Map My Fitness review

I have been a runner (off and on) since middle school, and it has been interesting to see how my approaches to the sport have evolved. Initially, I relied on coaches, signs, and word of mouth to know how much I had been training. Once I even attempted to keep a running log. When Google developed GoogleMaps, I began using that to track my runs.The main issue with Google Maps rested with the fact that in order to map any given run, especially a loop you had to do three things:1) stay on the road2) find out the addresses of start points, end points, and points along the way3) break up your loop into sections--i.e. point A to B, point B to C, point C back to A--and hope that it gave you the desired route.When I discovered MapMyRun (or MapMyFitness), all of that was changed. Map My Run revolutionized the ways in which people track their fitness, and made it so much easier for people to do so. Not only can you draw out your route using mapping software for quick and easy calculation of distance, but you can even map off the beaten path, through the woods, down a path -- wherever! Then, you can add your new route to an online training guide (no more running log notebooks for me!) and it will keep track of how many calories you've burned, the amount of miles you have travelled, even your weight change, average sleep, and the amount of usage you have put on your gear, should you choose to take advantage.Yet the fun doesn't stop there -- they have added a community aspect. Members can create groups, allowing them to share runs with one another and track each others calorie usage and milage. For someone like me, this adds a friendly aspect of competition as my friends and I are constantly monitoring each others distance (a much needed incentive when you are training for a marathon). MapMyRun.com (or MapMyFitness.com) is a great way to make exercising fun again. It makes me want to run, encourages me to stop being lazy, and it does so in a way that is more addicting that Facebook. MapMyRun -- I'm sold.