Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve written a blog post. So much going on, I really need to make more time to share it with all of you!
Here are some quick updates:
Web
As you know from Mike’s last blog post, we pushed a new update on the web with splits, activity list icons, and the beginnings of some layout changes. As we move towards launching the site redesign (making good headway, coming soon), you should expect not only more features, but a better design and a more usable site. We can’t wait to show you!
Device
We also pushed a new device build a week or so ago (version 1.4.8). As of writing this post, the RK Free update has been approved, but RK Pro is still in the queue. A lot of this update was behind the scenes—more stability, better synchronization, better accuracy on device and web. The big one though is the top lock button! With the new release, you can now use the top lock to put the screen to sleep WITHOUT DISABLING GPS! This is huge, as it will increase the battery in a major way. Try it out, I can now proudly say that we are marathon-ready! For all of you long distance runners, cyclists, hikers, etc., this should be big news! We also added an “are you sure?” when you discard a run on the device, which will eliminate accidental run discards.
Marathon
As many of you know by now, I am running the Boston Marathon on 4/20. I am running to raise money for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, thank you to anyone who supported my race! http://www.firstgiving.com/runkeeper. Training has been a bear—short notice, and my old heel injury has flared up making resting the foot before the race more valuable than getting the miles in to maximize my chances of crossing the finish line. Definitely not the ideal situation, but there are methods behind my madness.
I have hinted about some big plans around the marathon, which may help explain the seemlingly crazy decision to run on 3 weeks notice. It started when we partnered with a team of college students from Emerson College in Boston that are part of Professor Dave Gerzof’s social media class. The assignment was to help us put together a cool project around marketing/social media, and they had a really big idea around the marathon that got me pretty excited. In fact, it got me excited enough to try to scramble with 3 weeks notice, and find a number, train for the race, and try to conceptualize, plan, and execute a marketing campaign of pretty significant scale in an incredibly short timeframe.
Given the drama that surrounded this process, we decided to film our efforts every step of the way. We released the first in a series of videos documenting this process here. . .
http://www.runkeeper.com/marathon
Check it out! And be sure to stay tuned and follow along as the race approaches. If nothing else, should be some major entertainment value!
That’s all for now everyone. Life in RunKeeper-land is about to get a lot more interesting 
Jason
Truly inspiring what you (and the rest of the team) are doing with RK Jason! Looking forward to watching (and taking advantage) of how RK evolves over time. Oh and good luck with the marathon!
Top stuff guys. Just wondering if the new ability to have the screen display turn off when the device is locked using the little padlock will be on a timer or a manual extra button press.
Cheers,
Nick
Kevin, thanks for the continued support—a tried and true RK fan, advocate, and power user!
Nick, the little padlock is something you can lock manually. You will want to lock this in situations where you want to see the screen during your activity. If you don’t need to see the screen or want longer battery life (much longer), you can hit the top lock button on the phone to put the phone to sleep while RunKeeper is tracking without issue (on version 1.4.8, the new build).
Make sense? Shoot us a note at support@runkeeper.com if you have more questions.
Jason, your posts about running the Boston Marathon have left me wanting a new feature…live publishing of activities! I’m actually running a half marathon on Saturday, and I think it’d be pretty cool to be able to give friends a link where they could follow my run online. Piggyback feature request; ability to access others’ live activities from within the application on the iPhone. My gf and I go running together often, but have different paces. Sometimes I’m left worrying if she’s still coming or if she’s stopped/hurt. Being able to stay in touch during a run via RunKeeper would be an amazing safety feature.
Thanks for listening, and best of luck on Saturday!
-Justin
I agree with Justin, I was thinking of this very feature today because I am running a 5K this weekend and wanted my wife to know when I would be hitting the finish line. (I told her to wait until all the runners passed and a handful of walkers and children then to look for the guy that can only resemble pain!)
On a completely different topic, how in the world did you get into Boston? Don’t you have to qualify for that one? (I ask as if I didn’t know the exact times for each age/gender group) 3 Weeks? I don’t get it. I know registration closed before that. What gives?
Just want to to give a headsup that the FAQ section hasn’t been updated to reflect the new feature for v1.4.8
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