Oversharing Is…Caring?

'Tis the season for all kinds of annual recaps—whether you want them or not.

This year, I ran two marathons, consumed a minimum of $327 of energy gels and hydration and $546 of Core Power protein shakes (that’s embarrassing), tested at least 53 new pairs of running shoes, almost lost two toenails, and went through three rolls of emotional support KT Tape, but you’re not going to see those stats in any Year In Sport reports.

Honestly, you probably won’t see any annual recaps from me, because I don’t love sharing my metrics on social media. A couple of years ago, I stopped sharing my paces on Instagram; I wrote about why for Runner’s World, but TL;DR: I found that when I was sharing and talking about my own data, I found myself noticing other people’s data more and comparing my own to theirs in a way that didn’t make me feel great.

Sharing health-related data can fuel ‘obsessive tendencies’ and encourage you to overdo it or make you feel bad about your own performance (which might make you less motivated to work out in general), according to one 2020 study published in the journal Information Technology & People; meanwhile, people who shared health-related data on Instagram felt pressure to perform as a healthy role model, which led to compulsive tendencies, a 2021 study published in the journal Social Media & Society found. More recently, research by the Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter determined that even though Strava users recognize the app’s ability to motivate them into action and connect them to other exercisers, the app’s use brings on anxiety about their performance after the fact.

With all of that in mind, I have mixed feelings about quantifying every aspect of health and performance—from miles logged and elevation gained to sleep and Body Battery scores—tracked by our wrist-, finger-, and app-based supercomputers.

I think I’m in the minority based on the sheer number of people sharing their 2024 stats. I do recognize how these aggregated metrics can help with reflecting on and understanding health-related behaviors—that’s one of the most powerful aspects of health tracking (I was actually really proud to see I increased my mileage year over year, which was my main running goal, and still managed to spend almost 90 hours strength training!).

The negative side of that, though, is these recaps don’t account for personal issues like injuries, illnesses, or life changes, and seeing a big decrease in your performance year over year can be a bit demoralizing. Case in point: Strava’s up and down arrows weren’t a hit with everyone on the “Weekly Snapshot” feature, and that feeling translated to their Year In Sport reports; sometimes, Strava, less is more.

But when I asked people on Threads how they felt about these annual reports, I was surprised by how many people said they not only look forward to their own data, they like seeing other people’s stats, too. The common theme: It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate hard work and successes, whether it’s their own or their friends’ accomplishments. (Coincidentally, 77 percent of Gen Z athletes say they feel more connected to others when seeing their friends’ or family’s activities on Strava.) It was a surprisingly wholesome Thread, which felt really nice!

Even if I’m not personally inclined to overshare my metrics, I really do love the Spotify Unwrapped phenomenon—when health and fitness brands look at the millions of data points they collect over the course of a year, there’s so much we can learn. Here’s a few of my favorite stats from different brands this year:

• Women are lifting heavier, with powerlifting on Whoop increasing by 19%.

• The average protein intake among WHOOP members nearly doubled from 33% in 2022 to 60% this year.

• Garmin users sleep the best on Monday nights and, as a result, have the most energy on Tuesdays.

• The lowest Body Battery scores are recorded on Saturday evenings (which makes me think most Garmin users are doing long runs on Saturdays versus Sundays!)

• There was a 59% increase in running clubs on Strava in 2024, and 43 percent of people surveyed said they join group activities to improve their performance, while 34 percent said groups help them stay accountable to their training plans (it’s not just about dating!).

• 44% of marathons were uploaded to Strava with a carbon-plated shoe (a 14% increase over 2023).

• Runners training for marathons added more rest/active recovery days to their schedules, with 51 percent of days in the 16 weeks before the race being rest days.

• There are 62 rest days in the average half marathon training cycle.

• 84% of athletes who share their activities on Strava say exercise—even solo—helps them combat feelings of loneliness (that’s 11% higher than a random sampling of active people that includes non-Strava users).

These stats are so helpful to me when I’m trying to craft stories about running, because they provide a pulse check as to where the running community is at. It’s one thing to notice trends unfolding in real time, but it’s really great to have data to back those up (and some are totally surprising or random, which can also provide fodder for stories!).

The key is to take the individual stats shared on social media for what they are: a small snapshot of someone’s personalized approach to training that says nothing about you and your running journey. If you don’t want to share yours, you don’t have to. I won’t, but that won’t stop me from giving my friends the Likes and Kudos they deserve for all the hard work they logged this year.

the rundown

ASICS Novablast 5
The ASICS Novablast 3 was one of my favorite daily trainers ever, but the Novablast 4 lost some of that pop I loved in favor of more comfy cushioning. Good news: The Novablast 5 combines the plushness of the 4 with the responsiveness of the 3, and I feel like I could run forever in these (I wouldn’t go over 13 miles in the last few pairs)! The FlyteFoam Blast Max midsole provides that best-of-both-worlds feel, while the new engineered jacquard mesh upper is nice and breathable. I think it’s the best version of the shoe yet. It’s available now for $140, which is a steal.

Running Is Not Therapy, New Paper Reiterates
I just love when research backs up the things I shout about on social media (and in national publications). A paper just published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health looked at the comparisons between exercise, antidepressants, and therapy as a treatment for depression—specifically, the widespread headline “exercise is 1.5 times more effective than either medication or cognitive behavioural therapy.” The authors argued that this statement is not supported by the scientific literature, and “subtle misinformation in news headlines” like this could lead to direct harm to patients who may delay seeking specialist support, stop taking medications or stop attending therapy due to such headlines. This thread on X from author Nicholas Fabiano is worth a read.

Your Running Form Matters Less Than You Think
Lately, social media has been littered with posts and videos touting gait retraining and technique tips that will make you faster, but those are all kinda BS. This New York Times article by Christine Yu looks at the science behind gait, which actually shows that the characteristics of a runner’s form don’t have that much of an effect on running economy (a stand-in for performance)—and overfixating on fixing your stride can actually be detrimental to performance. Yu talked to some great biomechanics experts, but the main takeaway is pretty simple: “jogging consistently and gradually building up your mileage will do more to improve your efficiency than finessing your form” (and, hey, wouldn’t you know, strength training helps, too).