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Friday, December 2, 2016

Strava (almost) killed my blog

It used to be that I would go out on a run or ride and I’d think about things. I’d distract myself from the fatigue, the pain, the monotony, the cars!, as well simmering in the joys, the uplift, the enlightenments… A title would come to mind as a marker to recall and retell these thoughts through the blog… But then I became an addict—addicted to Strava… which soon led me on to fitbit, etc. Soon my thoughts were converted into GPS files and segment times and numbers and graphs and steps and data, data, data… What was left of my thoughts, those titles, were whisked quickly away from the blog and posted to Strava where I might gain a few Kudos from followers. The Kudos being the new form of acknowledgment of existence and worth. It’s a strong addiction, this cyber side world to fitness and activity. And, honestly, not one I’m willing to give up. However, I do also recognize that there is a lot of value here in the blogspot - and a community of support and inspiration that has given me so much more than KOMs or PRs ever could. So I am still here… riding, running, dreaming… 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are always here to give you Kudos.

mindful mule said...

Thanks, Midnight! Kudos, Midnight!

Kristina said...

I am so late to the Strava party at this point... But I do know what you mean about workouts being so data-driven (and, as a teacher, I hate that expression b/c it seems to be all the rage). At times, I think that the data keeps me "honest", but other times, I just want to run and ride free!

mindful mule said...

Thanks, Kristina. Better late than never. Does that mean you're at the Strava party now or still living in the dark ages? I usually set myself free for a few rides and/or runs each week and save Strava for the more interesting stuff - no one wants to see me run up and down my street everyday!

Kristina said...

I'm still in the Dark Ages! I think that I'm tied enough to the Garmin, in its many iterations, although I know that people *love* Strava and how it connects them to a sense of community (and competition!).

Anonymous said...

The people demand a new post!