Segment sniping: a good way to get speed work while simultaneously angering Strava try-hards?

Isn't that just the normal way of taking Strava segments? The only people who care are other segment snipers, who wouldn't get mad because they do the same thing that you do. Since all of the second-place times are slow, it means that there are no segment snipers, so unfortunately no one gets mad.

Hey OP, saw you took some of my segments so I'm heading back out on my bike and uploading ad a run now. Your move

You are my hero. Destroying the souls of so many Strava enthusiasts.

It sounds like it's just fun for you right now, but no one in your area knows or cares about the segment KOM's.

You should take the segments without an all-out effort and leave the new KOM closely within reach of second place. That way someone might be more motivated to go out and take the segment. When someone does go out and take the segment, then Strava-stalk them, look up all of their KOM's (this will be visible to the public because the kind of person that goes after the KOM's needs the attention from the public, otherwise why should they even record the activity). Then go out to every one of their KOM's and take them with all-out efforts. If they have a KOM from a vacation they took thousands of miles away several years ago then go take that too.

I've been observing a local segment as the top 10 has been changing a lot.

I looked at a lot of the new entries and then looked at the profile, and without fail the runner has a 5k pr of something like 21 minutes.

I jog the segment a lot but I'm not in the top 10. Meanwhile my 5k is 18 minutes.

When it comes to a real race or a parkrun I will beat all of them except for the top runners in the local area.

Segements are absolutely pointless and encourage bad habits.

nerd

lets sprint segments wrote:

I jog the segment a lot but I'm not in the top 10. Meanwhile my 5k is 18 minutes.

When it comes to a real race or a parkrun I will beat all of them except for the top runners in the local area.

Segements are absolutely pointless and encourage bad habits.

Nah. They're fun. Nothing wrong with strides.

It's not like there are really that many segments out there worth running fast anyway. The good segments near me get some nice, fun competition every now and then.

Most segments are bad places to run a real effort for the distance though (like through an intersection).

Also, if the segments that you are referring to are in the 0.25 - 0.50 mile range like a lot of segments are, then your 18-minute 5k time doesn't necessarily indicate to me that you could get into the top 10 on those segments if you wanted to. If those joggers with a Strava-estimated 21-minute 5k PR never raced 5k and they played sports before, then I wouldn't be surprised if they could beat a 18-minute-5ker in a 400 or 800 race.

Yes I am pretty smart.

Also bear in mind, no one on here makes money from running or has any hope of turning pro, so you can do what you want, but at the end of the day segment hunting is wasted energy and is actually pretty nerdy in itself if you think about it.

A bit of segment sniping is good fun as long as it doesn't interfere with the purpose of the run (which did happen a lot when I first started using Strava).

If I'm not doing any specific training, I'll often to a bit of segment fartlek, usually trying to find a few decent length segments to include.

But it is you who is the try-hard, son...

you know what's nerdier than segment hunting? segment hunting but instead of running the top time you check everyone's 5k prs

flvmmox wrote:

you know what's nerdier than segment hunting? segment hunting but instead of running the top time you check everyone's 5k prs

+1

I thought segments existed primarily to be "sniped." There's a hill on my typical bike ride in the middle of nowhere with the best time of 23 seconds. Why else would this exist if not to allow cyclists to test themselves by hammering the hill, i.e., sniping it?

Yep, it's fun to go for segments on a fartlek, but I wouldn't do too many on an easy run as it hinders recovery

I think the segment sniper is the try-hard. I'm admittedly pretty quick, top 20-50 american distance runner in a range of events the past five years or so. All of the segments I've had are during regular workouts that happened to be the fastest ever on that segment. Say I'm running a 3 mile interval or a long progression run where I'm covering some random 1 mile strava segment in 4:50 pace, and I get the segment record. Obviously I could go out there and race that strava segment and run 4:10 if I really wanted to, but that's stupid.

So the strava segment sniper is the real try-hard who just isn't fast enough to get any segments without doing this.

old news wrote:

flvmmox wrote:

you know what's nerdier than segment hunting? segment hunting but instead of running the top time you check everyone's 5k prs

+1

+69

Also if we are talking PRs, I have ran about 16 flat and can break 16 on a flat course tomorrow. 600-1500 is still where I run my strongest. I am death. I am entropy. I am inevitable.

The sniper is the try-hard wrote:

I think the segment sniper is the try-hard. I'm admittedly pretty quick, top 20-50 american distance runner in a range of events the past five years or so. All of the segments I've had are during regular workouts that happened to be the fastest ever on that segment. Say I'm running a 3 mile interval or a long progression run where I'm covering some random 1 mile strava segment in 4:50 pace, and I get the segment record. Obviously I could go out there and race that strava segment and run 4:10 if I really wanted to, but that's stupid.

So the strava segment sniper is the real try-hard who just isn't fast enough to get any segments without doing this.

I pick up random strava CRs all the time. I’ve never really segment sniped until these last few weeks. I’m for sure not as fast as you, but I am D1 fast and will be competing with a team this fall.

The purpose is most definitely to be a tryhard, but a tryhard with 51 400m to 15:30 5k range, rather than the earlier tryhard trying to call me out as a tryhard with 18:00 5k speed.

My reasoning? An 18:00 guy competing with a bunch of 21:00 minute guys is silly. A 15-mid guy competing with a bunch of 21:00 guys is just pure epic

Segment hunting is fun. But most of those people probably don't care.

What you need to find is a guy who brags about getting the KOM in the title or description of the run. Those people care A LOT and this type of segment chasing would definitely piss them off.

In fact, I specifically got a lot of segments from one guy day after day until I stole all of his segments. He has repeatedly tried to get them back but since he is like a 20 minute 5k guy who does these as all out efforts he was unable to get most of them.

I dont even care but I think it's funny to grab a seggy crown. A lot of the sub elites and elites are too busy training so if they get a crown it is probably a haphazard event.

I was once stopped by a guy who wanted to ask if I had the segment crown but I said nope. He wanted to identify that crown holder amd I told him to fvck right off.