How to track a run on your phone: GPS, pace, splits and auto-pause

Before you start

Phone GPS is good enough for everyday running, as long as it gets a clear view of the sky. A minute of preparation makes the numbers far more reliable:

• Allow location. The first time you record, your browser or phone asks for permission to use your location. Say yes, or the tracker can't measure anything.
• Start outside, not in the hallway. GPS needs open sky. Walls, roofs and tall buildings block or bounce the signal.
• Wait for a fix. Give it 10 to 30 seconds standing still until the app says the GPS is ready. Starting too early is the most common cause of a wobbly first kilometre.
• Charge the phone. GPS and a lit screen use battery. An hour's run is fine on a healthy battery, but a long hike needs a full charge.

Recording a run, step by step

1. Choose the activity. Run, ride, walk or hike. It matters: rides show speed rather than pace, and auto-pause uses a different threshold for each.
2. Press start once the GPS is ready. The clock, distance and pace begin.
3. Run with the phone on you, in a pocket, belt or armband. You don't need to look at it.
4. Pause if you stop on purpose, for a drink or a long chat. Auto-pause handles traffic lights for you.
5. Finish and save. Press stop, check the distance, give the run a name and save it. If it was a false start, discard it instead.

Pace, splits and auto-pause

Runners usually think in pace, the time it takes to cover one kilometre or one mile, rather than speed. A 6:00 per km pace means each kilometre takes six minutes, so a 5K takes 30 minutes.

• Live pace jumps around. GPS positions have a few metres of error, so second-by-second pace can swing. Look at the average or the last split instead.
• Splits are your time for each kilometre or mile. Even splits are the sign of a well-judged run; a fast first split followed by slower ones means you started too quickly.
• Auto-pause stops the clock when you stop moving and restarts it when you go again. That gives you moving time, which is what pace is worked out from. Elapsed time still counts everything, stops included.

After the run

Saving the run turns the raw GPS points into something you can learn from:

• The map shows where you went. A straight line across a park or through buildings usually means the signal dropped for a moment.
• Elevation gain explains slow splits. A hilly 5K can be a minute slower than a flat one at the same effort.
• Best efforts pick out your fastest 1K, mile, 5K and so on from inside longer runs, so a steady 8K can still set a 5K record.
• Your log shows how much you ran this week. Building up gradually, with easy days between harder ones, is kinder to your body than big jumps.

Tracking runs with Route Run

Route Run records in your browser using your phone's GPS, with no app store download and no account. Tap the round record button in the middle of the tab bar to begin:

• Pick run, ride, walk or hike, wait for "GPS ready", then press start. You see live pace or speed, distance, elevation gain, elapsed time and laps.
• Voice splits read out each kilometre or mile, and auto-pause stops the clock when you stop. Both are on by default and can be switched off in the You tab, where you also choose km or miles.
• Save to see the route on an OpenStreetMap map, with splits, elevation, best efforts and personal records. If the tab spent time in the background, Route Run tells you, and bridges the gap in a straight line.
• Import GPX files from a watch or another app, export any activity as GPX, and share a route card.

Everything stays on your device, so use Back up in the You tab now and then. Recording, maps, splits, records, the training log, GPX and share cards are free. Route Run Pro ($3.99 once) adds segments you create with ghost racing, 3D flyover, a heatmap, interval workouts and a year recap.

Tips for accurate GPS

• Keep the phone on your body, not in a bag swinging on a long strap.
• Expect some error near tall buildings and under trees. City centres and dense woods can add or lose a few per cent of distance.
• Don't trust one run's pace too much. Compare the same route over several weeks instead.
• Running on a track? GPS struggles with tight bends, so lap counting is more accurate there: 400 m per lap in lane one.

Common mistakes

• Pressing start indoors and wondering why the first kilometre zigzags.
• Locking the screen with a browser-based tracker, so the route turns into straight lines.
• Forgetting to stop and recording the drive home. Discard or edit it before it ruins your weekly total.
• Chasing a faster pace every run. Most training is meant to be easy; save the hard efforts for one or two runs a week.