Official Strava/Runkeeper Thread

[Subby]

Seems like a fair number of folks are using Strava or Runkeeper to track their workouts. Both are great apps (and web sites), but they also do a great job of going beyond standard tracking and logging by adding a great social component. Friending other athletes enables you to see their workouts, but it also enables you to comment on workouts and milestones and goals and encourage each other. Additionally, you can set up challenges between individuals and groups to help ramp up the motivation. For instance, we could set up a FOFC Team A and FOFC Team B group and see which team runs the most miles during X week. Or we could have an individual challenges. Or no challenges!

Anyway, the more the merrier in my opinion. I am already friends with a few FOFC folks, so if you are interested, add on here. Maybe no one is, and that's cool, too. Just thought I would check.

Anyway, I am Chris Shue on RunKeeper and Strava.

[Alan T]

Strava: Alan Baker
Runkeeper: turlos


Edit: added a URL for my Strava name, since it is sometimes tough to figure out which one you want if there are multiple matches on the same name. (ie: 6 Alan Bakers)

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Subby

Anyway, I am ChrisShue on RunKeeper and Chris Shue on Strava.

I am not finding that name on Runkeeper when I do a search for ChrisShue

[AnalBumCover]

Great idea!

RunKeeper: RobOrdona
Strava: Rob Ordona

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I am not finding that name on Runkeeper when I do a search for ChrisShue

Try this: Chris Shue Athlete McLean, VA, USA | RunKeeper

[AnalBumCover]

Not finding ChrisShue or turlos on RunKeeper

edit: found Chris.
edit: and found Alan.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Not finding ChrisShue or turlos on RunKeeper

To find them on runkeeper, you have to use the real name, not the account name it appears. So for me it is the same as Strava

[Subby]

Okay - I created a club on Strava called FOFC.

Join!

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Subby

Okay - I created a club on Strava called FOFC.

Join!

Is it location specific? Everytime I search for a club it wants to search my local area.

[Ben E Lou]

RunKeeper: benelou
Strava: just created a Ben Lewis account..not sure if I'll use it...

[Subby]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Is it location specific? Everytime I search for a club it wants to search my local area.

Here's the direct link:

FOFC

[Fidatelo]

Do I need to have apps for these things on my phone or can I just log stuff to the web sites manually later? I have a Windows Phone so I don't think the apps will be an option for me.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Do I need to have apps for these things on my phone or can I just log stuff to the web sites manually later? I have a Windows Phone so I don't think the apps will be an option for me.

You don't -have- to have the apps on your phone. I don't use my phone when I run/ride, and I upload them from my garmin watch later. Others do use strava and/or runkeeper apps on their phone.

If you can find another windows app that has the ability to record gpx or tpc or similar type files you can always import them into runkeeper or strava via the website..

Or yeah you can just manually enter workouts too if you want.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Alan T

You don't -have- to have the apps on your phone. I don't use my phone when I run/ride, and I upload them from my garmin watch later. Others do use strava and/or runkeeper apps on their phone.

If you can find another windows app that has the ability to record gpx or tpc or similar type files you can always import them into runkeeper or strava via the website..

Or yeah you can just manually enter workouts too if you want.

I have a Garmin Forerunner (410 or something, I think) but I've never used most of it's features (including connecting it to a computer). Perhaps now is the time to learn!

[AnalBumCover]

Yeah, you can manually log in workouts such as a treadmill or stationary cycle workout, but you'd be missing out on a lot of what Strava is good for, such as split times and segments.

Like Alan said, a good alternative would be to get a Garmin watch and import them through the websites.

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I have a Garmin Forerunner (410 or something, I think) but I've never used most of it's features (including connecting it to a computer). Perhaps now is the time to learn!

Yeah! You'd be surprised how much information is captured in those things once you check it on Strava.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I have a Garmin Forerunner (410 or something, I think) but I've never used most of it's features (including connecting it to a computer). Perhaps now is the time to learn!

I have a forerunner 210. It is super easy to connect to both strava and runkeeper with it

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Yeah! You'd be surprised how much information is captured in those things once you check it on Strava.

Yeah, I've always just used it to pace myself as I run. In fact, to this point the historical information part has been a pain in the ass because every few weeks it yells at me that I need to delete some history so I have to try to navigate all the menus and delete a bunch of runs out of it just so it will keep working. It might be worth connecting the thing to my computer just to have a faster way to delete history, assuming that the computer connection provides some kind of interface to that data.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Yeah, I've always just used it to pace myself as I run. In fact, to this point the historical information part has been a pain in the ass because every few weeks it yells at me that I need to delete some history so I have to try to navigate all the menus and delete a bunch of runs out of it just so it will keep working. It might be worth connecting the thing to my computer just to have a faster way to delete history, assuming that the computer connection provides some kind of interface to that data.

If the 410 is like my 210 or my wife's 10, connecting it to the computer acts like a USB drive and you can see the files on the watch and mass delete whatever you want.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Alan T

If the 410 is like my 210 or my wife's 10, connecting it to the computer acts like a USB drive and you can see the files on the watch and mass delete whatever you want.

Awesome

[Northwood_DK]

Anyone using Endomondo?
I have logged 3800 km running the last two years and it works perfectly.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Northwood_DK

Anyone using Endomondo?
I have logged 3800 km running the last two years and it works perfectly.

I have all of my runs in Endomondo as well, but personally I don't like the web layout of it as well as some of the others, and the social interaction features are more lacking too in my opinion.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Northwood_DK

Anyone using Endomondo?
I have logged 3800 km running the last two years and it works perfectly.

I use it for the National Bike Challenge, but it pales in comparison to Strava, tbh.

[digamma]

Stephen Venable on Strava and Runkeeper.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Like Alan said, a good alternative would be to get a Garmin watch and import them through the websites.

You can use Garmin Sync to automatically sync between Garmin connect and Runkeeper or Strava. If you have one of the watches with wireless sync you don't need to do a thing after you have configured all of the sites as the data will upload automatically.

[Ryan S]

I don't run or cycle as often as I used to as I am regularly playing soccer these days. My running is frustratingly slow compared to my days on the track in high school.

I tend to use Garmin Connect and Endomodo. I have never been interested in the social aspect of Strava, and don't much like the website, but I have signed up and imported some of my old activities.

I have noticed that Runkeeper does not do a great job importing from my garmin gps, as the speeds are usually all over the place. If I did not have a few friends on there already I would have dropped it.

[Icy]

Good idea.

Runkeeper: icarri

Btw, i started to use today Ismoothrun ($5) and it's a really nice app for running.

It has all that runkeeper does, even posts to your runkeeper account if you set it up, but it has way better tools to create your own routines, series, etc.

I find it really good to motivate yourself if you setup the audio cues, besides of just distance, speed etc every X distance or minutes as runkeeper does, it also can tell you if you are running too fast or too slow to reach the time you have setup for that distance, or if you are using a hrm, will tell you if you are over or under your target hear rate zone. It also tells you how many seconds you are ahead or behind the setup time for the distance, and you can even setup a metronome to help with your rhythm.

You can also setup a race against yourself with the ghost mode (takes in account the time you used for that same route).

It helped me a lot today on my goal to lower my average time in the 6k, as it was pushing me with the audio cues when i lowered my pace and when i was told i was 25 seconds under the time i had set for those 6km, it motivated me to keep the pace and even accelerate.

The stats are also more deep, like your average distance per step, and even some fun stuff like telling you which song where you listening when you did your best mile/km.

The export to runkeeper feature worked perfectly, the activity i did this morning is now visible with all details, route and stats in the runkeeper website.

[Fidatelo]

Ok, I got my watch connected and everything uploaded to Garmin Connect. I then created an account on Strava but for some reason only a handful of my recent runs went across. Oh well, hopefully all the future ones get in there.

Strava: Dave Harris

[Fidatelo]

Dola

I used the Garmin Sync site and that should be uploading my old data. Unfortunately I'll still have big gaps over the last few months because I kept having to delete recent history in order for the watch to record new stuff, but c'est la vie.

I've also joined the FOFC club on Strava. When do the team competitions and stuff start?

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I've also joined the FOFC club on Strava. When do the team competitions and stuff start?

Awesome!

Soon, just hope to get a few more folks on there so we can have some meaningful teams.

