Running

Running is the most instinctive exercise and requires almost nothing but effort and a decent pair of trainers, so it’s good to know that the Apple Watch caters to this need pretty well. Selecting the Outdoor running option lets you select a goal – calories burned, distance or time – and sets these against the last recorded goal you achieved, allowing you to aim higher or lower. During a run you receive milestone updates, letting you know if you’ve hit another mile or that you’re halfway to your pre-assigned goal. When you’ve finished your run, the Watch shows you the distance covered, time elapsed, and the number of calories burned, but this data isn’t readily available after you’ve viewed it – and even seems to vanish. This data retention falls short of the detailed stats that third-party apps like Runkeeper Pro offer with an iPhone in tow.

Otherwise, running with your iPhone the first few times enables the Apple Watch to calibrate your stride. Apple recommends inputting the time for a whole series of runs to get it acquainted with your running style, but in my experience it was very accurate after just a couple of sessions – even taking into account the elevation based on my heart-rate. Eventually this made taking the iPhone out with me an afterthought, especially after I’d set up a music playlist and paired the Watch with some decent earbuds.

Swipe up from the clock face to access Glances, which includes the heart-rate monitor.