RunPackGuides · 4 min read
How to plan a running route: loops from your door, on real paths
Plan a running route of any distance: a loop from where you are, an out-and-back, one you draw or a past run. How RunPack does it, plus tips.
Most runs start with the same question: where do I go for 5 km? Running the same loop every day is easy, but a new route keeps running interesting, and a planned one stops you ending up 2 km from home with nothing left.
Four ways to make a route in RunPack
Open the Routes tab and pick one:
- A loop from here. Pick a distance and RunPack suggests three loops from where you stand, each heading a different way. They follow real streets and paths, using Apple Maps walking directions, so you won’t be sent across a field or a motorway.
- Out and back. Pick a direction. You run half the distance that way and turn round: the simplest route there is, and easy to cut short.
- Draw it. Tap the map where you want to go. Each leg snaps to paths, and the distance adds up as you go. “Back to start” closes the loop.
- A run you’ve done. Turn any run you recorded into a route to repeat.
Running it
Tap Run this route and it appears on the run map. If you go more than about 50 metres off it, your phone buzzes and says so, and again when you’re back on it. No sound, so it works with your own music.
You can make 5 routes, or as many as you like with RunPack Plus. Running a route you saved is always included.
What makes a good running route
- Few crossings. Parks, rivers and seafronts beat busy streets: fewer stops at lights.
- A loop you can shorten. A route that passes near home halfway is a gift on a tired day.
- Light and people for early or late runs.
- Water or a toilet on anything over an hour.
Share a favourite with your crew as a crew route and everyone’s best time on it shows on the crew page.