The Problem With Runna: What an Experienced Runner Really Thinks
- Oct 28, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Originally written 28th October 2025, Updated 7th August 2026
Ultra runner. Two years on Runna, several hundred miles of it shouting at me to slow down
An experienced runner's honest take on training plans, pace coaching, AI features, and whether Runna is actually worth it. Two years, several ultras and one genuinely awkward conversation with y boss later, here's what I make of it.
Google, its infinite search results and Excel have for many years been my training partner of choice. I’ll plan a 12 or 16 week programme, printing a colourful sheet detailing all the easy, long and interval runs I need to complete leading up to the next event, neatly laid out week by week.
The noticeboard in my home office has seen a succession of these sheets throughout the years, especially toward the end of 2023 and into 2024 as I prepared for events which started in January with my 24 hour treadmill run and then onto the 50K Doughnut Run London in April. Both events were of my own design that I took on solo to raise money for various cancer charities.
Information I found online helped me design the training block and the Nike Run app would serve me up some interesting runs when I was looking to mix up a tempo, interval or hill repeat session. And largely these programmes worked, I completed each event and nursed sore legs in the days following, these are the two measures of success I have for running.
In the blog article Hal Higdon vs Nike Run Club vs ChatGPT vs Runna I breakdown the pros and cons on each, comparing generic spreadsheet programmes I used to follow against more personalised programmes.Two week free trial of Runna
Yes a totally free, no obligation trial of Runna.
Download the app and enter the promotion code: ANDY2
or click on this link https://web.runna.com/redeem?code=ANDY2
Do you use Runna
0%Yes
0%No
0%Considering it
And then all changed - the morning I downloaded Runna
Come the middle of 2024, it all changed. And that's when the problem started.
If you've not seen Runna over the last few years then clearly you are not on social media and you stare at nothing but your feet when out running. Their name is everywhere, my Instagram feed full of adverts, every event I turn up to seems to have their logo somewhere and I often pass another runner sporting a Runna t-shirt. Top marks must go to their marketing team.
It was one morning, eating a breakfast of porridge and greek yoghurt, with a splash of honey and red berries that I visited the App Store and downloaded the Runna app. There is no turning back once you take this step, so proceed with caution. The app asked for my 5K time and half-marathon too, don’t be tempted to be overly enthusiastic when entering these details, resist the cocktail party embellishment of saying you run a 13 minute 5K as this will result in your legs falling off in the very near future. Runna uses your answer to calculate your pace targets. You have been warned.
I had another event on the horizon, UTMB Cote d'Azur. The app asked me what I was training for, a hilly 50K I entered, and when the event was, November. It asked what days I was available too run and when I’d like to schedule in the long run, that’s a Saturday for me. And with the wave of a magic wand, a sprinkle of fairy dust there in front of me was a full on, well presented, colourful 12 week programme. It even gave me the option to print as a PDF, which I duly did and attached to the noticeboard.
Diving into the app: Runna on an Apple Watch
Tech is an iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra 3, both are my trusted running partners. The watch especially and it’s usually the only tech I carry on my run. Runna works with both.
Start the run by firing up the app on the watch, clicking on the days run, a short description tells you how the run is made up, useful for interval sessions as I can plan which part of the old rail trail I’ll run these on, I choose a section without the lovely dogs and their poorly behaved owners who take delight when their prized pooch trips me up usually followed by a quiet soulless ‘sorry’, and louder call of ‘come here Rex’.
App come running coach: the audio pace nagging
Shokz Open Run Pro 2 headphones are a perfect accompaniment to the app as this turns a tracking app into a full blown, you are not working hard enough, running coach. This is most evident on tempo, interval and hill repeat sessions. Runna divides each section of these runs into a LAP, a little like this
Lap 1 – 1.9mi warm up max 8.05/mi
Lap 2 – 2.5mi at 7.00/mi
Lap 3 – 1.9mi at 6.55/mi
Lap 4 – 1.2mi at 6.40/mi
Lap 5 – 0.60mi at 6.30/mi
Lap 6 – 1.2mi cool down at conversational pace
Lap 7 – take selfie, collapse.
