There's a fantastic virtual reality training program out there called Zwift. It's changed the world of indoor biking and running.

There's another popular social media program called Strava, where athletes of all types can be logged and shared with friends.

A lot of different gadgets and gear can be synched automatically with Strava -- like your GPS watch or phone -- meaning your amazing workouts and adventures can be immediately shared with all your admirers.

And yes, I see the vanity of it, but it's also quite fun to see how your friends are doing with their training. There's more to it than that, but that's the basic concept.

There's also a fair amount of motivational psychology involved that makes you maybe do things you don't think -- or don't want -- to do.

Here's the run though. What happens -- as it did to me this weekend -- when there's a glitch late in a vigorous 30 miles ride through the imaginary Pacific island world of Watopia and the program shuts down without saving the ride.

Poof. Gone. All for naught.

No post to Strava for all my friends to see, proof that I did go on that ride I said I was going on.

Does it count? Of course it does. I still put my body through the workout. I sweated and burned my quad muscles. I did all that.

Still, the psychology is such that it feels like I didn't do anything. So I'm going for another ride. It's nice out. I'm going outside instead.


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