Dear Coach, how do I use Strava to have fun without overdoing it?"
Strava is an excellent way for us to all connect. It’s a social network where we can geek out with people who do exactly what we love to do. There is literally no way to dislike a workout, only kudos! Nor is there any fear of hearing about anything outside of the actual activity we love to do and you can upload unlimited photos of your favorite routes and training grounds.
One of the goals of the company was to create that locker room feel for all of us, and I think they’ve achieved that well. We all can share ideas, workouts and cheer each other on no matter where we are in the world.
Especially in a year where races were limited, Strava became an important outlet for many craving that competitive bug or just needing a bit more support to keep going. We push each other to try new things, or maybe even trying to keep up. How many times have you seen an epic post from your dear friend and thought…. “ Oh man, now I gotta go do that!” There is no shame in workout bragging here!
Anytime something gets people excited, talking and out the door I think it’s a pretty awesome thing!
What might we need to watch out for around all this fun?
There is always a risk that competition drives some people to push a little too hard when they shouldn’t. Take safety for example, at no time should anyone put themselves or others at a safety risk chasing a segment. Running lights, taking risks they shouldn’t in certain conditions, things like this. Safety has to be first and foremost.
The other risk is being caught up in that competitive spirit when it might not be benefiting your own personal progress. It can be great to incorporate your training intervals on segments for that extra push you might need, but let’s be sure not to turn your easy spin into a sprint session chasing the last person's PR. There are a lot of ways to use Strava to help you get faster, plan it appropriately like you would any other training and then designate days you leave the racing off the cards.
Use it freely for:
Motivation
Support and connecting with like minded people
New ideas to implement to your own training as you create your plan
Healthy social media outlet
New routes and maps to discover
Be wary of:
Racing every day when it harms your own progress
Safety
Social pressure that becomes unhealthy
Have fun with it! Create a segment, chase a segment, challenge your buddies. It’s a great way to keep training fun and stay connected with your friends.