starting a fling with strava
I broke up with Daily Mile back in 2012. There was a list of reasons I had to cut it off with Daily Mile, but mainly it was annoying that they didn't have an app, I couldn't to see weekly mileage more like a written training journal, and visually, let's be serious, DM is ug.a.ly. Ugly.
What I said I would miss, and did, was the social aspect. After the break up I never filled the social void in my training life. Of course yapping about my training once in awhile here does fill part of the void. Until I met someone new, Strava.
Larissa Rivers, Marketing Manager at Strava, called me up at Oiselle to see if it might be a fit for our team. At first I was hestitant to get excited about an online training community, having been burned before. But as she talked and I actually looked through the site, I started to feel optimistic about a new start. The clean design! The beautiful graphs and calendars! My friends were already here!
I signed up right away and (because I haven't charged my Garmin since Chicago) struck out with my iPhone loaded with the Strava app. Easy to use, and again, beautiful to look at. Now if you peek in at my latest "running" adventures, you'll undoubtly wonder if I'm the same person who is trying to nail a qualifying time in the marathon… yes. Not right now, but yes. More on that later. Don't judge my 9:07 pace. Or do. No sweat off my Rogas.
Things I love about Strava:
Tip: you have to change your preference from cycling to running here. Took me awhile to find that.
What I said I would miss, and did, was the social aspect. After the break up I never filled the social void in my training life. Of course yapping about my training once in awhile here does fill part of the void. Until I met someone new, Strava.
Larissa Rivers, Marketing Manager at Strava, called me up at Oiselle to see if it might be a fit for our team. At first I was hestitant to get excited about an online training community, having been burned before. But as she talked and I actually looked through the site, I started to feel optimistic about a new start. The clean design! The beautiful graphs and calendars! My friends were already here!
I signed up right away and (because I haven't charged my Garmin since Chicago) struck out with my iPhone loaded with the Strava app. Easy to use, and again, beautiful to look at. Now if you peek in at my latest "running" adventures, you'll undoubtly wonder if I'm the same person who is trying to nail a qualifying time in the marathon… yes. Not right now, but yes. More on that later. Don't judge my 9:07 pace. Or do. No sweat off my Rogas.
Things I love about Strava:
- It has an app.
- You can use my iPhone, Garmin… a whole slew of other things to track my training.
- You can protect yourself by setting a privacy area. No more broadcasting my routes to the world.
- You can spy on PRO athletes. And do a side by side comparision of your training and theirs. Rad.
- Challenges with prizes. 'nuff said.
- You can check out loops other runners in your area are treading for ideas to spice up the norm.
- You can join a club and encourage each other, have conversations and challenge each other if you want. I'm on club Oiselle, if you're into that, come join!
- Cool stuff like if you take photos on your phone during your run it automatically will associate them and add them to the recap! What the what.
It's just a super robust tool and rad community. To be honest, I'm still learning the ins and outs of Strava. We're in the early stage of our relationship… getting to know each other.
Do you use Strava? Let's follow each other! www.strava.com/athletes/smariemac
Tip: you have to change your preference from cycling to running here. Took me awhile to find that.