January 2025

FLX PT NEWSLETTER #8

Strava and Social Media: Friend or Foe for Your Running Goals?

As runners, we love tracking our progress, setting goals, and celebrating milestones. Apps like Strava, Garmin Connect, or even social media posts can offer that little extra push to stay consistent, improve performance, and connect with a like-minded community. But what happens when the very tools designed to motivate us start working against us?

I never really used Strava until last year, but as I started running more structured workouts and engaging with the community, it became a great tool for tracking progress. While I don’t need an app for accountability, Strava helped me monitor my training load—until I found myself relying on it too much. I started prioritizing mileage over intuition, ignoring signs of overtraining. This December, I ran every mile on the treadmill to avoid the cold, but to meet my mileage “goals” leading to an overuse foot injury. 

Let’s explore the pros and cons of tracking your mileage publicly and how it can affect your running—and your health.

The Pros: Motivation and Accountability

1. Community Connection: Sharing your runs and seeing others' activities can foster camaraderie and support.

2. Goal Setting: Tracking miles, pace, and routes helps maintain consistency and structure in your training.

3. Celebrating Milestones: Hitting a weekly mileage goal or completing a tough workout becomes even more rewarding when you share it with others.

The Cons: The Pressure to Perform

1. Overtraining Risk: The drive to hit certain weekly mileage goals or keep up with others can lead to ignoring your body’s need for rest, increasing the risk of injury.

2. Comparison Trap: Seeing others post faster paces or higher mileage can create unnecessary pressure to measure up, even when it’s not in your best interest.

3. Detachment from Intuition: When numbers and public accountability drive your training, you may lose touch with how your body feels. Running should be about joy and health, not just stats.

Challenge: Run Without Your Watch

Starting this week, I challenge you, along with me, to choose one easy run and leave your watch, or tracking device behind (maybe take your phone for safety). Just lace up your shoes, head out the door, and run at a pace that feels good. No pace, no distance—just you, the fresh air, and the joy of movement.

Afterward, reflect on the experience:

• Did you feel more relaxed or present during the run?

• Was it easier to listen to your body and run intuitively?

• How did it feel to remove the pressure of metrics?

I’d love to hear how it went! Send me a quick email to share your experience.

Find Balance

Here are some tips to maintain a healthy relationship with Strava and other tracking tools:

• Set Intentional Goals: Use these tools to track progress but base your goals on your needs—not what others are doing.

• Run Some Miles “Offline”: Consider skipping your watch or app for recovery runs or casual outings. This can help you reconnect with the pure enjoyment of running.

• Listen to Your Body: If you feel fatigued, sore, or burnt out, adjust your training plan—even if it means logging fewer miles than planned.

• Take Rest Seriously: Rest days and recovery weeks are just as important as your long runs and speed workouts.

My Role in Supporting You

At FLX PT I’m here to help you train smarter and stay injury-free. Whether you’re navigating overtraining or want to fine-tune your running mechanics, I can guide you toward a healthier relationship with running—on and off the apps.

If you’re experiencing pain or suspect an injury, don’t wait. Contact me today for an evaluation, and let’s keep you moving safely toward your goals.

Warm regards,
Amanda Robertson

As always, please keep in touch via:

Instagram at @flx_physical_therapy

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Website: www.flxphysicaltherapy.com