More Silence, Less Strava

While preparing for the 2022 Boston Marathon, Tokyo Olympic marathon bronze medallist Molly Seidel did the unthinkable: she made her Strava private. Seidel pointed out privacy concerns over strangers showing up at her frequent running spots and sharing in-depth analyses of her training plans based on her Strava data. Apps like Strava have significant benefits, including the ability to share training progress with friends, peers and teammates. Studies of Strava users in collegiate running clubs across the U.S. indicated that runners drew motivation from presenting their activities to colleagues. But there are times when disconnecting can have positive effects on your training (quite apart from the privacy concerns). The same study of collegiate runners found the potential for improved performance when the element of social pressure is removed. Additional research published…