7 Strava excuses we don’t need

Strava is a great platform for connecting with the runners in your community. It can provide inspiration, keep you accountable and act as a training log. However, there’s a phenomenon with Strava posts that’s become increasingly common – runners are littering their posts with excuses for their (what they deem to be) slow run.

Running slowly is an important part of recovery and getting faster. And it’s important to go at your own pace and feel good about your training, as opposed to constantly comparing yourself to those you follow. If you’ve found yourself making a lot of excuses lately, try and remember that you don’t need to impress you Strava followers with every run. Remember to give yourself kudos for getting out the door and getting it done, no matter the pace.

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My GPS was wrong 

There’s sometimes a glitch between GPS data and how Strava displays your results. While your watch may say you ran 10K, there’s a chance it comes up at 9.98K when you upload. Don’t stress about this, and no need to write about it. 9.98K is pretty close to 10. We trust that you ran the distance. 

It was too hot

Running in the summer is hard – like, really hard. And there will certainly be days (especially if you run at midday) where your pace and body takes a hit from the heat. This is totally normal and nothing to stress about. Remember runners, the weather will almost never be perfect.

It was too cold

As with all excuses, this one can be valid. There’s such thing as a run that’s just too cold (even with the right gear). However, trudging through a really slow run that feels terrible isn’t the best idea. It’s not great for your muscles or you form and when it’s just too cold, it might be better to call it a day. Instead of making an excuse for a bad run, just call it quits on this one. Your body will thank you. 

Super bad headwind

Runners love to blame a bad headwind for a slow run, but rarely do those same runners talk about those strong tailwinds on the way home. When you’re trying to hit a specific time on race day, a headwind isn’t ideal, but if it’s an easy run or workout day, just run by effort. 

I was hung over

Putting your PB’s in your Strava bio. #stravawanker? pic.twitter.com/1iIKcgHOd0

— StravaWankers (@stravawankers) June 3, 2020

I was hung over is a valid excuse – we’ve all overdone it the night before a run. However, this Strava user who lists their personal bests included their hung-over 5K PB, which maybe wasn’t necessary. 

I golfed yesterday and now I’m tired

You can really insert lots of things in this excuse line. It could be golfing, boating, swimming, grocery shopping, getting your hair cut – almost anything can make Strava users tired for their run. 

My body hurts

If your body is hurting so much that it’s drastically slowing you down, you probably shouldn’t be running in the first place. 

Bonus points if you can include all seven

If you can pepper all of these excuses into one post, then honestly, kudos for making it through the worst run ever. 

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