How to Discover Your Running Territory Coverage
Learn how to visualize and expand the geographic area you've explored while running
What is Territory Coverage?
Territory Coverage is Runlab's unique feature that divides geographic areas into GPS grid cells (typically 100m x 100m) and tracks which cells you've run through. The result is a heat map showing your complete geographic footprint, color-coded by how recently you've visited each area. It's like a video game where you "unlock" parts of the map by running through them.
Why Track Territory Coverage?
- Gamification: Turn running into an exploration game by discovering new streets and areas
- Route Variety: Identify over-used routes and unexplored neighborhoods
- Travel Documentation: Visual record of running in different cities and countries
- Personal Style: Understand if you prefer familiar routes or constant exploration
Step-by-Step Guide
1Access Territory Coverage View
From your Runlab dashboard, locate the Territory Coverage widget. This feature requires GPS data, so make sure your Strava activities include GPS tracks. Activities without GPS (treadmill runs, for example) won't contribute to coverage.
2Understand the Map Visualization
The territory map shows:
- Color gradient: Recent runs appear in brighter colors (greens, blues), older coverage fades to darker hues
- Grid cells: Each small square represents a geographic area you've run through
- Density: Areas with overlapping routes appear more saturated
- White/empty spaces: Areas you haven't explored yet
You can zoom and pan the map to explore different areas and see your coverage in detail.
3Check Your Coverage Statistics
Runlab provides key metrics:
- Total area covered: Square kilometers or miles of territory explored
- Unique cells: Number of distinct GPS grid cells visited
- Coverage percentage: Portion of local area explored (if applicable)
- Runner archetype: Classification based on exploration patterns
4Discover Your Runner Archetype
Runlab classifies runners into four archetypes based on exploration behavior:
Explorer
Constantly seeks new routes and areas. High unique cell count relative to total runs. Rarely repeats the exact same route.
Routiner
Prefers familiar, consistent routes. Lower unique cell count but higher revisit rate. Values predictability and routine.
Nomad
Runs in many different cities or regions. Geographic diversity over depth. Often travels for work or pleasure.
Tourist
Occasional travel running with concentration in home area. Most coverage in one primary location with scattered runs elsewhere.
How to Expand Your Coverage
Identify gaps: Look for white spaces near your usual routes and plan runs to fill them in.
Set grid goals: Challenge yourself to cover X new cells per month or explore a specific neighborhood completely.
Use varied routes: Take different streets to and from familiar destinations to expand coverage naturally.
Explore when traveling: Make it a goal to run in every city you visit to build a global footprint.
Common Use Cases
Urban Exploration Challenge
Set a goal to run every street in your neighborhood or city district. Track progress visually as the map fills in.
Travel Running Journal
Document your running adventures across cities and countries. Each new location adds to your global coverage.
Route Variety Audit
Identify if you're stuck in a rut by seeing how much of your local area remains unexplored despite years of running.
Next Steps
Explore more Runlab features to get comprehensive insights: