Strava has released its personalised highlight reels for all its users, so I wanted to go through mine with my readers and Youtube subscribers.
Whenever I see “Year in Sport,” an accounting is going to be done about how active I was during the year. With Strava I just automatically upload all my training activities, but I don’t really check my progress unless prompted. To see all of what I’ve done so far get aggregated and presented to me gives me mixed feelings.
Don’t get me wrong; I like seeing the numbers because it means I actually got on the board! However, what I didn’t like was the comparison to 2020. They say “Comparison is the thief of joy”; I did feel deflated seeing my absolute numbers of hours and days spent training have decreased.
But I know that these numbers are not the sum total of all I’ve managed to accomplish this year. Context is key.
It’s also funny that the month with the most training hours logged (September) was the same month I got an injury. I was ramping up mileage and trying to run more hours back then. Instead, it ended up being counterproductive, resulting in decreased volume and intensity for the rest of the year.
But in the period that followed, I didn’t log the daily strengthening exercises I did or the (better) quality of nutrition and sleep I pursued. Yet all these were vital in my recovery and return to training. The Strava app doesn’t know what you don’t tell it.
Looking back at my Year in Sport reminded me of all that I have been able to do: signing up for virtual rides and runs for good causes, becoming creative with training because the pool was closed for nearly half the year, and letting off work- and life-related stress through staying active. From the report I also can see that I was consistent. That’s an achievement in itself; with my current work-from-home setup it is just very easy to stay in bed and not do anything.
I’m grateful that I was able to stay as active as I did; I know a lot of other people got sick, or their life circumstances changed. I’m also grateful that I’m on my way back to being able to run as I used to, thanks to PACE Prehab. Even though they can’t do the work for me, the guidance through recovery and coming back a stronger and more resilient athlete has been invaluable.
This vlog ends this year’s series of videos. I’m taking a holiday break and will be back in January. I’m looking forward to 2022 and some new adventures. Until then, God bless you, Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it), and Happy New Year!