Ok so I added a lap at the end there but we all know that’s what we do at the end of a hard run, or if there are others in the car park watching, we style it out by doing some cool down stretches, then collapse once they have lost interest in you or are chasing down Rex.
During laps 2 – 5 the app will be monitoring your pace, giving frequent audible feedback. There is a pace range with the target pace sitting right in the middle, so lap 2 may have a target 7.00/mi and a range of 6.50/mi – 7.10/mi as way of example.
Fall short and run slower than the range and a cheery voice will tell you to speed up slightly or just to speed up, the difference maybe subtle but when coach drops the ‘slightly’ you know you are way off the pace target. There is no guessing needed as coach tells you exactly what your current pace is, then you need to turn your legs a little faster to achieve the ‘on target’ feedback. It also works when you are running too fast, telling you to slow down or slow down slightly. I often get the ‘slow down’ on the first interval, I am fresh, eager and full of pre-workout.
Imperceptible gains are huge - the PBs I didn't see coming
Now comes the clever part of the app. The imperceptible gains. As the weeks progress you’ll notice the pace targets falling, what was once a warm up at 8.35/mi has inched it’s way to 8.05/mi and the laps too, times in the 7’s are now in the 6’s. It happens without you noticing, the gains individually small, the cumulative huge. Doing it this way I’m sure helps prevent injury and follows the mantra of small steps are the friend of the runner, large steps will lead to injury.
That winter I ran a 12 week maintenance block, sitting between UTMB Côte d'Azur in Nice and the training that began in the January for my first ultra of 2025. In those twelve weeks I PB'd in the mile, the 5K and the 10K. All without trying, and all thanks to the app coaching me through those imperceptible gains.
I closed 2024 a fitter, faster and more confident runner. 2025 went further again, several 100Ks, a second 160K Tour du Mont Blanc, and a handful of 50Ks along the way.
2026 tested it properly. Emergency surgery in the April put me out of my shoes altogether, and every plan I had came off the noticeboard with it. Coming back, I used Runna's post-injury plan, not an injury as such, but the priority was the same: keep it easy and don't be a hero. It was slower than I wanted. That was rather the point. From there I pivoted to a Run to Maintain programme, which is where I am now, building towards Chamonix. The app has been more patient with me than I've been with myself.
And now comes the AI.
Of course it has AI, doesn't everything - and here's what it adjusts
And now comes the AI. Of course Runna has to get AI in the app somewhere, it's the buzzword of the decade, much like Turbo was in the 80's and Digital the 90's, who could forget the Ford Escort RS Turbo (under 40’s Google it), we all wanted one and in white too, or my Mum’s 1990’s Electrolux vacuum cleaner with it’s oversized DIGITAL sticker on the front, quite what was digital about a vacuum cleaner is still beyond me, but I’ll take the white Ford any day.
AI monitors your performance through speed sessions, namely tempo, intervals and hill repeats seeing how performance stacks up over time, it then throws recommendations at you to adjust your programme, perhaps increasing your pace targets if your legs are turning quicker than expected, or adjusting them down a little if you are finding it harder.
The coaching instructions through each run, the frequent small gains and AI add up to be a powerful tool, it sure beats the printed spreadsheet I used to have on my noticeboard.
Runna is far more than just a schedule of your upcoming runs, it acts as a personal coach, with you every step of the run
The bulk of your week will be easy runs, Zone 2 training. For a detailed breakdown on Zone 2 read the blog Zone 2 Running.
I’ve been telling everyone at my gym about the app, many have gone on to download and rave about it too. It’s personal to you, to your running style, goals, times and targets. It becomes a part of your daily life as you scroll through the upcoming runs of the week.
And the app had a substantial range of of plans from 5K through to Ultra, both for racing, off season and injury recovery.
The problem with Runna
So I hear you cry, what is the problem with Runna.
You’ll become a faster runner, and that leads to a higher spend on shoes. My intervals were going so well I talked myself into a pair of £230 Saucony's just for those sessions. Reader, I bought them. Two hundred miles later I have no regrets and noticeably less money.
