I sit on my fat backside for most of the day, so getting out and actually moving around is a bit important. I tend to cycle, be it mountain biking or road biking, and after trying the alternatives I’ve ended up using Strava. It seems to be the one everyone uses in my social circle, and it’s tracked the whole of our trip to the Lake District.
However, if you’re going out for long periods of time on your own, it can be a little worrying for your loved ones. If your phone is in your bag or tucked away in your rather fetching lycra shorts then you don’t always hear the thing ringing and, even if you do, it can be a bit dangerous to try and answer it if your cycling. So, whether you’re running, cycling or something in-between, there’s now a new feature for Strava Premium users called “Beacon”. It’ll show selected people where you are right now, so you can let the wife see how far through your run you are. The Strava blog has more details, but basically it’s a great way for your loved ones to see if you’re OK.
The idea has come from the Strava community after safety ranked as one of the highest concerns. Users asked for the ability to view live location without having to login to Strava or install the app, so before you set off you can activate it and send a secure, randomized URL – but only to the people you want.
Here’s a video giving you the low-down…
Now, the big question is… do I want to reveal to the wife that I’ve “stopped” at the pub round the corner? 🙂