good vs. bad

much has been said about Strava in the media and in conversation over the last few months. about if Strava is the ruination of biking/running. for those of you that do not know, Strava is a social tracking app that maps a route of cycling/running, and tells you your time on given segments .

taken from https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/20420137-what-is-strava:

Currently focused on the needs of avid cyclists and runners, Strava lets you track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS device to analyze and quantify your performance. Strava makes fitness a social experience, providing motivation and camaraderie even if you’re exercising alone.

Strava grew out of our own needs as athletes. With busy lives requiring much solo training, we missed the sense of camaraderie and friendly competition that drove us to achieve our best through training with others. 

Today, Strava lets athletes all over the world experience social fitness—sharing, comparing and competing with each other's personal fitness data via mobile and online apps

this controversy has been as such with a quick google of 'what is strava':
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Strava-s-KOM-awards-blamed-for-reckless-bicycling-3657025.php

http://questadventure.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/what-is-strava/

the app being blamed for the death of a cyclist using the app:
http://allthingsd.com/20120619/gps-app-strava-sued-over-cyclists-death/

in short the controversy comes in where the riders are more focused on their time and what is going on with the app more than what is going on around them. there is even a saying 'if it's not on strava, the ride didn't happen.'  where people get so wrapped up in the app, and being the KOM (king of the mountain) on a given hill, or getting to point a to point b the fastest. losing sleep when someone takes away your best time on a segment. this may cause one person to ride beyond their own limits just to re-claim their spot on the ride. the result may be disastrous. and all because someone that is better/faster on a given portion of our favorite ride/loop.

people blame strava for this; however the worry is misplaced. is it strava's fault? is it the casino's fault that i lost my paycheck? or the hammer's fault that i hit my thumb? strava is a tool. a tool that is able to be used for training. to see what your friends are doing with their riding. to track my progress. as a hammer pounds a nail, strava is there as a personal guide to track my rides. to know my personal best in a quick and consist way. strava is not to blame for this controversy. strava is good. i can record my rides, and see my own personal progress. to see if i am progressing in my riding. to see if i can make it up that one hill faster the next time i come to it.

strava however does do something else. it shows us something about ourselves. who we are as people. our obsessive personalities. our tendencies to want too much. to fly too close to the sun. it does help provide us with glimpse of the ugly side of our nature. with this knowledge, this then is something that we as people need to work on. to try and cultivate to be the people that we want to be. things happen in our world that show us things about ourselves, and it's up to us to choose how to act & how to be. are you going to let a 'thing' rule your life? are you going to give up your freedom of choice? guess what? there are people out there that are faster and better than you. deal with it. now i am not saying that you should try and push your own personal envelope. you should, and strava helps with that by putting everything at your finger tips.

so get out there and ride. keep track of your progress; however don't obsess & get better. don't let something own you. create space, create freedom. all in moderation.

amitabha...