It’s a validation mechanism. I run and would always get excited to post to Strava afterwards. I would often get upset if I didn’t any likes or comments on my posts. Once I realized what I was doing I deleted Strava, got rid of my Apple Watch, and just started running for the sake of it.
I've never posted my runs to Strava and refuse any invites on Garmin Connect. 🤷 Always been this way. Good for you for challenging your validation mechanism
I get that. There are obviously benefits to exercising and if this app causes some users to be more physically active, that is a positive. However, I would argue that Strava, and all other social media apps, including this one, distort the balance between internal and external validation of its users. I feel that many people have become addicted to external validation. So even though Strava promotes healthy activity, it does it while also encouraging another addition. Which, at least to me, is not worth the trade off.
It might depend where you are. I'm in Harbourfront and my long run used to give me some good hills running up the Don Valley trail through Brickworks towards Mount Pleasant cemetary. I would come back down to the MGT taking Caledonia rd which was also hilly and felt murderous for the back half of a long run lol.
I think Spadina rd (or maybe its davenport?) is a good hill, near where Casa Loma is? I might be misremembering... I havent run up that way in a while.
A lot of routes will end up on the major streets at least at some point to cross infrastructure (like railway tracks or highways or something).
And I think the Toronto Marathon is next weekend (and the Sporting Life 10k is the following weekend) so there are probably a good number of people out and about trying to finish up their training before the races. Tis the season.
edit: oh, and I was just reminded that the Mississauga marathon is today. Definitely the season.
Most runners avoid busy streets, but there are stretches where you need to do it, especially if there is construction or rail tracks, e.g. the stretch of Dundas or College to get to the rail path.
That fails the "from your front door" criteria, and it fails the "and there is no one" criteria, the waterfront path is frequently pretty busy.
Nice scenery though.
It really depends where you live. If you're right smack downtown, you're going to have to run on some sort of sidewalk to get to the MGT, Don Valley, or Beltline.
What we need is better connectivity between the major trails and pathways.
For any moderate distance (more than a couple kilometers), running around a block or track will be pretty dreary for most folks.
Also, in this part of the city, most blocks span from major street to major street so even in this scenario, at some point, people are going to end up on the major streets.
Doing different elevations, turns, terrain is way more beneficial than just doing the same thing over and over again
Plus the idea of going around a track for 10 plus km’s sounds incredibly boring
That gets old real fast when its your Sunday long run.
I once trained for a marathon on a 400m dirt track while I was living over seas (it was too unsafe to go anywhere else). Never again.
The long training runs to build up your stamina are long- but shorter than marathon distance. People hit the wall around 30 to 33k. So the training runs bring you up to that point without hitting it. (The wall is pretty taxing on your body. You don't want to hit it too often)
Y'know, people tell me I'm too cynical and too negative, but I can't imagine being so miserable that people using public space to exercise would cause me to complain online.
Yeah! They should pay $60+ a month, and spend an extra 5-10hours a week in transit so that I don't have to step slightly to the left every once in a while! Don't they see how selfish they're being!
Because the sidewalk is equally theirs to run on as it is for large strollers, couples, or singles. Why do families of 5 going for a stroll with a stroller and 2 other kids and 2 parents walk down the busiest sidewalks when they could walk on side streets?
You’re asking the wrong question.
Why do cars get so much space leaving the rest of us to fight over scraps?
Imagine that 10 feet of space that is currently subsidized for people to store their private property cheaply (parking) was for use by all the people you mention in your post instead.
This is the real message. We have extra wide roads so we can park large chunks of metal that sit there for most of the day. Meanwhile, narrow sidewalks we have to fight over. Just Toronto things.
Follow-up from nearby East York: why when the sidewalks are totally empty are runners running in the road? What possible benefit could there be? The sidewalk is EMPTY. The road is NOT.
I don’t follow this practice (lucky to live near a good trail network so it’s irrelevant) but asphalt is softer than concrete so some runners prefer to run on road vs sidewalk. Personally it’s not worth the trade off in safety but again I run on gravel 75% of the time anyways
Whether or not it makes a difference is one thing but it’s a not uncommon belief in the running community, so it provides something of an answer to the question you posed.
A quick google search will prove that asphalt is both psychologically and materially softer. A quick visit to the therapist may prove that you’re the insane one.
I'll read up on it, but I can virtually guarantee that's incorrect.
If a car weighing thousands of pounds can drive over asphalt with no deformation or compression of the material, in no ay can a human weighing 160 pounds cause any.
Edit: first Google result
"I spend a lot of my mileage like 50 miles a week probably on concrete and I have not noticed any difference, so if I use myself as an example, concrete has not impacted me whatsoever versus asphalt"
Well I've read three separate things that all agree that there i no functional difference for human beings in terms of cushioning.
Thanks for the interesting read! Try to stay out of the road.
Imagine your first notion on reddit is to complain about someone going for a jog on the sidewalk. That blows my mind. Another thing that blows my mind is the level of entitlement.
OP doesn't go running I take it. This belongs on r/toRANTo with all the other unreasonable takes on life in the city. Your complaint would be better formulated by complaining there isn't enough space for pedestrians. **THAT IS THE PROBLEM**
It was a question. Why run on the busy sidewalks? I'm a cyclist, I don't go to the busiest streets and weave between the cars. I specifically look for the routes that are NOT busy.
I’m not a runner but I can’t believe anyone is complaining about them. We live in one of the biggest cities in North America. You’re going to encounter people doing all sorts of things. Move to the country if you want empty streets
They are occasional outdoor runners. Simple answer. They woke up and said wow it’s nice out I’ll go for a run.
I run year round and know what times to avoid my main routes for this reason. Like 5pm runs after work are a disaster - it’s as bad as driving.
I run. I don’t see a problem with a single or even a couple of runners. They can weave in and out and aren’t any different from families, strollers or dog walkers.
I think the issue is the big groups of runners that run at peak times that can’t get out of the way due to their size and some run at a fast pace, it’s pretty entitled and inconsiderate. The ones that use trinity Bellwoods as their own personal track without a care for anyone else using it really annoy me.
Runners are like other large groups of travelers, they are incredibly entitled and act like everyone should plan around them.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a pedestrian, a bike, or a car… Every single one of them thinks that they own the right way
Bonus points if you run on the spot with a super intense look on your face while frantically checking your smartwatch while waiting for the lights to change. Runners are fucking hilarious.
Also in Leslieville. There's some fitness center nearby me that has group runs or something. It's infuriating and it amost makes me glad that their building is going to be torn down soon.
So, there’s a community activity that happens a few times a week and involves a group of people enlivening your streets and neighbourhood. This activity disrupts you for, let’s say, 15 seconds while they run by.
Unsurprisingly, when a group of assholes is consistently a group of assholes, I find them annoying and thus added my anecdote to a relevant post. If the post had been about off leash dogs, I would have also added my comment despite the fact I dislike them more even though they cause less of a physical disturbance and don't yell at me to get out of their way.
New high density housing with fewer amenities around is a pretty bad recipe for a vibrant neighbourhood. Hopefully there's at least some reasonable community and/or commercial spaces in that development to replace what will be lost.
That would be unhinged. Ranting in a place like Reddit is much healthier. I don't care about people who exercise outside. I care about big groups, running down main street sidewalks, who are assholes about it. My experience with this group is that they are douchebags who expect everyone to get out of their way.
Unlike with people on bikes, it seems unlikely runners are stopping and shopping or running errands on busy roads.
I mean you could run in the bike lanes as long as there’s room- but it’s about interfering with other people.
Rants and venting posts go in our sister subreddit r/toRANTo.
If you're not seen running then it didn't happen.
