"If it's not on Strava it doesn't count"...except that, of course, it does.
To lay my own cards on the table first of all, I use Strava a lot. And by a lot I mean that I log about 99% of my exercise on there (with the exception of strength sessions, which for some reason I've never felt the need to record despite them being the thing that would probably benefit the most from that sort of public accountability). So there is the first question asked and semi-answered. What do I really use Strava for? Clearly not accountability...
It is a brilliant tool, and it can be very useful indeed. Tracking your activity levels, mileage, pace, habits, health data etc etc - it's all interesting stuff. But wait...aren't there other apps that can do that? If you've got a decent watch, doesn't that record all that data for you? Hmmm...this is tricky then. If I'm not using it for accountability, and I'm not using it for all the data...what exactly am I using it for?
Social connections. I can see what everyone else is doing and where they are running and I can share my activities with them too. Ok...this is starting to make more sense. It's a social thing. And that is exactly where the Strava danger lies. Most people are inherently a) nosey, b) self-critical and c) more competitive than they would care to admit. Especially runners. Which gives Strava the potential to be the mother of all perfect storms.
We now live in a world of data and knowing what everyone else is doing. We like knowing, and we like other people knowing.
Once upon a time you'd plan a route, maybe (but not always) measure it out on a map so you'd know vaguely how far it was, run it at whatever pace you felt like and carry on with your day. Imagine that! (And of course, there are plenty of people out there who still do exactly that. But that is like saying there are plenty of people who still listen to CDs. Yes there are, but...) We now live in a world of data and knowing what everyone else is doing. We like knowing, and we like other people knowing. It makes us feel connected, it makes us feel empowered and it satisfies our urge to be just a teeny bit nosey. We drink in the stats, not just from our own activities but from everyone else's too. And then we compare. And then it ALL goes wrong. We are sucked in to the Strava dark-side. Segments lure us in, providing a running banquet for our 'quietly competitive' minds. A top-ten finish can make our day and a course record is the closest most of us will ever get to an Olympic medal. Our average pace suddenly dictates whether a run should be deemed a success (or not). Kudos is either dealt out or withheld, and if it's the latter then why? Did we not run hard enough? Fast enough? Far enough?? Must. Do. Better.
And on it goes. Strava...suddenly it's not a training tool but a training disaster. We run further and faster than we should, desperately trying to keep up with Joneses, and then injury hits and we're benched, left with nothing but the miserable daily scroll through everyone else's achievements, our laurel wreaths lying in tatters by our feet.
The Strava Ego is a thing, and it's not a good thing!
So why on earth do we enter into this pantomime? Because it feeds us. We absorb running routes and training ideas, and internalise the grit and determination displayed by our friends and acquaintances. Seeing other people drag themselves out in the dark at 6am gives us the confidence and motivation to do it too, and knowing that our peers are managing to train for tough challenges makes us believe that maybe we are also capable of such things. However competitive we might be, we celebrate their successes - the kudos we give out is genuine, it really is a virtual high-five. We are inspired and encouraged by our own personal Strava community and it adds a feeling of camaraderie to our solo runs. It also makes us bring our best game to the table. We want to be our best Strava self.
I like Strava and, for me, it is a positive addition to my running. BUT this is only because I have finally learned to stick to the running that is right for me and not to do what I think other people expect to see (or what I think I want them to see) The Strava Ego is a thing and it is not a good thing! Drop the ego, accept that your average pace means absolutely nothing without a huge amount of context, and relax.
I do still love a segment though...
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