Sofia from the Nature Travels team takes you through the features of this hugely popular training app.
What is Strava?
Strava is a mobile app and website. Strava tracks your runs, rides and your other fitness activities. It’s also a social networking platform – it describes itself as a “social network for athletes”.
How much does Strava cost?
All Strava’s basic features are free.
There are no charges to track or log your activities or to track your friends.
However, you can choose to upgrade to Summit, which gives you the possibility to customise goals, offers live location tracking and additional possibilities to analyse your activities. There is a charge for Summit.
What can you do (for free) on Strava?
The basic features on Strava are free, such as recording your runs/rides/swims or other training, either by recording directly to Strava or by uploading from your GPS watch.
You can also follow your friends’ training activities and comment and/or give the kudos (like). You can see what routes your friends have taken and get inspiration for when you plan your next running route.
You can also join challenges to complete to increase your motivation or compete against other runners doing the same challenges. You can also join clubs to connect with other runners in your area.
What is Clubs on Strava?
“Real-world” running clubs, etc, can create a club on Strava and members can then join the Strava Club. But groups of friends or groups with shared interests can also become a club on Strava.
The club leader board shows a ranked list of the Strava club members and the recent activity shows the activity of the members within the club. Club admins/owners can also create a post that will show up in the members’ feed.
Club members can also create posts, but this will only show in the club’s post section and not in each member’s activity feed.
What is a Strava Segment?
Segments are a stretch of road or track that other users have designated. It can be any length and on the different segments, runners/cyclists can compare themselves against each other or against themselves every time they dothat stretch.
You can be KOM (King of the Mountain) or QOM (Queen of the Mountain) or hold the CR (Course Record) if you have the fastest time on a segment!
What is Strava Art?
Strava Art is when runners/cyclists draw figures or pictures with their routes on Strava.
Normally when you look at the route you have done on Strava it looks like a line or circle on a map.
But some people plan their routes so when you look at Strava afterwards the route has drawn a figure such as an animal or a person. See instagram.com/strav.art/ for some great examples!
So Why Strava?
So to conclude, the reason to use Strava is to increase your motivation in your training, whether by competing against other runners, by seeing your own progress and competing against yourself or through the cameraderie in supporting each others’ training and giving each other the all-important kudos!