Lumo Run

The Lumo Run fitness device provides analysis of your stride and other metrics, and offers real-time coaching to help you achieve your running goals.

The Lumo Run is a device that attaches to the back of your shorts or leggings when you go for a run. It analyzes five metrics of your running style to help you improve your form and efficiency. You can take the device for a run without your phone and sync with the app when you’re done, but if you want to take advantage of the real-time coaching you’ll need to bring your phone and headphones along for the run. Lumo Run is compatible with iPhones running iOS 9 or above. It is not compatible with Android operating systems.

Full disclosure: I have never been a runner. I am asthmatic, and for my entire life I’ve avoided activities that make it hard for me to breathe. On the other hand, I’m athletic — I’ve conquered tennis, golf, skiing, am an avid cyclist — and I hate the idea that there is an activity that “defeats” me. So I wanted to see if this device could turn me into a runner.

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For the Lumo Run to start giving you tailored feedback, you first have to do a 10-minute evaluation run. I had serious doubts about whether I could even run for 10 minutes, and decided it would be easier on the treadmill at the gym. Only for this initial run you are required to run with your phone. I started at a very slow pace to give myself the best shot at running the full 10 minutes. I was alerted by a British woman’s voice how long I’d been going every two minutes and at the half-way mark. Much to my surprise, I was able to run the entire 10 minutes. I found the voice counting down the time to be just the extra bit of coaching I needed to keep me from giving up. It was exhilarating!

If you already are a runner I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes, but the Lumo Run is also designed to provide relevant tips and improve the form and efficiency of people who are dedicated runners. The strength of the device, and what sets it apart, is its ability to track the most fundamental metrics of running: cadence, bounce, braking, drop, and pelvic rotation. The app then does a good job of explaining what each of these metrics means, and provides before- and after-run exercises to coach you on the areas that need the most improvement.

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