How I Increased My Android Phone's Battery Life After a Grueling 14-Mile Race

Earlier this year I was running a 14-mile race - the Frosty 14 put on by the Ohio River Road Runners Club.

No small feet, this race follows the Perimeter Trail around the lake at Caesar Creek State Park. And all but about a mile of it is off-road, on muddy hiking trails.

It took me just shy over four hours to complete. Due to the muddy trails, I didn’t run much of it.

Unfortunately, I can’t say how much I ran versus how much I walked. An hour into the run, my phone ran out of power. I had to stop MayMyFitness and shut off my phone.

The Frost 14 is one of the longer races. But it made me wonder what was it that made my phone run out of power? Was it MayMyFitness? The frosty cold? The fact that my phone is old and outdated? Or was it some setting on my phone I could change?

I suppose I could by a fitness tracker like a Garmin or a Fitbit. Then I could leave my phone behind when I go for a run. But then again, would I still be able to listen to my podcasts?

Plus the fact that involved spending money, which I want to avoid.

Back to the battery on my phone.

One thing I noticed is that during runs my phone’s screen tends to turn on all by itself. Maybe that’s a nice feature for some people, but I only want the screen on my phone to turn on when I want it to. And I only want it to when I press a button.

So I wondered - is there a setting for that?

And there is.

At least on my phone - a Google Pixel 4a (I told you it was old and outdated) - it’s under Settings -> Display -> Lock Screen -> Lift to check phone. Or just search “lift” under settings.

Has it helped my battery life? I haven’t ran another 14-mile race yet, but I feel it has. Significantly so. I even can run with the screen on full brightness - allowing me to read my phone under the full brightness of the sun - without a dramatic loss of power.