Strava definitions and terms

[dchass]

Not sure where to post this but I have a simple query.

I have been a Strava subscriber/member for a year or so. Strava is a hugely popular app with massive user following, and is both intuitive and highly complex.

But I cannot find a section on basic terms and definitions.

For example, in recording my walks, my main form of exercise, I have found myself confused between "Activities" and "My Routes".

In accessing Activities, and when hovering the cursor over that Activity on desktop, the option to "Save Route" is provided.

If I want to retain the details of my Activity, it appears that I should not press "Save Route", as this seems to then save the activity to some other previously used route, with stats such as elevation gain, time taken, heart rate, etc saved in accordance with a previously saved route or activity? And the stats for this activity are then lost. Is this correct?

This is an essential aspect of Strava and yet I cannot find any help or assistance on this question, nor a simple glossary for terms and definitions. This would appear to be elementary and basic information for all Strava users - but perhaps I have missed it? Please advise.

David Hassell

[anchskier]

Routes and Activities are separate things.  Creating a route from an activity will not delete that activity.  
An activity is exactly what it sound like, the record of a specific activity you did on a certain day at a certain time.  A route is essentially the path you took to get from one point to another.  A route can be taken any day, over and over, or shared with others so they can see a good way to get from one point to another.  A lot of people create routes so they can repeat a certain path that they liked for whatever reason.  You can make routes from scratch, where you click on a map all along the path to build it, or you can do it by using the path you took from an activity, which is what you are seeing the option for.  When you complete an activity, one of the options presented will be to save the route.  This will not delete your activity, it will just create a route (path) based on what you followed in this activity.  Say one day you biked to work, but rather than following the normal way that has some dangerous intersections, you chose to take a right on Main street and a left on Jefferson Street.  You realized this is a much better way to get to work since it stays off the dangerous roads and avoids a big hill.  To remember this and so you, or others you might want to share it with, can follow that path in the future, you can save the route you took directly from your activity file.  It is just a way to save a lot of work instead of having to manually create the route in the program.  A route is just a path, it does not include how fast you went or any other data like that since it is just a path to be followed, so it won't include the data you recorded when you did your activity.  

Personally, I have routes that I have saved from activities when I have done fun rides in other states.  I want to be able to remember them the next time I come back in a couple years without having to look back through all of my activities to find it.  Once I save it, I can just go directly to my routes list.  I also save routes that I want to use as a race course for future events.  

Here is a link to a number of search results in the Strava Support section for information about routes.  Search results – Strava Support