Do you use Strava? And if so, why?

I'm writing an article with a philosopher on use of technology and what it means to people.
I'm really curious as to people's reasons for sharing their activities on Strava. I use it myself, along with Garmin and TrainingPeaks, but I'd like to get a few other perspectives too.
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Comments

  • for me its been to track how far i have run since starting in march this year with couch to 5k. before that i had not run for 16 years maybe(at school) inspires me to keep going :)
  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    I use it as an easy way to keep a log of my running, and also I like its grade-adjusted pace feature (even though I know it's not foolproof). Finally, it's what most of the other runners I know use as well so makes it easier to keep up with what people have been doing even if I don't see them as often.
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    1. Track my training. 
    2. See what mates are doing. In particular I find it's a good way to stay in touch with people overseas.
    3. See how good runners train and get ideas for new sessions and training plan.

    I know there are better sites for tracking training but I tend to just use Strava.
  • that's really helpful. find it interesting that a lot of people i speak to mention Strava's tracking first and the social aspect second - but the most unique bit of strava is its emphasis on the social network of users
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    I mostly use it for tracking training but it's the social aspect that keeps me using it over other tools.
  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭
    that's really helpful. find it interesting that a lot of people i speak to mention Strava's tracking first and the social aspect second - but the most unique bit of strava is its emphasis on the social network of users
    tracking obviously comes first.


  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    There's lots of tracking applications. They all have their nuances but aren't hugely different - when it comes down to it you are mainly interested in how far you ran and how long it took and they will all tell you that. The social aspects are probably why people use Strava over a different one.
  • any opinions on 'cheating' on Strava? have you noticed anyone of you connections with suspicious activities?
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    It is definitely possible to fake data on Strava, with a bit of progamming/scripting knowledge.  The guys over on LetsRun proved it is possible recently, creating a sub-2hr London Marathon with realistic looking data.  https://www.strava.com/activities/1203431602  Just noticed it's been "flagged" though.

    There do appear to be some fail safes on Strava as on one occasion I accidentally uploaded a bike ride as a run, and the system wouldn't let me as the bike ride pace was too quick.
  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    I've seen the odd ride logged as a run winning local segments which were presumably accidental, and a couple of fishy-looking runs that may have been intentional, but not by anyone I know. As Big G says, I'm sure data can be faked if someone really wanted to.
  • ive seen a lot of chatter online - but i'm still baffled as to the motivations of Strava cheaters - indeed cheating in amateur levels in general. why is it a 'thing'?!
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    I'm baffled by any cheaters. Every year there are a few that cheat at London, and on occasion there are pics of them proudly posing with their medals, but yet they know they've cut the course.  It doesn't make any sense to me. 

    But going back to Strava cheaters, I also don't know the motivations behind it. Is it the same motivation as the London cheaters - I.E., they just want their mates to think they've done it?
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    I'm not particularly bothered by people faking on Strava. None of my mates that I follow do it. At first I really targeted segment times but now I don't care. 
  • I use it to keep track of my improvement (or lack of improvement sometimes) over time. Also the pleasure of beating my boss on some segments gives me a sick kind of pleasure
  • I like Strava as a running social network in particular but I love the way it times segments of your routes as well as the entire run, so you can achieve personal bests in those.
  • It lets me enjoy just running - I don't have to plan a route in advance, I can decide on a distance and set off, explore, then check how far I've run as I go.
    It also lets me know my pace and compare that; it isn't uncommon for me to feel that I didn't run fast - then look at the speeds and see I was quicker than on previous runs. Or the converse, I've felt I was really pushing myself and actually was slower than previous times (it turned out I was really ill). Perceptions of running speed while running can be deceptive, but the measurements don't lie.
  • > @HA77 said:
    > 1. Track my training. 
    > 2. See what mates are doing. In particular I find it's a good way to stay in touch with people overseas.
    > 3. See how good runners train and get ideas for new sessions and training plan.
    >
    > I know there are better sites for tracking training but I tend to just use Strava.

