If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen.
I hear this statement from runners I coach, and I see it online. Run influencers spouting nonsense.
I call BULLSHIT.
Of course it happened.
Of course it COUNTS.
The work always counts.
This is not a rant about Strava. Strava's a great tool.
This is a piece about mindset.
Training used to be enough. We trained because we enjoyed it. Because it provided challenge and self-satisfaction.
Lately, it seems, many are doing it for kudos.
I've seen athletes holding up group sets waiting for a GPS signal. Athletes training harder than they know they should, and athletes doing more than prescribed, all because it looks better on Strava.
When you train like that, you're taking unnecessary risk.
Fatigue, injury, peaking too early, and underperformance are common outcomes.
Plus, you're leaving your joy in the hands of followers on the internet.
Why?
The data is there to support your training, not to drive it.
If your GPS lags, it doesn't matter. Start anyway.
Run the pace you should. Not the pace you think looks good to others.
Don't round up your numbers just for Strava.
The watch is a tool. Strava is a tool. They help you guide your training, assess what's working, and sharpen your intuition.
Use the watch. Use Strava.
But, use them to support the work. Not to broadcast it.
Some of your best training will happen when nobody's watching.
Let it.
