Looking for software to support your training? Here is my guide to Strava for running 🏃♂️
Strava for running. The popular online activity-tracking social network started in 2009, mostly used for cycling and running using GPS technology. You can use your phone to track activities or link your smart device (such as your Garmin watch). Strava, which now has in excess of 68 million users uses a freemium model with some features only available in the paid subscription plan (called Strava Premium).
I use Strava by uploading activities from my Garmin Fenix 5 and Edge 530. It’s really intuitive, looks smart and the data analysis (for those geeks amongst us) is presented really well 😎. Let’s take a look at some key points, before then please check out my other guides.
Why should I use Strava for running?
It you don’t use the Strava app to record activity, why should you use it then? Your native device will have its own platform i.e Garmin Connect, but in my opinion Strava wouldn’t exist if those platforms had innovated themselves. Here are the key reasons I use Strava for running 🙂
- An extensive list of integrations with all the popular third-party devices such as Garmin and Wahoo bike computers or smartwatches. You can also sync to fitness platforms such as MyFitnessPal or Vitality.
- Track your activities against weekly, monthly and yearly goals.
- Adds a social aspect to an often solo sport or running and cycling. See what activities your connections are doing.
- Encourage others by giving them Kudos and comments! 👍
- View routes, great for when you’re on holiday looking for places to run, cycle or walk. I wrote a post on this here.
- Challenge yourself on segments, created by others. Can you take the course record? 🥇
- Track your shoe and bike mileage. This has been great to see how many miles my shoes so I know when to switch to a new pair. 👟
Lets take a look at some of those features in more detail:
Activities and Connections
Your activities can be shared among your followers or shared publicly. Activities show your activity results, including route summary in map view form, elevation, speed, timing and heart rate (where the hardware supports). Your followers can then give you Kudos and comment, providing much needed social validation to some 😎.
This is where I think Strava has stole the march on the competition. For example, you can like and comment on your connections in Garmin Connect but it just looks dated! The whole connections aspect, links into user-generated content like segments, clubs and groups that provide an extra layer to pull in new users in through fear of missing out (FOMO) 😛.
Challenges
Bringing gamification into play, Strava has a Trophy system in the form of challenges that require completing either a running or cycling activity within a certain range of distance or elevation. You’ll notice this towards the end of each month when your connections start registering for 5k, 10k and half-marathon distance challenges for the following month.
Segments
User-generated segments to me are a huge pull for users. Named as CR (Course Record), you’ll pass through many of these on your running routes and see them noted when viewing your activities. You’ll be able to see all the times you’ve ran the segment in over a neat timeline interface, although this feature is more limited on the free version of Strava. Through Strava Premium you’ll be able to see leaderboards on a number of different aspects (e.g. age & sex).
Strava Premium
Should you pay for Strava Premium? I think this is in context to your current training and goals. If you’re training for a marathon for example you may value the extra features included. I’ve had premium and taken advantage of them to great effect but whilst I’m just ticking over I have less need. Remember, that knowledge is power and to work smarter you can take your running to new heights!
How much does Strava Premium cost?
As of May 2021, Strava Premium costs £47.99 for the year (works out at £4 per month) or you can pay monthly for £6.99 (£83.88 for the year). Occasionally you’ll see offers for 2 extra months free if you sign up for 1 year but I’ve never seen any offer better than this.
Strava for Running Summary
I really rate Strava for running. It’s helped me out massively over the year, mostly from a motivation point of view. The social aspect, along with the ability to view your activities and challenge yourself against segments has driven me. I also think the Flyby, Heatmap and Metro features are pretty cool (I’m not going to get into privacy concerns though). Metro, in particular, shows a great use case for the masses of data being collected !
