Month: February 2024

Posted on

Using Strava Segments for Fun and Motivation

One of the things I love about Strava is the “Segments” feature. Segments a time trials of various lengths built into the places we run, ride and recreate every day. They have their own leaderboards which makes it very fun to track your progress against your rivals. The is a way I like to use segments that has nothing to do with other people. I love using it to gage my current bike/run fitness level against my former self. This is a story about Current Ralph versus History Ralph.

Let me give you an example I am actually quite proud of. There is a segment here in Pleasanton California called the Marilyn Kane trail. It is a 1.5 mile, L shaped paved path that is pretty flat. I have been running this trail for many years and I have now done it 99 times. My personal fastest time on this segment was set back in 2011, I was 48 years old. As my fitness has improved this year and I could see my mile splits getting faster, it was looking like if I really busted my butt I had a realistic chance of beating my former self.

Last week I decided to go after it. The trail start is about 3 miles from the house so I used that as my warm up to get my heart rate up a few times before I hit the start. Here we go 1.5 miles of pain, lets see if I can do it.

The Segment

Yes! I did it, I was able to beat a PR on a segment I ran 13 years ago. I think we assume, that as we age, we are just automatically going to be slower and that is just not the case. If I didn’t have this history and all the data that goes with it I would have not had any idea this was possible. I find it very empowering and motivating to have this information. This has nothing to do with anyone else, this is just Today Ralph versus History Ralph. My goal is to stay as close to History Ralph as long as I possibly can.

Segment Map

Remember, everyday you workout you are laying down new history for future you and giving yourself a better chance at a powerful and strong life. So, Strava Segments are not just about being competitive with other people, they can be so much more.

Here is my advice – Find a few segments in your general area that you can use as your fitness tester. I have several for running and cycling. Some are hilly and others flat. Make those your fitness gage and use all the great tools provided in Strava to measure and track your fitness level. Thank you Strava for creating such great tools. I am not compensated to pump up Strava, I actually gladly pay for an annual membership because I think it is so good. You can follow me on Strava @RalphRajs

Post Segment Video – I was pretty psyched.

Posted on

Planning Your Weekly Workout Schedule

Probably the biggest key to my workout consistency is having a weekly routine that I don’t have to think about from day to day. I have had this routine for at least the last 15 years. Depending on race preparation, I have made some adjustments but the main structure has worked through it all.

My point isn’t for you to adopt this particular plan. My point is when you thoughtfully layout your week, knowing where the challenges are, you are much more likely to stay on plan. Here is my thinking for my schedule and the reasoning behind it. I have found with this schedule I don’t get bored because every day is something new and I have managed to avoid injury logging 1,200 miles running and 5,000 biking annually the last 15 years.

Saturday and Sunday I have the most time available to workout. Saturday I do my long bike ride and Sunday I do my long run. Three hours on the bike, that’s 50 miles (give or take 2-3) and 9-12 miles running on Sunday depending what I am training for. The weekend workouts covers about 45% of my weekly volume.

Monday and Friday are active recovery and strength days. I lift weights on those two days emphasizing upper body with a little bit of lower body mixed in. I ride my city bike for an hour around town just having fun being on the bike. I keep my heart rate fairly low and focus on spinning and recovery.

Tuesday and Thursday are intermediate run days of 7 miles. I will mix in interval days, hill days, or just keep it chill depending how I am feeling.

Wednesday is intermediate bike day, typically about 30 miles. It’s a great way to break up the run days.

You can scale this how ever works for you and for the sports you enjoy. The point is to have a plan that you don’t have to recreate every week. It will make being consistent so much easier. I did a TikTok and Instagram video on this if you want to check it out.

Posted on

The Joy of Family and Exercise

One of the things I believed I am called to do is help people enjoy the benefits of exercise in their lives. I also believe many of us in the fitness industry feel the same way. For me there was no better place to start than within my own extended family. Yesterday was a huge day for us out at the Surf City Half Marathon and 5K in Huntington Beach CA. We had six family members participate in the 5K who had never done an organized event before. My wife Elizabeth, my daughter Hannah and I did the half marathon.

This all started back in October when I organized a Walktober Step Challenge for the family and has continued to blossom. We now have 11 people in our Family Strava Club where we can recognize and encourage each other daily. About half of us are on MyZone so we can encourage there as well.

The link between physical health and mental health are well documented. Getting regular exercise you enjoy, being out in nature, and having a strong social network are key components. We can do so much to help each other’s mental and physical health with just a few simple steps, like inviting friends and family to participate in an event you are doing. The 5K group went to breakfast after and started planning their next event and how they want to improve their times. The ball is rolling and that makes me very happy. We have the opportunity to help each other make this the best year ever.

As for me – I ran a 1:46, which is OK but it was top 10% in my age group and top 9% overall out of 8,200 runners. I haven’t raced since pre-covid so it’s nice to be back. #fitness Myzone® Strava #runner #mentalhealth #mentalfitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessinspiration