{"id":11231,"date":"2012-10-05T08:13:30","date_gmt":"2012-10-05T07:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=11231"},"modified":"2012-10-05T08:15:30","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T07:15:30","slug":"strava-race-shape-and-other-strava-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2012\/10\/strava-race-shape-and-other-strava-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Strava, Race Shape and other Strava Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can’t quite remember if I’ve blogged about Strava.com<\/a> before, but if not, I should have. It’s yet another website that allows you to upload your GPS data from cycling and running sessions. You can record this data on a GPS device such as my Garmin Forerunner 910XT<\/a> or a GPS enabled Mobile such as an iPhone. As with other such online offerings you upload your data and it present is to you in the form of a map, a topographic profile and displays your distance covered, average speed etc. etc.<\/p>\n

All very clever in its own right really but we take such things for granted these days. It has to be siad that when it comes to analysing your data then Strava currently pales in comparison to other such apps. Training Peaks<\/a> is probably one of the best when it comes to analysing the data and it can be used either online or as a standalone application. I tend to use Ascent<\/a> on my Mac at the moment but it hasn’t been updated for ages and is looking a little dated these days. I’m therefore looking forward to the forthcoming version 3 of Rubitrack<\/a> and may swap over to that once it is\u00a0released. (I’ve written a review of the various training software options available on a mac here – Mac Fitness Training Software<\/a> – I’ll need to update it soon.)<\/p>\n

Online I tend to upload data to Garmin Connect<\/a> which gives me a good overview of my training and is the only offering that currently fully supports the swim data from my 910XT I also use TriBlogs<\/a> as I like the planning aspects of it and the homepage dashboard. (I’ve also written a short review of some of the online options here – Online Triathlon Training & Fitness Diary Review<\/a>). I do also upload my data to Strava simply because it has something that none of the others have – COMPETITION!<\/p>\n

Where Strava differs from the others is that it is all about comparing<\/strong> your performances – either with yourself or with others. Whenever you upload data from a cycle ride or a run it automatically creates various segments for you. The segments that Strava creates itself are sections of your ride \/ run that contain significant hills. I don’t know the exact algorithms used to determine what constitutes a significant hill but based on the distance and gradient of the climb it will create these segments for you, name them and display your\u00a0performance over them. That’s quite nice in itself but what it does when you or someone else rides \/ runs that segment again is even better.<\/p>\n

Basically it sets up a leaderboard of all the people who have ever ridden or run the segment. Not only can you compare your own performances over a given segment to see if your times are improving, but the competition aspect allows you to compare your times with everyone else as well. All of a sudden your solo\u00a0training\u00a0sessions become competitions – You want to be the KOM (King of the Mountain).<\/p>\n

Here’s a run segment along the prom in Aberystwyth.<\/p>\n