You'll become more confident and want to challenge yourself. I spent most of 2025 talking myself into the UltraX in Nevada, £2500 for a week's running, before talking myself back out of it. I give it until next spring.
Inevitably you will need to call a meeting with your boss, lay it on the line that all this running is getting expensive and you need, no you deserve, a pay-rise to fund all the new shoes and race entry fees. And that's the problem with Runna, it leads to the awkward boss conversation.
But hey, at least you'll be a better runner.
Happy running
Andy
Runna Frequently Asked Questions
What is the problem with Runna?
There isn't much wrong with Runna — the title is tongue in cheek. The real "problem" is that the app works so well you'll get faster, enter bigger races, and spend more on shoes and entry fees. More seriously: the plans are built around pace targets rather than heart rate zones, so if you train by zones the structure can feel rigid. For most runners it's an excellent training tool. Although there is an RPE function in Runna and I use that for hilly long runs.
Is Runna worth it for experienced runners?
Yes, arguably more so than for beginners. The pace coaching, progressive overload, and AI adjustment features really come into their own when you have an existing base to build from. The app adapts to your current fitness and pushes you in ways a static training plan never can. Experienced runners who switch to Runna often find they PB at distances they've run for years.
Does Runna work for ultra marathon training?
Runna has training plans covering distances up to 50K, and the structured approach to building weekly mileage, interval work, and long runs transfers well to ultra preparation. The pace coaching on interval sessions is particularly useful for building the speed that underpins ultra endurance. For very long ultras beyond 50K you may need to supplement the plan with additional time-on-feet work.
How does the Runna pace coaching work?
Runna divides each quality session (tempo, intervals, hill reps) into laps with target paces. If you run with compatible headphones such as Shokz, the app gives real-time audible feedback, telling you to speed up or slow down by how much based on your current pace versus the target. The coaching adjusts week on week as your fitness improves, creating gradual, sustainable gains.
Is Runna good for beginners?
Yes. Runna has plans from complete beginner through to elite level. The key is entering your actual 5K and half marathon times honestly when setting up, the app uses these to calculate your pace targets, and overestimating will lead to unsustainable training loads. Start conservatively and let the app bring you on progressively.
Is Runna owned by Strava?
Yes. Strava acquired Runna in April 2025. At the time of the acquisition Strava said the two apps would continue to run separately for the foreseeable future while it invested in growing the Runna team. In practice Runna still works as its own app with its own subscription, and there is now a joint Strava + Runna annual bundle if you want both.
Does Runna work with Garmin?
Yes. Runna syncs with Garmin, COROS and Apple Watch, so your planned session appears on the watch and you can start it from your wrist rather than your phone. I use an Apple Watch Ultra myself, so I can only speak first-hand for that setup, if you're on Garmin, check Runna's support pages for the current sync instructions before you commit.
Can you cancel Runna at any time?
Yes, though where you cancel depends on how you subscribed. Runna subscriptions bought through the App Store or Google Play are cancelled in your Apple or Google account settings rather than inside the Runna app, and Runna also handles some subscriptions through its own payment provider. Runna publishes step-by-step cancellation and refund guidance in its support centre. Cancelling stops the renewal, you keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.
How much does Runna cost and is there a free trial?
Runna offers a free trial, you can access two weeks completely free using the code ANDY2 or via the link in this article. After the trial it moves to a paid subscription. Given what a one-to-one running coach would cost, the app represents strong value for structured, personalised training. Current costs in UK are £15.99/mth or £99.99p/a and in the US $19.99p/mth and $119.99p/a. Pricing checked 7th August 2026.
About Andy Hood
I'm an ultra and endurance runner, and I've been training on Runna since the middle of 2024, through UTMB Côte d'Azur, a second 160K Tour du Mont Blanc, several 100Ks, more 50Ks than is sensible, and a comeback from major surgery. Before that it was spreadsheets and a printout on the noticeboard, so I've done this both ways.
I'm also a cancer survivor, and I run to raise money and start conversations about it.
That's what the loud pink shirt is for.
Updated August 2026 — added the Strava acquisition, brought the training timeline up to date through 2026, and added answers on cost, cancellation and Garmin compatibility.
Comments