‌👋‌ Hello! Come introduce yourself and share your 2022 story (December)

Hi, I just started running this past year. I competed in 3 fun runs at the 5 k level. I run about 25 miles a week. My favorite run was on Thanksgiving morning (Run to Feed the Hungry) in Sacramento. This is a huge run that features a live band every 2 blocks. It was really a blast as I ran with a small group of friends. I also started trail running in the Motherlode (foothills) of California. My goal in the new year is running at least two 10k races in trail running. Before I started running I competed in an equestrian sport. This involved training five days a week. I just retired my horse, so no competitions at all this past year. Runnings seems so simple and cheap compared to equestrian sports, but I do miss my equine companion.

Hi there @Cato and welcome! Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your running journey so far, it sounds like it's been a very positive and exciting experience for you. I agree that running is much more fun with friends and a live band (although I've yet to experience that myself)! It sounds like you have the commitment and discipline from your equestrian sports days, we will be cheering on you on your trail runs next year 🙌 do you have good trails to train on nearby?

Hi,
Im Hugo, passionate about Football and open water sea swimming. Currently recovering from a back injury, eager to get back on the pitch and test out new heatmaps.

Would love if Strava leaned into football more and more, tons of space to grow there, I’d be happy to test out new features or give feedback.

Hey Hugo, I'd like to give you a warm welcome to the Community! Sorry to hear about your back injury, that's unfortunate. Did you injure it while playing football or swimming by any chance? What's helping you recover and stay optimistic? I had knee surgery over a year ago and wasn't able to do much of anything for about 6 months, it was a very difficult time because movement is incredibly beneficial for my mental health, and if you're anything like me, being patient and having to limit your activity must be very challenging. I hope it's not too bad and that you can get back to your regular activity levels soon!

I think it was actually all the running I did on Strava during lockdowns. I wonder if Strava could offer alerts if data indicates an athlete needs to do more recovery, mix up sports or is in the “red zone” and at risk of injury. Athletes could also log injuries in the app and data could be collected on recovery times or level of activity leading up to injury? 

Sea swimming and stretching is really helping with the recovery. 

2022 was a great year for me! I ran my first marathon in January (Houston), and also managed to break the 90 minute mark for the half marathon at the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in March! I'll be doing another half marathon this Sunday - the Foot Traffic Holiday Half in Portland, OR, where I'll try and run around 1:25!

I also started working at Nike so buying super shoes got a whole lot more affordable 😅

I see, overuse/over training is often the culprit. I'm glad to hear that you're finding ways to stay active as you heal. A coworker of mine recently wrote an article about injury and Recover Athletics. If you have a Strava subscription, Recover Athletics is a very helpful app that's included. We do offer a few Subscription features that dabble in the sort of data you mentioned, too. Have you looked into Fitness & Freshness and the Weekly Effort charts? The ability to log an injury is an idea we've been entertaining for a while, we know this happens pretty much to every active person. Feel free to drop any feature suggestions in our Ideas Board and make sure you review our Idea Guidelines, too!

Hey Stephen, thanks for sharing that with us! Completing your first full marathon and improving your 1/2 marathon PR just 2 months later are notable accomplishments (such speed, wow!)! I think I might try to run my first marathon next year, the most I've ever done is 30k (and very slowly). I'm willing to bet you have some good tips and advice to share in this thread about preparing for a half-marathon, where I'm avidly taking notes myself. We'll be cheering you on in spirit this weekend, please update us and let us know how it went and if you achieved your goal! 💪

Hey im Michael, Ive been using strava for quite a few years now. I live in a small town so most of my fitness/activities require some combination of creativity and self-motivation. I’ve found that Strava helps with that by providing interesting data and community features. I’m also using Strava to support my work as a volunteer director/creator of the Thunderhawk Wide Open a local cycling/arts/culture event. I think there’s a lot of potential for Strava to develop its events features and help it’s users build community IRL. I’d also like to see more features re strength training so that Strava can capture a more wholistic/individualized & diverse picture of fitness. 

thanks! 

Hi Michael,

Thanks for posting!  Great to hear you're able to use Strava to support your volunteer work.  We recently had another Community member post a suggestion on our Ideas Board related to more event features on Strava.  Check it out here and be sure to add your votes and any comments.  

Thanks for bringing up strength training.  We also have an existing thread on that topic, and would welcome your votes and ideas.  

Thanks Jane