As you know, I’m a tad introvert… Just a tad, but that aside, I have never been a fan of crowds. Just never felt comfortable in them. Never felt the urge to seek them out. Even when I go to Raves, I am always on the edge. When Amy and I went to see Armin in LA, she wanted to go down to the front, but even she bailed after a while, we ended up sitting in the stands.
Anyway, where am I going with this?
Running.
I don’t feel compelled to actually run a marathon or a half because I don’t like the crowds that seem to be part of the event.
They say (on the Internet) that unless you have a bib (ie, a registered number) on when you do the distance, then it does not count…. And you know what, thats fine with me. I know I have done the distance, I have tracked it with a GPS, its recorded and published on the Internet, the fact that I don’t have a number on my shirt and thus it does not count is just fine with me…. Why? Because I enjoyed it. I was out on the road, looking at the stars, smelling the fresh air, slipping in and out of a trance while feeling fantastic….
But, I slightly digress…. Just because I don’t like crowds and thus won’t do an official marathon (or half) does not mean that I am not competitive.
Its always interesting to be ranked among your peers.
So, it was with some pleasant surprise that I discovered the segments part of Strava.
A segment is part of a run (or ride in Terry’s case). Its usually a hill or circuit or something like that…. Turns out there are a few segments in the bits of Temecula that I run in… So whats a bald introvert geek that enjoys running to do? Go out and try and get top spot, what else!
There is this one segment out the back of Opto/Downtown Temecula, its a dirt road up a hill, a pretty good climb, my lungs scream at me every time we run it….
Anyway, point is, for now, Im KOH, King of the Hill… Thats cool and all, but thats not the best thing, the best thing is that this segment broke me out of my regular lunch run. This is the big deal.
See, its all too easy for me to just fall into a rut of running the same route at the same pace day after week after month. (I really enjoy the switching off and getting into the trance part of running).
But now, with segments on Strava, my routine is broken and has really injected some variety into my runs.
Of course its not always first place….
This segment is at mile 9 on one of my longer run routes (thats 14.4 km).
By the time I get there, I’m a well settled into a pretty gentle pace!
Yeah, the top spot could be held by some guy that drives out there, warms up and then runs the hill on fresh legs. Thats a possibility.
But honestly, who cares. Bib or no bib, I know I am out there doing it.
I know I have run 9 miles before I get to that segment and I know that I am 10th fastest up it in that state.
For me, its not about being number one, its about having a go.
Anyway, segments. Did not know about them when I started using Strava, but its added some spice to my runs and I’m enjoying that aspect.
Nice to run ‘against’ others at 4:30am and not worry about the crowds.
