Strava also just recently started emails to pros with weekly engagement numbers as well as an overview that said they could revoke Pro status anytime if an athlete did not engage enough. I have always used Strava for myself and for supporting my friends, but it's drive to become like every other social platform is repellent to me.
Love it. Don’t look at or care about either wrap thing. Only wraps I care about are filled with veggies and tofu. Most of my music listening has come from your whats on repeat or other humans suggestions.
While I agree with your title, "Nobody Cares About Your Strava Year," I also can't blame Strava for tapping into our insecurities. They're running a business, after all. And we're suckers, lemmings, sheep.
I've been using Strava for 10 years. It's a great place to document my training. I also love the itty bitty community I've developed on it.
At the same time, I don't see it as a comparison tool -- not to my past or future self ... or to my friends. That's why I don't follow Pros on Strava. They're operating in another dimension. While their athletic achievements are amazing, I'll celebrate them on other platforms. Not on Strava. Because that's my personal space.
This is the time of year when everyone likes to dunk on Strava -- much like they do on the Boston Marathon come September, when they fret because they might not have enough BQ buffer. But if we can all step back and appreciate that this is our journey and ours alone, then we can unlock ourselves from the comparison trap. Indeed, nobody cares about your Strava.
Hey John! Thanks for this, you bring up a whole bunch of good points. Yes you're right, it's a business. I'm running a business myself and even though I am doing my best to keep it aligned with my moral standards, I still have to make sure people buy and stay with me. However, my business, just like Strava, can and should be criticized for certain products or practices. While I find the "Year in Sport" feature terrible, I agree with you that Strava's community features are great.
Not to follow pros is a great move! I haven’t considered that yet. However I do have the feeling that it is the "semi-pros" who are most aggressively boasting with their running data. I do not want to play the blame game, though. If I get triggered by something it’s usually never someone else’s bad intention, but how I react to certain things, and not looking at it, ist often the best solution.
Hah! I would never (!) dunk the Boston Marathon! I love this event and that includes their rigid qualifying system. It’s totally part of the spirit and I wouldn’t want them to change anything about it.
And yes, after all, it’s our private, very personal journey. To step back and relax ist often easier said than done, but I agree with you that Strava soup is eaten less hot than it is cooked. That’s a German idiom, I don’t even know if it exists in English.
I don't think it's that deep. I like seeing how other people have performed. It's motivating and cool to see. I suppose it's down to the individual, whether comparison bothers them or motivates them. I think it's a cool feature but I can see your point.
Absolutely right, everyone perceives other people's metrics differently. For me Strava does more bad than good, but there are a few individuals (friends, pros, and pro friends) that I low to follow and celebrate everything they do!
Thanks for this. While not a runner, I get similar wrap ups from cycling apps. For me, I appreciate thoughts you’ve shared and others have presented in this forum to pause, reflect and sometimes write down - all of this is the good stuff that matters and the context or narrative for the
The only good thing about the recap is the insightful data that you can use to improve or avoid some mistakes. If you share it, it’s just about your ego. It will not help anyone (unless there’s a clear message like overtraining and injury prevention), and you will be frustrated that no one cares. Great article, Chris!
I find it way too fancy for a helpful analysis. Also the data quality isn’t very good. For me Garmin Connect is the place where I have all m running data if I need it. Their graphics are not fancy but I’ll usually get the info i’m looking for.
Strava also just recently started emails to pros with weekly engagement numbers as well as an overview that said they could revoke Pro status anytime if an athlete did not engage enough. I have always used Strava for myself and for supporting my friends, but it's drive to become like every other social platform is repellent to me.
I did not know this was a thing for Pros (I’m clearly not a pro!). But wow, that sounds icky.
Thanks for the insights. I bet that Strava puts a lot of focus pressure on pro athletes.
Love it. Don’t look at or care about either wrap thing. Only wraps I care about are filled with veggies and tofu. Most of my music listening has come from your whats on repeat or other humans suggestions.
Haha THAT’s the wraps we need! 🌯
While I agree with your title, "Nobody Cares About Your Strava Year," I also can't blame Strava for tapping into our insecurities. They're running a business, after all. And we're suckers, lemmings, sheep.
I've been using Strava for 10 years. It's a great place to document my training. I also love the itty bitty community I've developed on it.
At the same time, I don't see it as a comparison tool -- not to my past or future self ... or to my friends. That's why I don't follow Pros on Strava. They're operating in another dimension. While their athletic achievements are amazing, I'll celebrate them on other platforms. Not on Strava. Because that's my personal space.
This is the time of year when everyone likes to dunk on Strava -- much like they do on the Boston Marathon come September, when they fret because they might not have enough BQ buffer. But if we can all step back and appreciate that this is our journey and ours alone, then we can unlock ourselves from the comparison trap. Indeed, nobody cares about your Strava.
Hey John! Thanks for this, you bring up a whole bunch of good points. Yes you're right, it's a business. I'm running a business myself and even though I am doing my best to keep it aligned with my moral standards, I still have to make sure people buy and stay with me. However, my business, just like Strava, can and should be criticized for certain products or practices. While I find the "Year in Sport" feature terrible, I agree with you that Strava's community features are great.
Not to follow pros is a great move! I haven’t considered that yet. However I do have the feeling that it is the "semi-pros" who are most aggressively boasting with their running data. I do not want to play the blame game, though. If I get triggered by something it’s usually never someone else’s bad intention, but how I react to certain things, and not looking at it, ist often the best solution.
Hah! I would never (!) dunk the Boston Marathon! I love this event and that includes their rigid qualifying system. It’s totally part of the spirit and I wouldn’t want them to change anything about it.
And yes, after all, it’s our private, very personal journey. To step back and relax ist often easier said than done, but I agree with you that Strava soup is eaten less hot than it is cooked. That’s a German idiom, I don’t even know if it exists in English.
I don't think it's that deep. I like seeing how other people have performed. It's motivating and cool to see. I suppose it's down to the individual, whether comparison bothers them or motivates them. I think it's a cool feature but I can see your point.
Absolutely right, everyone perceives other people's metrics differently. For me Strava does more bad than good, but there are a few individuals (friends, pros, and pro friends) that I low to follow and celebrate everything they do!
Thanks for this. While not a runner, I get similar wrap ups from cycling apps. For me, I appreciate thoughts you’ve shared and others have presented in this forum to pause, reflect and sometimes write down - all of this is the good stuff that matters and the context or narrative for the
metrics.
Thanks for your response. Yes, I am convinced that the strava dynamics easily translate to cycling as well. Pause and reflect, this is the way.
Strava is “fitness social media” - its whole biz model is comparison culture
Good read and highly agreeing with the written.
Thank you! 🙌
Good read, Chris. Hey Strava, how about a button to add, "Intentional Recovery Day?"
Thanks, Mike! Hah, a recovery day counter would be amazing. Runners should brag about off days! They’re the hardest anyway.
YES
The only good thing about the recap is the insightful data that you can use to improve or avoid some mistakes. If you share it, it’s just about your ego. It will not help anyone (unless there’s a clear message like overtraining and injury prevention), and you will be frustrated that no one cares. Great article, Chris!
I find it way too fancy for a helpful analysis. Also the data quality isn’t very good. For me Garmin Connect is the place where I have all m running data if I need it. Their graphics are not fancy but I’ll usually get the info i’m looking for.
This is the best, most honest and most important review of this "Strava feature". Thank you.
Thank YOU for this highlight feedback! 🙏
Countless reasons not to use Strava and/or Spotify. After all, there’s always alternatives.