other resources. But here goes….

3rd place

Mapometer (http://gb.mapometer.com/en/ )

I discovered this mapping tool only recently but in my opinion it far surpasses other mapping tools which I had used up to now. This tool is devoid of annoying ads and seems faster and less clunky. I used this when I had problems with the calibration of my Garmin Forerunner 50 watch and it gave me incorrect and varying distance measurements. Useful in planning varied routes to keep boredom out of covering the same route time and time again.

2nd place

Fetch Everyone (www.fetcheveryone.com)

I love Fetch Everyone site with the ability to see my training log in different formats, see how many miles are on each pair of my shoes, see where I’m ranking on the monthly and annual running league tables, which can spur me on to put in a few extra miles, enter scheduled and completed race info. This is only some of the functionality which this brilliant site offers.

1st place

Twitter (www.twitter.com)

But there needs to be a human element in all this as well, even in the virtual world and this is where Twitter is an invaluable resource. Of all the resources I would rank Twitter top for what I get from it in terms of motivation, support and a good laugh. It also, I hope, gives me the chance to offer the same in some small way to others. This is a virtual community there when you have a brilliant run and also there when you have a crap race. These are people who are as mad as you, who understand the need to go out running in storms and gales, to wear definitely untrendy luminous gear, who get equally excited about acquiring the latest gps watch and who pore over spreadsheets and logs working out minute miles! This is the Twitter running community and you are the best!

Posted under diary, resources, reviews, web tools, websites

www.dailymile.com describes itself as a social training log designed to make it easy to share your training with friends and to get the motivation to meet your goal.

Cost:  free to signup
Features:

• covers running, triathlon, cycling and fitness.
• post a workout, note, photo, video and link.
• view a list of your own training, you and your friends training or everyone’s training.
• sign up for races and add races to the database
• make friends
• join groups and forums
• get widgets for your blog or website

click on images to enlarge

Posted under web tools

FetchEveryone (www.fetcheveryone.com) describes itself as “a fast developing site providing tools and fun for runners…”

Features on FetchEveryone Read More…

Posted under web tools

Gyminee (www.gyminee.com) describes itself as “the premier fitness social network for detailed tracking, online accountability, and motivation. Whether you are trying to lose weight or get fit it’s time to start taking your fitness seriously.”

It allows you to:

• track your workouts – you can create your own workout programs or subscribe to existing ones
• monitor your diet – online food diary and a database of foods to which you can add your own foods and recipes
• fitness social network – you can make gym buddies and join fitness groups to help keep you motivated and provide support
• challenges – you can set up your own challenges or join existing public challenges
• Gyminee Pro provides advanced features

How to register with Gyminee

Creating an account is a straightforward process requiring a minimum of information (email address, username and password)

Go to gyminee.com, select the “sign up ” button and complete the online form.

Completing your profile

The next step is to complete your profile. When you log in, you are taken to a tab called “My Locker Room” from where you are taken step by step through your profile.

Gyminee functionality

From My Locker Room you can then navigate the other sections of Gyminee by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page

• My Locker Room
• Workouts
• Nutrition
• Challenges
• Groups
• Gymbuddies
• Forums

Cost: It is free to register and use the site. There is a fee for the advanced features under Gyminee Pro

Read TechnoTrotter’s review of Gyminee

Posted under web tools

Flickr describes itself as “the best way to store, sort, search and share your photos online. Flickr helps you organize that huge mass of photos you have and offers a way for you and your friends and family to tell stories about them.” Read also the Wikipedia entry describing Flickr. Read More…

Posted under web tools

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. More detailed info on Twitter on Wikipedia.

Read More…

Posted under web tools