It’s been 3 months since I ditched Strava… and I feel like the red dress emoji lady 💃🏼
With Strava I found it impossible to go on an easy run / gentle jog. Even as part of my training for specific races in the autumn of 2017 which required me to run longer distances around 3 min/mile slower than my 5k race pace I found myself getting messages like “trending slower”. Which as a new (ish) runner I found demoralising but could shrug off as it was in my plan.
On return from an ankle injury early in May this year these messages were becoming more frequent, not as easy to shrug off and I had to have a long look at my use of the app…
I was one of those Strava users that would upload everything: Spin, kettle bells, Pilates etc, etc… all of those expended calories translated into My Fitness Pal calories after all!
My training log was on Strava… I would check that I was active enough in the week, keep an eye on mileage, see where I could go faster on certain races or training runs and judge my worth based on how many PRs I achieved on a particular route.
Something had to change: uploading a run was becoming stressful! I run with my Suunto Spartan watch and upload to Movescount. After a few days of making my activities “private” on Strava, I unlinked my accounts!
Now I collate all of my activities on Movescount I can just focus on time/distance/pace. I know myself if I’m running easy/steady/hard because I know how numbers work 😉. I am running off road more – to enjoy the hilly workouts and the scenery and get a decent amount of time on feet. I’m happier running those beneficial easy miles!
If it’s not on Strava it DID happen and will continue to do so… Freed from its shackles I’m enjoying myself a lot more, and looking forward to trying lots of different activities over the summer!
F
x
PS It’s no longer on Strava but chances are it’s on my Insta 💁🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
The F Word 