    I agree with this. It's just a fun, not so serious social app. I don't care about segments or whether someone has 'cheated' because I only care about the points that HA77 has mentioned above.
  • I like to use strava as I get inspiration from other people’s training and ideas for new routes etc. It’s also nice to share your run with friends and maybe inspire them a little? Also it’s a good way to track progress.
  • I find it useful to see splits after the fact, as I’m pretty rubbish at estimating pacing independently, so can tally the recording with my experience afterwards.
  • Apart from the uses people have already mentioned, I really like the way one can compare with previous efforts on the same route. Useful to see when you are hitting peak fitness as all the achievements start coming in thick and fast. This is a kind of free tracking of fitness over time. I’m not a premium user. I don’t see much value in that.

    To add a slight twist to HA77s point about observing training of others,  this mostly makes me do the monkey covering eyes emoji as it’s quite mental what people put themselves through.

    One thing I don’t do is subscribe to all of these challenges like Climb Mt Fuji In January! Or 10,000 miles In A Month ! I don’t get that. If there was a challenge like ‘Run as Much as Possible In Between Working and Family But Sometimes Opt For Core Work (On the Sofa)’ I think I’d sign up for that.
  • I have to admit, I only use Strava as I was challenged to keep an annual record (1000mile challe ge) by my sister in law. It is an easy way of setting and recording goals.

    That said, I have to transfer my runs from my S3 gear to S Health and then import to Strava, which I don't like. That's a Samsung issue though.

    It seems alright, a bit clunky, and doesn't like treadmills (that might be user error though)
  • To shame myself into going out and doing a run.  I know my friends can see when I run ... and, therefore, when I don't.
  • Mainly to light up top secret military bases to insurgents.
  • MrM2MrM2 ✭✭✭
    I've only gone onto Strava in the last month or so. I blame my son who is a keen cyclist. I do like the statistics that are generated but I'm not motivated by the 'go faster, go longer' emphasis. It would be quite easy for less experienced runners to be tempted to run more often than is good for them. However, I was pleased to see a friend's data from the recent Dubai marathon. And I'm keeping an eye on my daughter's preparation for Southampton, her first marathon, (Apr22.) and she lives a hundred miles away. So, it has its uses, but I'm still in charge, and after 25 years of doing my own thing it is unlikely to influence my running.
  • Use it to track how far I have ran. Also use it to track how many miles I am doing every week and how many miles I have done in a year. I do like the segment side of it as well. Like seeing what other people are doing as well, good to follow a few famous people on there as well. Mainly use it for tracking my runs and then the social side of it is second for me. Its such an easy app to use as well.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    I use it for the Stavaistix tool.  Same type of stats as paid for TrainingPeaks but free.  That and the kudos  B)
  • A key advantage for me with Strava is that it is independent of my current choice of watch technology. So at the moment a use a Garmin watch, the data gets pushed through to Strava. If in the future I changed the brand of watch, Strava will still be the hub for all the data.

    As it happens I prefer the interface in Strava for viewing my runs than the Garmin tools.

    Only reason I ever open the Garmin app is to see what my VO2 max is.

    More recently, Strava has become dominant in terms of numbers of users, so is now the best place to see what other people, e.g. from my running club, have been running.
  • tematema ✭✭
    As with most people on here, but i don't try and compare myself with others. Everyone trains/races at their own pace and for their own reasons.

    1. Keeps track of all my training and data.
    2. A small amount of social activity with people i follow, and followers.
    3. Helps looking for new routes.
  • For me it was about learning how to maintain proper pace from mile to mile when I started training properly. I had heard terms like easy, relaxed, steady and hard banded about but never really understood what pace to associate the terms to. I now know, mostly due to my Garmin and analysing on Strava, what my pace is for each of those benchmarks. One thing I like is the GAP measurement that's done for hill running where I can work out effort based on the GAP. It's also great at seeing what running friends are up to and finding new routes to run either close to home or further away. When I ran my first ultra recently, I signed up for the Premium trial as well so my wife could track where I was during the race. It worked very well indeed.
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