Do’s And Dont’s Of Sharing Your Triathlon Pursuits On Social Media
Some general rules to follow when sharing your tri-related endeavors.
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We all have those friends who feel inclined to document and share every moment of their waking lives on social media, whether they have ten followers or ten million. Whether it’s a picture of their lunch or a tweet about every fleeting thought, the oversharing gets to be a bit tedious. Where does the line get drawn when it comes to sharing workout information: i.e. workout snapshots, Strava files and links to race results?
To help make sure that you don’t alienate every member in your virtual social circles, here are some general rules to follow when sharing your tri-related endeavors.
Dont’s
Take the exact same picture every single time you do a workout. Friends don’t need to be reminded daily of your aerobar setup and what type of shoes you run in, no matter how artsy the presentation. As soon as people see the same tired post a few times they will just swipe quickly by any workout related posts.
Post your race time with a 500-word caption explaining in detail your slower-than-anticipated time. If you don’t want that judgmental guy in your Masters lane to know you had a bad race, don’t go out of your way to make your time public knowledge.
Take yourself too seriously. When you post a picture of yourself running around in a Speedo and then a Facebook friend pokes fun at you, don’t get defensive. Spandex, compression socks and Speedos are not everyday apparel items to most of the wider population, so don’t miffed by the periodic, good-natured ribbing. (Also: they’re just jealous.)
Get annoyed when you are talking about racing and someone is confused and asks too many questions. “I went to pick up my bib, check my wave, grab some Gu and review the T2 setup—but I made sure to monitor by BMP on my Suunto and wear my 2XU sleeves so I’m not overdoing it before my big race,” is not an easy sentence to decipher for the uninitiated. Be patient and explain tri-parlance when people ask you what in the world you are talking about.
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Do’s
Use training-related posts and shares to adhere to goals and stay motivated. Once you publicly post your goal people will ask about it later, so use your followers as accountability partners to stay on track.
Post the good parts of the sport to inspire others. Posting only humble-braggy comments about how painful that long ride was and pictures of your chafed underarms offers a skewed and downer perspective on what can be a tough but rewarding sport. Why not share pictures of your group ride buddies grabbing a mid-ride coffee and showcase how much fun triathlon can be?
Space out your workout related posts so people want to pay attention and track your progress. If you are doing a 10-week training block then check in once a week or even every other week. People will tune in and be much more interested in what you have been doing while training.
With these tips you are sure to avoid being the annoying “workout friend” on any social media network!