Indie

I am a runner and I am a software developer.

Over the years, I have used many running log apps on desktop. Some have been decent, while some not as much. In either case, they have not been as convenient to use. The practice of syncing my runs to a computer by tethering a watch has felt antiquated. I have been wanting something better, more seamless and available on my iPhone/iPad.

I have never found a good running log app for iPhone. All the apps that I have tried have been more interested in collecting my data and socialize it or just been underwhelming. None seem to be geared towards runner's needs and privacy. I have been wanting a simple, every day tool, that keeps me disciplined, motivated and helps with training analysis.

I appreciate Apple’s design aesthetics and more importantly their commitment towards user privacy. So when Apple Watch was released, it became my primary running watch. It is a great device that seamlessly syncs all my workouts with the Health app on my iPhone. But the Health app is a generic app to store and view any and all of the health data. So my need for a good running log app to view my runs, now stored in the Health app, was still unaddressed. The good news was that all that data is available via HealthKit API. Just so I could access my runs and track mileage, I made a single screen app that listed all my runs. It was a side project, but I kept wanting more as a runner and I kept building it. Fast forward a year of building, testing, running (both me and the app), we have what’s called Tempo.

That’s pretty much the story of how Tempo came to be. My plan was to build a basic app for my needs and keep it just on my phone. I had been paying attention to running apps more seriously in the hope of finding one that would fit my needs and prevent me from further building this app. But that just did not happen.

I decided to launch Tempo because I find it very useful as a runner, and wanted to share it with the running community. This is now my only running log and I use it everyday. My goal for Tempo is simple: an app for runners, by a runner, for running. The focus is on running and keeping runner's data private; not a social network or data collection. I want it to be a sustainable product by helping me and others run better.

My love for running and building software is turning out to be a self-serving recursive loop in making Tempo constantly better.

If you track your runs with Apple Watch, I think you will really like Tempo. It is available in the App Store.