Years too late really, I switched to Strava from Nike Run Club this year (It’s a shame in a way I could never use Strava when I was cycling. Oh well). I don’t overly care about Strava’s social features I just was getting a bit panicky about Nike’s data lock-in and I’d been meaning to try Strava for a long time so it seemed like a good target. I toyed with writing my own script (despite Nike’s lock-in) it is still possible), but in the end I found and used RunGap on iOS to get nearly all my runs exported and into Strava; It just missed a couple of little ones.

Having used both for a bit now for recording runs on my phone:

  • NRC is way more featureful. I have never used the social sides of NRC so can’t comment on those, but the app itself just does running better.
  • However, Strava has been more reliable - NRC crashed quite a few times for me during runs which is very annoying as you lose data or at least up until the point when you notice and restart it.
  • And of course it’s far easier to get data in and out of Strava.
  • Strava also has a usable web interface. The My Activities view could be better (bulk edits), but at least it’s there; Nike removed their web interface completely.
  • With NRC you know you are being sold Nike gear. I always considered that a fair deal.
  • The downside with Strava is that you don’t really know what the deal is, which is a little disconcerting.

On that last point there is Strava Summit of course, but I don’t really get it. I don’t understand why Strava don’t make more of it (relatively easily) by:

  • Offering different voices (why just female robot American?)
  • Offering more run options (pace, intervals, total time, total distance)
  • Monthly goals! Requested since 2014 !!
  • Better built in training plans. The NRC and Nike Fitness Club stuff is superb for FREE. Superb.

I want to pay for Strava, but there is genuinely no point as it stands right now; Aside avoiding the nags.

I’m being semi-social on Strava at the moment. I’ve known since I started at Compose they had a Strava club on there. Of course, half the folk on there have long since left Compose (but are still part of that club) which is why I’m too late using Strava, but for a those that remain (and the active ones that have left) it’s a nice way of kind-of-keeping in touch outside of work. Running itself though I like to do on my own.