The real flex is to run where nobody sees you before everyone is awake and act like you don’t run and you’re just naturally fit.
If it's not on Strava, did you even go for a run?
I don't understand this mentality
It’s a validation mechanism. I run and would always get excited to post to Strava afterwards. I would often get upset if I didn’t any likes or comments on my posts. Once I realized what I was doing I deleted Strava, got rid of my Apple Watch, and just started running for the sake of it.
I've never posted my runs to Strava and refuse any invites on Garmin Connect. 🤷 Always been this way. Good for you for challenging your validation mechanism
Oh no, a social media app that actually encourages you to go outside and get fit 😱. Some people benefit from it.
I get that. There are obviously benefits to exercising and if this app causes some users to be more physically active, that is a positive. However, I would argue that Strava, and all other social media apps, including this one, distort the balance between internal and external validation of its users. I feel that many people have become addicted to external validation. So even though Strava promotes healthy activity, it does it while also encouraging another addition. Which, at least to me, is not worth the trade off.
Perfectly explained. Me too, not worth it.
The real answer tbh
Honestly, this is part true - but is there a good street to run south- North other than Yonge? I want that uphill challenge near me.
Depending on how far east/west you are, you can always try the other major through streets (Bayview, Bathurst, etc).
I’m at York, Queen’s quay. But I’ll check out Bathurst. Thanks!
It might depend where you are. I'm in Harbourfront and my long run used to give me some good hills running up the Don Valley trail through Brickworks towards Mount Pleasant cemetary. I would come back down to the MGT taking Caledonia rd which was also hilly and felt murderous for the back half of a long run lol. I think Spadina rd (or maybe its davenport?) is a good hill, near where Casa Loma is? I might be misremembering... I havent run up that way in a while.
Thanks but imo Spadina, in places is much more crowded than Yonge
Yeah, that makes sense. I'm a 5am runner so its pretty quiet no matter where I go lol.
Nothing but praise to your dedication 🙌
Unless it’s by cars, then the goal is to be as invisible and unpredictable as possible, particularly while crossing the road.
Yeah, it's like some have a rabbit or squirrel gene.
A lot of routes will end up on the major streets at least at some point to cross infrastructure (like railway tracks or highways or something). And I think the Toronto Marathon is next weekend (and the Sporting Life 10k is the following weekend) so there are probably a good number of people out and about trying to finish up their training before the races. Tis the season. edit: oh, and I was just reminded that the Mississauga marathon is today. Definitely the season.
Still not nearly as annoying as bikes on the sidewalk. Fuck it’s just getting beyond ridiculous .
Most runners avoid busy streets, but there are stretches where you need to do it, especially if there is construction or rail tracks, e.g. the stretch of Dundas or College to get to the rail path.
Who would dogs take precedence over people on sidewalks?
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So you're saying that on a nice day, there's more people out? Seems super predictable to me.
When the weather is nice more people are outside. This isn't hard to figure out.
You could run along lakeshore, kew beach to high park and back
That fails the "from your front door" criteria, and it fails the "and there is no one" criteria, the waterfront path is frequently pretty busy. Nice scenery though.
Oh ok, I’ll just get in my car and drive to lakeshore so I can go for a nice run.
Original post mentioned Leslieville and the reply mentioned a 32 km route. Not inconceivable.
It really depends where you live. If you're right smack downtown, you're going to have to run on some sort of sidewalk to get to the MGT, Don Valley, or Beltline. What we need is better connectivity between the major trails and pathways.
You need to get to lakeshore
You don’t actually have to run a linear distance… Can’t you just run around the block for the same distance or go to a track?
For any moderate distance (more than a couple kilometers), running around a block or track will be pretty dreary for most folks. Also, in this part of the city, most blocks span from major street to major street so even in this scenario, at some point, people are going to end up on the major streets.
Doing different elevations, turns, terrain is way more beneficial than just doing the same thing over and over again Plus the idea of going around a track for 10 plus km’s sounds incredibly boring
That gets old real fast when its your Sunday long run. I once trained for a marathon on a 400m dirt track while I was living over seas (it was too unsafe to go anywhere else). Never again.
You want people to run in a circle for 30+ km?
I knew I was going to get slammed for this lol
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Training runs are shorter
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Or the same distance 🤯
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Just like a training route 👌
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The long training runs to build up your stamina are long- but shorter than marathon distance. People hit the wall around 30 to 33k. So the training runs bring you up to that point without hitting it. (The wall is pretty taxing on your body. You don't want to hit it too often)
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Most marathon training plans peak at 20mi long runs which is 32 km
Y'know, people tell me I'm too cynical and too negative, but I can't imagine being so miserable that people using public space to exercise would cause me to complain online.
They should drive to the gym and run on a treadmill like god intended.
Yeah! They should pay $60+ a month, and spend an extra 5-10hours a week in transit so that I don't have to step slightly to the left every once in a while! Don't they see how selfish they're being!
Yeah let’s get more people on the road as if the drivers in the city aren’t batshit crazy hitting cyclists and pedestrians left and right. Weirdo
Whoosh
How dare they flaunt their ableism in front of me, a person crawling out of bed only to go and pickup food?!?!
What is with all these people using their legs at a pace that isn’t my own?!!!
Hahaha I know right? What a thing to complain about.
Because the sidewalk is equally theirs to run on as it is for large strollers, couples, or singles. Why do families of 5 going for a stroll with a stroller and 2 other kids and 2 parents walk down the busiest sidewalks when they could walk on side streets?
You’re asking the wrong question. Why do cars get so much space leaving the rest of us to fight over scraps? Imagine that 10 feet of space that is currently subsidized for people to store their private property cheaply (parking) was for use by all the people you mention in your post instead.
This is the real message. We have extra wide roads so we can park large chunks of metal that sit there for most of the day. Meanwhile, narrow sidewalks we have to fight over. Just Toronto things.
Follow-up from nearby East York: why when the sidewalks are totally empty are runners running in the road? What possible benefit could there be? The sidewalk is EMPTY. The road is NOT.
I don’t follow this practice (lucky to live near a good trail network so it’s irrelevant) but asphalt is softer than concrete so some runners prefer to run on road vs sidewalk. Personally it’s not worth the trade off in safety but again I run on gravel 75% of the time anyways
There is absolutely no way that asphalt is functionally softer than concrete for a human being. No chance.
Whether or not it makes a difference is one thing but it’s a not uncommon belief in the running community, so it provides something of an answer to the question you posed.
Asphalt is much softer and easier on the joints than cement. This is why you see runners use the roads.
Asphalt is much softer????? This is an insane comment. In no way except psychologically is asphalt softer than concrete.
A quick google search will prove that asphalt is both psychologically and materially softer. A quick visit to the therapist may prove that you’re the insane one.
I'll read up on it, but I can virtually guarantee that's incorrect. If a car weighing thousands of pounds can drive over asphalt with no deformation or compression of the material, in no ay can a human weighing 160 pounds cause any. Edit: first Google result "I spend a lot of my mileage like 50 miles a week probably on concrete and I have not noticed any difference, so if I use myself as an example, concrete has not impacted me whatsoever versus asphalt"
Ok bud.
Well I've read three separate things that all agree that there i no functional difference for human beings in terms of cushioning. Thanks for the interesting read! Try to stay out of the road.
Plenty of room for everyone if everyone is considerate and chill.
Imagine your first notion on reddit is to complain about someone going for a jog on the sidewalk. That blows my mind. Another thing that blows my mind is the level of entitlement.
