Social media is ever-present in most of our lives. Never moreso than with a group of teenagers. What do you get when you combine the addictive nature of social media with fitness tracking and athletic competition? Strava.
It’s not hard to find some patterns and archetypes within the Strava-verse. Strava posts can read like a public training log, a witty commentary on regional weather, or humorous self-deprecating takes on one’s fitness. If you’re on the app you’ve likely experienced a wide array of emotions, from FOMO (“Fear of Missing-out”) about a certain workout to the intimidation of FORS (“Fear of running slow”) which is an acronym I just made up about seeing some of the mile splits certain runners are putting up and feeling self-conscious about your own pace.
You may experience awesome emotions like conquering a long workout, or capturing the Course Record on a local segment you’ve been eyeing. These can be both great motivators and dangerous straws to grasp at.
I am not writing this post to create some sort of manifesto on Strava culture. Instead, I think it makes sense to take a critical and somewhat tongue-in-cheek view of how Strava can be a positive influence on young athletes, and how we might also avoid some pitfalls. Therefore I’ve decided to post a list of some “Laws of Strava” that I may reference from time-to-time with our crew. I’ve tried to make these a mix of both positive and cautionary notes. In no particular order:
Law #1) Real races are the “segments” that matter
If segments on Strava were really that important, we’d be doing virtual racing every year and not as a COVID safety measure. A Strava segment is only a record of the fastest times on that segment among people who actually use Strava.
It’s cool that our Bolton hillblimb has a Strava segment, but don’t think for a second that skyrunning power couple Killian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg wouldn’t immediately obliterate any of our top times on that segment if they were to show up. Don’t tie your self-worth as an athlete to achieving records on Strava segments. That being said…
Law #2) Segments are motivators: use them as such
The concept of segments is addicting and often incredibly creative. Almost every uphill or downhill on a road has a segment attached listing times and records. Many trails do, too. If you use Strava regularly, even a boring running loop can take on new excitement if you know where certain segments are. This can really be a motivator on a day when you might not feel like getting out the door.
Law #3) Know your sport, know your speed
Many skiers don’t run cross country in the fall or track in the spring. We know that maintaining a good pace and slowly working into running is a good way to avoid injury and prepare best for a race season next January, not this May.
But there are a lot of folks on Strava with running as their primary sport. They are out in March and April running at 7:30/mi pace and under. There are a lot of cyclists who were out doing 50 mile rides the first day it hit 50 degrees the other week. If that’s not you, it’s ok. Remember there are times to separate your own goals and workouts from those of the athletes you follow on the app.
Law #4) Use Strava to get inspired
I have found trails and routes near my home that I never would’ve known existed without Strava. Seeing where others have been running, riding, and rollerskiing can be really fun and a great way to learn about new places to explore. This past fall, Strava became somewhat of a public forum for people to see and discuss where good early-season snow and skiing was to be found. That’s a great positive element of social media action.
Law #5) Titles and photos
Strava is a lot more interesting when it can be creative. This takes the emphasis off performance at all costs and keeps the “social” in “social media”. When possible, include a photo from your workout. If you have a clever title for a workout, share it! The more everyone works to make Strava fun, funny, and entertaining the less we will all feel stress and pressure from a fitness tracking app.
Law #6) Don’t Strava everything
You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t be surprised) how much time during a workout you spend thinking about Strava if you know that the workout-in-question will eventually be public. It’s healthy to give yourself a break and go out on a training session with no strings attached other than the satisfaction of a good workout that you completed for yourself and not for the viewing pleasure of your loyal followers.
That’s it for now, but rest assured more Strava laws will definitely be ratified going forward!
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