[AnalBumCover]

I was wondering, does a club of a certain type (cycling, running) only display activities of that type? As a runner, I am less interested in following cycling activities, and have been trying to figure out how to filter those out (if there's an easy way, I'd love to hear it). If I join a FOFC runners or a FOFC cyclists club I can toggle between those as I please.

Currently my Dashboard is a jumbled mess of running and cycling activites.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

I was wondering, does a club of a certain type (cycling, running) only display activities of that type? As a runner, I am less interested in following cycling activities, and have been trying to figure out how to filter those out (if there's an easy way, I'd love to hear it). If I join a FOFC runners or a FOFC cyclists club I can toggle between those as I please.

Currently my Dashboard is a jumbled mess of running and cycling activites.

I don't know of a way in strava to filter the feed by activity. I think you can either show yours, people you are following and people in a specific club that you are a part of.

So I guess one way you could do it would be to do one running club and one biking club, but an easier way probably would be to not follow people who specifically bike only perhaps. Strava is different from some of the other sites in that you don't have to follow someone for them to follow you. So if you have a friend that bikes that wants to follow you they can do that even if you arent following their activities.

If it is someone that does both biking and running (like I do some biking for instance), I think you're just stuck with it since it would show up in whatever club I was in for instance.

[Subby]

I promise I will start running again soon!

[Subby]

If you are a cyclist, Strava has a new challenge up called the May Massive. Basically, ride as much distance as you can and you get recognition on your feed at 40KM/80KM/120KM/160KM. They also have a leaderboard, but rest assured it will be dominated by those effing Australians.

The May Massive

[Subby]

Sorry - they are also doing it with running:

The May Massive

[Alan T]

Strava has new challenges up for May (1 for biking and 1 for running) to try to go as far as you can during the month of May.

I did the one in January, but it was shortly after I had back surgery, so I actually finished behind my wife for that one with only 17 miles that month.

I would say my goal is to beat what I did in January, but I should be able to do that in one week. So I think my goal will be to try to push 110 miles for May (a little over 175 Km) so I can beat my top mileage for a month, plus get all four of the award badges for the challenge (40k, 80k, 120k, 160k)

For the biking one, I also joined, but the badges there go 250k, 500k, 750k and 1000k. I doubt that I'll even make it to the first badge, but would like to at least try to get 40 miles biking in this month if I can.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Subby

Basically, ride as much distance as you can and you get recognition on your feed at 40KM/80KM/120KM/160KM. They also have a leaderboard, but rest assured it will be dominated by those effing Australians.

The May Massive

I think those are the running badges. biking is 250k/500k/750k/1000km from what I am reading.

The Aussies definitely dominated the ones in January.. do they do as well in May now that it is getting colder there? Or is Australia temperate enough that they have good weather all year round?

[AnalBumCover]

Heck. I joined. I'm shooting for that 40K badge!

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Heck. I joined. I'm shooting for that 40K badge!

You've run like 23 miles in April, and 40k is only about 2 miles further, so I bet you got it!

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Alan T

You've run like 23 miles in April, and 40k is only about 2 miles further, so I bet you got it!

Actually, about half of those miles were "walking" activities, so they didn't count toward my mileage for April.

[AnalBumCover]

I have a question on personal achievements in Strava. When it says I got a PR on 1 mile, does that mean the first mile, or any mile-long stretch in your route where your pace was the fastest?

It says I got a PR of 15:03 on 1 mile when my first mile was just a warmup mile (17:14), way off a PR pace.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

I have a question on personal achievements in Strava. When it says I got a PR on 1 mile, does that mean the first mile, or any mile-long stretch in your route where your pace was the fastest?

It says I got a PR of 15:03 on 1 mile when my first mile was just a warmup mile (17:14), way off a PR pace.

It is the fastest mile long stretch.

[kingfc22]

Just joined the FOFC group on Strava.

David Gonzalez on both apps.

[sabotai]

Signed up for Strava and joined the FOFC group. I plan to start running again this week, even if what I do is short of even the first week of C25K.

[AnalBumCover]

There's a "pre-C25K" plan out there if you want to try that out before starting with C25K. Or you can do what I did which was just do 30-40 minute brisk walks before even thinking about running.

Anyways, I'm really glad to see this growing interest in running and cycling. It makes me want to go out and keep at it.

