Today I Ran — and My App Talked Back
I don’t know how to code. I’ve never written a single line myself. But today, the app I built spoke to me.
Today’s Core Insight
What matters isn’t whether you know how to code — it’s whether you know what you want to build. If you can put that into words, you’re ready.
Why I Built It
There are plenty of running apps. But what I wanted wasn’t a tracking app — it was a companion app.
When my pace drops: “You’re slowing down a bit.” When I’m holding steady: “Nice, keep this pace.” Something running alongside me, saying something.
So I built it. The name: Chulbuji RunBuddy. One-line concept:
Running alone, but not alone.
How I Built It
I can’t write code, so I built it differently. I described what I wanted as specifically as I could. The AI turned that description into code.
What I did wasn’t programming. It was putting into words what experience I actually wanted.
What the Desk Couldn’t Show Me
I didn’t want to finish with “works fine on my desk.” I put on my watch, picked up my phone, opened the app, and went for a run.
The problems showed up outside.
Around the 3km mark, the app went quiet. Voice prompts cut out. Even when my pace changed, nothing was said. Kilometer alerts still fired — but the numbers I actually needed weren’t being read aloud.
These weren’t problems I could see at a desk. They only appear when you actually run.
Two Errors. Both Solved.
I got home and told the AI exactly what happened.
“After 3km, the voice cuts out. Even when my pace changes, it says nothing.”
Two errors came up during the fix. In the past, I might have stopped right there. Today, I didn’t stop.
I just asked again. “Why did this error happen?” “How do I fix it?”
Both resolved.
There Was a Bigger Problem Too
My entire run log from today was gone. It was the first real data I’d built by actually running. A setting that cleared existing records had been left active during a structural change to the app.
Honestly, it stung. But I understood why it happened, and fixed it immediately. It won’t disappear the same way again.
What the Human Did. What the AI Did.
Human (chulbuji):
- Designed the concept — “a companion app, not a tracking app”
- Found the bugs by actually running — voice cutoff at 3km, no pace feedback
- Described problems in plain language — “after 3km, the voice cuts out”
- Kept asking instead of stopping when errors hit
AI (Claude Code):
- The entire app codebase
- Voice guidance logic
- Pace detection and feedback system
- Error analysis and fixes
What I Built Today Isn’t a Finished App
It’s an app I can run with.
More precisely — it’s an app where I can discover what’s missing while running, and fix what I find the same day.
Tomorrow I’ll run again. Something else will show up. I’ll fix it.
Today confirmed it again: you can start without knowing how to code. You just need to know what you want to build. If you can say it out loud, the rest you work out with AI.
chulbuji.com | “From thought to structure, from structure to execution”