Runner’s World (and Running Times)

Runner’s World is the most popular running site on the web, receiving up to three times as much traffic as any other site, and for good reason. Runner’s World offers many different resources, from blogs to training tools to information on shoes, injuries, and nutrition. Runner’s World has many experts who write for the site, often people who are successful runners or scientists. One of the best aspects of the site is the tools they offer, such as the ones that can predict race times or the ones that find shoes for a person’s weight and foot type.

The biggest problem with Runner’s World is that a lot of the information is targeted towards beginners. “Couch to 5k” plans, “Rookie Marathon” advice, and other simple strategies are everywhere on the site; it seems as if the editors of the site think that only beginners are on the web looking for advice. Though there are some more advanced techniques, they are often scattered and difficult to find. In addition, these advanced techniques barely touch the surface on the science involved, which is where A Runner’s Ally will be successful. Though my site will include some basic information, such information will serve to guide the runners in seeing why they work when combined with the scientific information.

Another aspect of Runner’s World that presents many issues is its scattered article format. For example, when going to the “5K & 10K Training” page, there are 17 very similarly titled articles such as, “Train Before Your 5-K Goal,” “Race Your Best 5-K Ever,” and “The Ultimate 5-K Plan.” The reader is left wondering which ones work and which ones truly are best. Such a problem stems from the format of the site, where there are many contributing authors who each write articles which are then thrown together. My site will fix this problem by offering all the information on a particular topic together. Runners will have the option of choosing which workouts to include in their plan, but they will not be bombarded with eight different 5K plans all promising the best results.

 

Cool Running

Cool Running is similar to Runner’s World in its article format. There are many pieces offering an abundance of strategies for racing one’s best, increasing mileage, and eating healthy. Also, a lot of the information is directed towards beginners, though not as much as with Runner’s World. Cool Running has the added benefit of being a site where many races post their results, which draws in everyone who ran those races.

Again, the article format can be helpful for those looking to try a new training plan or to change their diets. However, having so many articles from so many different authors is, at the very least, confusing. By existing more like a book or encyclopedia on the web rather than a pile of magazines, A Runner’s Ally will be much easier for navigating and finding pertinent information than Cool Running and Runner’s World.

 

Running Planet

Running Planet is a website that offers a mix of free and paid content for runners of all abilities. Across the web, there seems to be an unwritten rule that websites must include training plans for beginners, and Running Planet does that; however, it also has many more scientific pages designed to teach the advanced runner about certain specific training methods. There is a lot of information on workouts, paces, and nutrition that is very helpful to runners.

The largest drawback to this site is its organization. When first coming to the site, it seems as if the only thing you can do is buy books or training plans, which can prompt a person looking for free information to leave immediately. Though paying for plans can be very beneficial, there is plenty of information out there to make paying unnecessary for the majority of runners. In addition, though the reader may find some great sections full of good information, there is no place on the site that tells what is new or has been recently updated. Having an RSS feed or something that tells the reader of updates would be very helpful in getting readers to return to the site, which is something I will do with A Runner’s Ally

In regards to content of the site, there is a definite focus that makes it overly restrictive. There is an abundance of information with science behind it. However, though there is a section of tools and resources, it is very limited in scope and has no explanation as to what the calculators do or how they make the calculations. Everything on A Runner’s Ally will be very explicit; having the reader wonder why something works or where something came from will be avoided.

 

Science of Sport

The Science of Sport is a blog put together by two South African exercise physiologists whose mission “is to fill in the blanks, and try to explain HOW, WHY, WHERE and WHEN” discoveries and accomplishments happened. The two bloggers have a special interest in cycling and running, though they do talk about other sports as well. The blog format is nice as it allows them to break down a race and show what the elite athletes did right and wrong, and it also allows them to post articles about technique, shoes, and scientific research on sports. The main drawback to the site is its lack of depth. The blog is about two years old and sees about two or three articles a week, leaving a lot of topics untouched or underdeveloped. By building the base before launching the blog portion of it, A Runner’s Ally will overcome this problem.