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Runstoppable Help

Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Runstoppable. If you have more questions, email us.

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General

Runs

Routes

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Who created this site?
The route editor, run logging, statistics, and site design were done by Matt Casey. The forums and geocoding system were built by Tim Cunningham. The groups system was built by Pete Matt. Redesign for the 1.0 release was done by Mike Bombard.
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When will a new version come out?
It depends on how ambitious the features we're working on are. Updates about the development are posted to the Runstoppable Blog.
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Which browsers does the site support?
Because of the advanced technologies used on this site, we currently support Mozilla Firefox 1 and newer, as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and newer. We recommend Firefox for this site. Safari and Konqueror are now supported, though we haven't been able to test those browsers as much as we'd like to, so please report any problems you have so that we can continue to improve.
Runstoppable also uses Flash for the statistics graphs, though Flash is not needed for the rest of the site.
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I lost my password!
This isn't actually a question, but I'll answer anyway. Use the password reset page.
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What will you do with my email address?
Your email address will not be shared with anyone else without your permission. Other users will not be able to view your email address. We use your email for things like resetting your password, notifying you that you have been invited to a group, and notifying you of changes in your account.
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How can I cancel my account?
If you need to cancel your account for some reason, email us.
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Who has access to my data?
Your running log is password-protected. Administrators can reset your password, but they can't see what your password is (it's encrypted). If you'd like to let someone else see a route you ran, you can send them a link to the "route overview" page. This page is not protected like the rest of the site, but the route ID is random so that nobody would be able to find your route without having the link sent to them.
For more information, please see our privacy policy.
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What's all this about RSS Feeds? What can I do with them?
Three parts of the site have RSS Feeds: Runstoppable Blog, My Running, and My Routes. RSS Feeds let you view your Runstoppable information outside of our site: integrated into your browser, other programs, or other web sites. Below, I'll describe some possible uses for the RSS feeds, but feel free to try out new things, and leave feedback!
The My Routes RSS Feed can let you view a list of your routes and get to them easily from outside Runstoppable. For Firefox users, this is especially useful, as you can take advantage of Firefox's Live Bookmarks feature. When you're on the My Routes page, look for this icon in the address bar of your browser: . Click that icon to make a new live bookmark. With that, you'll get a menu of all your routes right in your browser (picture on the right), updated automatically!
You can also use integrate RSS feeds into pages like My Yahoo! and Google Personalized Homepage. For example, you might want to have a list of recent runs on your home page. To do that, copy the address of the RSS feed for runs and enter that address into your personalized home page (how to do this depends on the site you use).
You can also send the address of your feed to a friend if they want to keep up with your running. We've made it so that people can't guess the address for your feeds without you sharing it with them, so your information is more secure.
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What is a "No Route" run?
A "No Route" run is for cases where you either don't remember the route or it doesn't exist (such as a treadmill).
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What is a custom field and how can I use it?
A custom field allows you to record additional information with each run. Some people like to record their weight, resting heartbeat, weather, and more. Adding a field is done through the run logging page. Eventually you will be able to use the statistics page to track the values of your custom fields.
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What's the difference between the different types of fields?
Text: A text field lets you type in up to 255 characters of information.
Number: A number can be a whole number or decimal number.
Selection List: A selection list lets you choose between several values when logging your run. For example, you may want a weather field that has the choices "Sunny", "Cloudy", "Rainy", "Snowing". You can add or remove options from Manage Custom Fields page.
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I made a mistake logging a run... can I edit the run?
Yes! In the Running tab, click the edit button () next to the run you'd like to change. If the run isn't listed on the running tab, click Browse All Runs.
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What's this about logging shoe usage? How do I do it?
Some runners like to record which shoes were used for which runs, that way they can tell how many miles have been logged on their shoes. This can be used to help determine when it may be time to buy new shoes. Shoes can be selected when logging a run: simply click "Display Running Shoes" after entering the run duration. Additional shoe options as well as distance accumulated can be found on the Running Shoes page (on the Running tab).
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How many routes can I have?
There is no limit to the number of routes you are allowed to store.
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How many locations can I have?
There is no limit to the number of locations you are allowed to store.
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What's an "Inactive Route"?
An inactive route is one that is still in the system, but you don't plan on running that route soon. These routes don't show up in the listing of routes when you go to log a run. Inactive routes can be reactivated via the routes tab.
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Can I edit a route?
No. If you log a run for a route that is 5 miles long and then later edit the route so it's 3 miles, the related statistics would become misleading.
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How do I get elevation information about my route?
Elevation information is shown on the route overview page. This page can be found by going to the Routes tab and clicking the "view" icon next to any route.
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How does the elevation graph work? What am I looking at?
The elevation graphs are generated from data provided by the USGS. We get an altitude value for every 200 meters along your route, and smooth those values with a cubic spline function in order to make it look more natural. We are investigating ways to obtain more precise data without making the graph generation too slow.
The elevation graph displays the elevation of the entire route in an image of fixed width, so it's important to note the scale on the right hand side. Otherwise, it may appear that you're running up and down cliffs, in many cases.
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How do I export a route to Google Earth?
Google Earth allows you to view your route on a 3D map of the world. Google Earth is available for free at earth.google.com. Once Google Earth is installed, go to the routes tab and view a route. Then, click on the link to view the route in Google Earth. If your browser is properly configured, the route will then be exported to Google Earth.
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Why doesn't the route editor recognize my address? Why is the map data not up to date?
Our map data and address recognition (in most countries) is provided by Google. They're regularly updating their data, and our site will reflect those updates, but we can't add your house to the map. If your address isn't recognized or you live in a country that doesn't yet have address recognition on this site, enter a nearby address first. Then, find your actual location on the map, center the map there, and press 'Create Location Here'. This will let you start out at the right place in the future.
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How do I override a route's distance?
If you already know a route's distance (from a race map or from mapping it in a car), you can override the route's distance in the 'Route Information' tab when viewing a route.
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What's the star next to the topic listing for?
If you click the star, it will light up, indicating that you have "subscribed" to that topic. When someone else posts to that topic, it will be listed on your forums tab.
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Can I edit a post after submitting it?
Yes. Your posts have an "Edit" link below your name.
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What's the "Quote" button for?
If you'd like to reply to a specific post in the discussion, providing a quote of the earlier post makes it clear which post your reply is addressing. The quote button copies the text of the earlier post into your reply, with a special format that makes it clear that it's a quote of an earlier post.
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