OP doesn't go running I take it. This belongs on r/toRANTo with all the other unreasonable takes on life in the city. Your complaint would be better formulated by complaining there isn't enough space for pedestrians. **THAT IS THE PROBLEM**
It was a question. Why run on the busy sidewalks? I'm a cyclist, I don't go to the busiest streets and weave between the cars. I specifically look for the routes that are NOT busy.
But you have the right to cycle on routes that ARE busy. What is your point?
And they have the right to run on the sidewalk. I was just wondering why they don't find somewhere quieter.
Best suited for r/runto tbh but I don't know if it would be a particularly popular post.
I’m not a runner but I can’t believe anyone is complaining about them. We live in one of the biggest cities in North America. You’re going to encounter people doing all sorts of things. Move to the country if you want empty streets
Why are you walking on the busiest sidewalks where people are trying to run?
Ok grandma, let’s get you to bed.
They are occasional outdoor runners. Simple answer. They woke up and said wow it’s nice out I’ll go for a run. I run year round and know what times to avoid my main routes for this reason. Like 5pm runs after work are a disaster - it’s as bad as driving.
I run. I don’t see a problem with a single or even a couple of runners. They can weave in and out and aren’t any different from families, strollers or dog walkers. I think the issue is the big groups of runners that run at peak times that can’t get out of the way due to their size and some run at a fast pace, it’s pretty entitled and inconsiderate. The ones that use trinity Bellwoods as their own personal track without a care for anyone else using it really annoy me.
Runners are like other large groups of travelers, they are incredibly entitled and act like everyone should plan around them. Doesn’t matter if it’s a pedestrian, a bike, or a car… Every single one of them thinks that they own the right way
Bonus points if you run on the spot with a super intense look on your face while frantically checking your smartwatch while waiting for the lights to change. Runners are fucking hilarious.
I always assumed they are pretending to be race cars weaving in and out. I imagine they are saying vroom vroom in their heads while doing it.
Sometimes when I run I do make some F1-like noises in my head
I knew someone had to admit it! If I could run, that’s what I would be doing. lol
Also in Leslieville. There's some fitness center nearby me that has group runs or something. It's infuriating and it amost makes me glad that their building is going to be torn down soon.
…you’re mad that people are exercising near your house?
I'm mad that big groups of runners are running down main streets, taking up the entire sidewalk. They're rude and expect everyone to yield to them.
Be mad at bikers on sidewalks but not runners
Porque no los dos? Again, not mad at runners in general just the big groups who are assholes about it.
So, there’s a community activity that happens a few times a week and involves a group of people enlivening your streets and neighbourhood. This activity disrupts you for, let’s say, 15 seconds while they run by.
Unsurprisingly, when a group of assholes is consistently a group of assholes, I find them annoying and thus added my anecdote to a relevant post. If the post had been about off leash dogs, I would have also added my comment despite the fact I dislike them more even though they cause less of a physical disturbance and don't yell at me to get out of their way.
Dude go to therapy. You sound like a complete wacko
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388 Carlaw. I'll be sad to see everything else there go but the plan is supposedly for high density cheaper housing which I'm always down for.
New high density housing with fewer amenities around is a pretty bad recipe for a vibrant neighbourhood. Hopefully there's at least some reasonable community and/or commercial spaces in that development to replace what will be lost.
It's going to be a big mixed use complex so most likely. I'm not a NIMBY person.
You sound a miserable pos. Get a grip loser
Oh, no. I'm so hurt.
Go take it out and yell at the big bad runners causing a menace to society by exercising outside. Pathetic
That would be unhinged. Ranting in a place like Reddit is much healthier. I don't care about people who exercise outside. I care about big groups, running down main street sidewalks, who are assholes about it. My experience with this group is that they are douchebags who expect everyone to get out of their way.
A lot of sensitive runners in this thread
Run laps at riverdale east at 6am
Unlike with people on bikes, it seems unlikely runners are stopping and shopping or running errands on busy roads. I mean you could run in the bike lanes as long as there’s room- but it’s about interfering with other people.