Introduction
Has Strava grown from humble origins as an activity tracking app, to become the most toxic social media platform in the world? Strava has now become a staple for millions of runners worldwide. However, while it offers a plethora of benefits, it also inadvertently encourages unhealthy comparison and competition, which I think is becoming detrimental to many users. Much like other social media platforms, the constant urge to compare and compete with others on Strava is now beginning to overshadow the useful aspects of the app, and also distract people from the real benefits of running.
The Benefits
In the name of balance, I would like to stress that I do think Strava has some great features. That’s why it became so popular, right?
1. Data Insights
What you measure, can be improved. Fact. As a coach, I spend my days reminding athletes to log and track metrics. Don’t operate in the dark and just go off ‘feel’. In the context of running, Strava is a great tool for tracking and measuring. The app offers robust, free data analysis that provide users with detailed insights into their runs, which can then illustrate progress and help them to make informed decisions about their training moving forward.
2. Goal Setting
What’s the end goal? With fitness and training, it’s important to have purpose and something to work towards, because this holds you accountable and gives you direction. Strava allows users to set personalised goals based on a load of different metrics. Progress is tracked automatically, providing a sense of accomplishment as users work towards achieving their objectives. Lovely jubbly.
The Issues
Right, now we’ve covered the only two reasons why anyone should use Strava, let’s now explore the two reasons why I think the majority of people actually use the app. Both reasons relate to the fact that ultimately, we humans are too nosey for our own good. Let me explain.
1. Unhealthy Competition
There’s nothing wrong with competition in the right environment. However, I think the design and features of Strava encourage an unhealthy obsession with outperforming others. Runners may find themselves pushing beyond their limits for entirely meaningless pursuits, such as climbing a local leaderboard of strangers or gaining more ‘kudos’. The desire for validation through these virtual accolades then entirely overshadows the real physiological benefits of running, not to mention the actual enjoyment of it.
2. Inaccurate Comparisons
Every runner is unique, with different abilities, training backgrounds, and goals. However, comparing yourself to others on Strava completely overlooks these individual differences, creating entirely unrealistic expectations for many users. A slower pace or shorter distance doesn’t make you a shit runner, it’s entirely context specific. Yet, Strava activities exist in a context vacuum. Training age is so important with running. It takes a long time to make progress and build pace/distance. If you’re a beginner, don’t stalk experienced runners on Strava and expect to mirror their output.
Summary
While Strava can be a valuable tool for runners to track progress and set goals, users run the risk of falling into the trap of excessive comparison if they aren’t mindful when using the app. If you do use Strava, my advice would be to leverage the beneficial, original features of the app, while maintaining a healthy perspective on social comparison. Put it this way, if it ever gets to the point where you’re trying to crowbar the fact that you’re the local legend into a conversation with your entirely disinterested friends, I’d probably take that as a sign to delete the app. And if, God forbid, you’re one of the absolute pests who’ve used the new direct message feature to drop unsolicited ‘rizz’, please get yourself chemically castrated.