[Fidatelo]

I guess running isn't for everyone, but as ABC mentioned above there does seem to be a growing interest. I've seen some of my friends starting to get involved. Maybe it's just the age we are reaching, or maybe its more of an overall groundswell, I don't know. But it's awesome to see and I can't recommend it enough. It's probably the most inclusive sport or activity I've ever been a part of. It doesn't matter if you're young or old, fit or not, everyone can start just by putting one foot in front of the other and then adding an extra foot a couple days later.

I'm still shocked at how much it has shaped the last 5-6 years of my life since taking it up. I walked into that first learn to run class only going to accompany my wife, believing that I would hate every minute of it and fully intending to never run again once it was over. And at first I did hate it. But about a month in something changed. I think as I started to see little increments of progress (3 and 1's! Yeah!). And by the end I was signing up for another class.

Fast forward a year or two and our first child is born. Now I'm pushing his stroller through the slush trying to keep up with everyone but damned if I'm giving up. We bought sun shields and bug covers and rain shields and snow shields. Everyone at the local store knew his name even if they didn't know mine. That kid spent the better part of the first 18 months of his life getting wheeled around the streets near our running clinic by myself and my wife.

Once the second guy came around the running with the kids stopped. The older one was 18 months and starting to get antsy in the stroller on any run over 30-40 minutes, and the little one never really adjusted to it. Still, my wife and I just took turns running. And then I started running the 4.5 miles home from work a few days a week. Anything to keep getting runs in, because at this point I'm totally fucking addicted.

Somewhere in all that the 5k races we entered became 10k races, and then half-marathon's. Someday, when I have more time to properly train, I will do a full marathon. I've dropped over 30 pounds. The older boy (now 4) wants to run with us again now, so we bring them both out on fun runs and let them run until they get tired, and then run with them on our shoulders the rest of the way. Or my wife will take the oldest to her clinic runs in the stroller, which he now loves again, although he was pretty confused by the concept of 'hills', openly questioning why Mommy would run him back and forth over a busy, dusty bridge 8 times in the stroller.

A couple months ago my neighbor flagged me down as I ran down my street on the way home from work. He told me a story of how a co-worker of his has taken up running, but had stopped in the fall once it got cold (I did this the first 2-3 years as well). But then he saw this guy running down the streets during rush hour most days, didn't seem to matter how cold. He said this guy was inspiring him to get out and start running again despite the winter that never seemed to end. My neighbor said "I know that guy! He lives by me!". I laughed at the story and said it likely wasn't me, there is this other guy that runs a similar route on a more frequent basis than me (he runs morning and evening, 5 days a week and he has been partly my own inspiration) and that it was likely him. But then my neighbor said "No. I pulled you up on Facebook and he said 'yeah! That's the guy! I want to be like him!". That was the first time in my life I'd ever heard of anyone ever saying they wanted to be like me. I'm just not that kind of guy. It felt then, and still does even as I type this, like one of the proudest moments of my life.

My original clinic instructor had her own little catchphrase. "Running is fun!". I still see her all the time at runs, and she's always yelling out "Running is fun!" with a giant smile on her face. And she's right, it is fun. But in a way, it's so much more than that. To me, running is the best.

[Alan T]

Awesome story fidatelo. A lot of it is similar to me in how I started, just to accompany my wife but I got hooked. I haven't even been doing it for a year yet myself, but I hear so many stories similar to yours that inspire me and help me realize that all it takes to get to the same point is just time and continued commitment to it.

[Subby]

Fuck it - I haven't run at all this year, but I joined both the running and cycling challenges. My goal is to complete both!

Up to 9 members in the Strava FOFC group...

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

My original clinic instructor had her own little catchphrase. "Running is fun!". I still see her all the time at runs, and she's always yelling out "Running is fun!" with a giant smile on her face. And she's right, it is fun. But in a way, it's so much more than that. To me, running is the best.

I will always love running. You've summed it up pretty nicely for me.

[Ben E Lou]

What is happening with the Strava group? Ultimately what I'm asking, I guess, is "is there anything in there entertaining enough for me to keep Strava on my phone?" Runkeeper syncs my weight workouts, so I'm inclined to just stick with that unless there's a compelling reason here...