Kotcha: your new running coach
Ratings & Reviews
Kotcha plans runs sends them to apple watch automatically. Headphones help you stay on pace during different phases of the workout. Workouts can be rescheduled by drag and drop on weekly calendar in iphone kotcha app. And runs get logged back to app from phone. It’s a fun way to spice up training.
Really enjoying using this app to train for my next marathon. It’s a different approach but seems to be working well for me - if you are in a rut or looking to change things up this could be just the approach you need. It’s now so there have been a couple bugs but I’ve gotten answers and fixes from the app team, they seem quite responsive. Would love to see it be a little more flexible (incorporating workouts I’m doing with friends or run clubs and modifying the plan around that, allowing you to record extra/unscheduled runs, etc.) so the smart part can use a bit of work but it’s overall been a great boost to my training.
Developer ResponseThank you for your review Winston. Really happy we could help. And very good points about adding more flexibility and taking into account extra runs, this is coming to the app very soon ;)
As a former college athlete breaking into the running world, Kotcha is exactly what was missing as I’ve always had a coach in some form and this fills that gap perfectly. It’s incredibly easy to use, with a clean layout that makes getting started feel effortless.From workout intensity to training goals, it’s very customizable and adaptable to any schedule. It meets you where you’re at & adjusts without feeling like you’re falling behind.Highly recommend to anyone — from beginners to experienced marathon runners!
I really like the layout and time based workouts for this training app, but there are so many issues that made my experience sub par. There is a lag in loading accurate feedback and I often had to completely close out of the app and restart it. I finally stopped using it though after encountering a lack of flexibility to change plans and start fresh, take a recovery period after a race, or pause a plan because due to an injury. I appreciated the ability in other training apps to schedule travel, illness or rest days without just having to skip workouts. Kotcha is in a beta stage in my opinion and they should be offering it at a reduced price and asking for feedback to develop into something that can compete in the space it’s trying to enter. The only modifications are number of days you want to run and changing current paces. Other apps offer different goals such as increasing speed, increasing endurance, etc. I hope that with another year or two of development this app becomes one I want to try again because there were some aspects that I enjoyed, but I was too frustrated by the rigidity to continue using it in the current state.
Developer ResponseThank you so much for the feedback NoelleWallace. Most of it is already on our radar ;)Regarding the ability to skip training weeks, Kotcha is purposefully designed to adapt around what you do without having you to plan anything in the app.Miss a run, feel sick or take a week off? Most apps will shift your training plan in that case, which is not what a pro coach would do. Kotcha will adapt the rest of the plan and your training paces automatically, to always make sure you're doing the best workouts to reach your goal. This being said, the magic happens behind the scene, and we're planning to make it more explicit to users for a better experience. Hope to see you running with Kotcha again in the future.
A little about me: I’m not a professional runner. I’m an endurance cyclist, who is well versed in training for 100+ mile road & off-road events. I know what training works for me and that tends to be long Zone 2 sessions. I give this intro because Zone 2 training is the foundation of the Kotcha app and what drew me to it in the first place. That and the influence of Kipchoge, of course. I used this app for 3 months, to help me train for my first marathon. And I enjoyed the app and experience for the most part. The workouts are easy to follow and it’s nice how each week’s schedule is released on Sunday and paces are adjusted based on your performance - feeling less like a cookie-cutter training plan. But, the problem I encountered with Kotcha is the lack of real endurance training. Over the past 3 months, my weekly mileage didn’t increase in any measurable way. And my weekend “long run” was no longer than my weekly “easy run.” Unless something is wrong with my plan, I’m doubtful this is how the NN running team actually trains. I see a lot of potential in the Kotcha platform. But in order to be prepared for my event I felt the need to switch to a competitor, who would give me the mileage I need to succeed.
Developer ResponseHi flabbyprince2. Thank you so much for the detailed review. We’ve recently released an updated version of the training plan AI with improved mileage management for very high mileage athletes. We’re also releasing very shortly more customization options so that advanced athletes can better tune their plan.I’d love to get in touch to dive into the details with you, and check if we’re working in the right direction. Would you mind reaching out to support@kotcha.com so we can look into this together?
I have had an easy time using the app so far and paces are accurate. I like the simple interface & it syncs well w/ my Garmin. It seems they will be rolling out other race distances soon, but the ones currently available work for me for now. The only thing I’m missing is the ability to add in my additional scheduled races (other A races & B races) or to at least adjust my training runs to include my other race distances so they sync up well.