Thought it might be interesting to ask AI how it sees personalised AI coaching in 3 years time:
Personalized AI assistants are poised to revolutionize triathlon coaching programs in the next three years, moving beyond simple data tracking to become truly intelligent, adaptive, and highly integrated companions for athletes. Here’s how we can expect them to evolve:
1. Hyper-Personalized Training Plans & Dynamic Adaptation:
Beyond Static Plans: No more generic 12-week plans. AI will create truly dynamic, hyper-personalized training schedules that adjust daily based on an athlete’s real-time physiological data (HRV, sleep quality, recovery metrics, stress levels), subjective feedback (mood, fatigue, perceived exertion), and even external factors like weather forecasts and upcoming life events (travel, work commitments).
Real-time Micro-Adjustments: During a session, if an athlete is showing signs of fatigue or overtraining (e.g., lower power output than expected, elevated heart rate for the same effort), the AI will recommend immediate adjustments – perhaps shortening the interval, reducing intensity, or suggesting a complete shift to a recovery session.
Optimal Load and Recovery: AI will excel at balancing training load and recovery, a critical aspect of triathlon to prevent injury and burnout. It will analyze patterns in an athlete’s data to identify potential injury risks long before they manifest and suggest pre-emptive rest or targeted recovery protocols (e.g., specific stretches, foam rolling, active recovery).
Multimodal Data Integration: AI will seamlessly integrate data from a vast array of wearables (smartwatches, chest straps, power meters, GPS devices, smart textiles) and even environmental sensors. This comprehensive data picture will provide a holistic view of an athlete’s performance.
AI-Powered Biomechanical Analysis: Using computer vision and machine learning on video footage (from smart swim goggles, bike cameras, or even smartphone recordings), AI will analyze an athlete’s form and technique across all three disciplines. It will identify subtle inefficiencies, imbalances, and deviations from optimal form that even a human coach might miss. For example:
Swimming: Analyzing stroke rate, catch, pull, body position, and bilateral breathing.
Cycling: Optimizing pedaling efficiency, aerodynamic position, and power delivery.
Running: Assessing gait, cadence, stride length, ground contact time, and running economy.
Real-time, Actionable Feedback: Instead of waiting for a post-session review, athletes will receive real-time audio or visual cues during their workouts. Imagine an AI voice in your ear during a run telling you to “increase cadence slightly” or “relax your shoulders,” or visual overlays in AR glasses showing optimal swim stroke lines.
3. Integrated Nutrition, Hydration, and Mental Coaching:
Dynamic Fueling Strategies: AI will generate highly personalized nutrition and hydration plans, adjusting dynamically based on training load, sweat rate, environmental conditions, and even individual metabolic responses (if integrated with continuous glucose monitors). It can suggest what to eat, how much, and when, for optimal energy and recovery.
Race Day Strategy Optimization: AI will become a powerful tool for race day planning, considering course profiles, weather forecasts, athlete’s current fitness, and even competitor data to suggest optimal pacing strategies, fueling schedules, and transition tactics.
Mental Fortitude and Stress Management: Moving beyond physical training, AI will start to incorporate mental well-being. By analyzing sleep patterns, HRV, and subjective mood tracking, it could identify signs of mental fatigue or stress and suggest mindfulness exercises, guided meditations, or even prompt check-ins with a human coach.
4. The Evolving Role of the Human Coach:
AI as an Assistant Coach: AI will augment rather than replace human coaches. Coaches will leverage AI’s data analysis, predictive capabilities, and automated task management to gain deeper insights into their athletes. This frees up coaches to focus on the human elements: motivation, mentorship, strategy, and addressing complex individual needs that AI can’t yet fully grasp (e.g., psychological barriers, personal life challenges).
Enhanced Coach-Athlete Communication: AI platforms will streamline communication by summarizing performance data, flagging key trends, and even drafting personalized feedback messages for coaches to review and send to their athletes.
Democratization of Elite Coaching: Highly sophisticated, personalized coaching, previously only accessible to elite athletes, will become more affordable and available to a wider range of triathletes, thanks to the scalability of AI.
5. Integration with Virtual Environments & Gamification:
Smart Trainers & Virtual Worlds: Seamless integration with smart trainers (like Zwift, TrainerRoad) will allow AI to dynamically adjust resistance and simulate race conditions or specific workouts based on the athlete’s real-time performance and the AI’s personalized plan.
Gamified Training: AI can introduce gamified elements to make training more engaging and motivational, providing challenges, leaderboards (against personal bests or virtual competitors), and rewards.
In the next three years, personalized AI assistants for triathlon will be less like glorified spreadsheets and more like intelligent, empathetic, and constantly learning co-pilots, working in concert with human coaches to unlock each athlete’s full potential.
I think some of the new tech might be able to help with some advice, the power paddles might be able to be utilised, they use accelerometers to show direction and the pressure put on water, a bit like how the Stryd works with the new Footpath analytics that are quite good, but I was sceptical of the paddles as you could have the best front quadrant mechanics, but how does it measure body position and drag (stryd has some metrics to work out whether you are muscling through, like form power which measures “The cost of doing business” )
Strangley I have just locked my work computer and the lock screen under the clock says “The world’s top althletes are inoroving their performance with the help of AI” spooky
" For an Ironman 70.3 on a rolling course, an athlete with an FTP of 250 watts should focus on power control and climbing efficiency. A great session to build strength and race-specific endurance is a Rolling Terrain Simulation.
Rolling Terrain Simulation
Purpose: Improve climbing strength, pacing control, and endurance for undulating terrain.
Session Structure:
Warm-up: 15 minutes of easy spinning.
Main Set:
4 × 15 minutes at 80–90% FTP (200–225 watts), including:
5 minutes at 90% FTP (225 watts) on simulated climbs.
10 minutes at 80% FTP (200 watts) on flatter terrain.
5 minutes of easy spinning between intervals.
Cool-down: 10 minutes of easy spinning.
Focus Areas:
Climbing technique: Maintain a steady cadence (~75–85 RPM) on climbs.
Pacing control: Avoid surging too hard on hills to conserve energy.
Fueling strategy: Practice nutrition intake during efforts.
This session will help you smooth out power spikes and stay efficient on race day. Let me know if you’d like variations or additional workouts! "
It must have pulled from trainerroad… although in their case thats 2’ at 50% into the main 90% intervals. (Its ok though because time crunched) 1 minute cooldown as well
"Here’s a key bike session designed for an Ironman 70.3 on a rolling course, tailored for an athlete with an FTP of 250 watts. This session focuses on building sustained power for the longer efforts while incorporating the short, sharp bursts needed for rolling terrain.
Key Bike Session: Rolling 70.3 Power Builder
Athlete FTP: 250 Watts
Session Goal: Improve sustained power at Ironman 70.3 effort, practice responding to rolling terrain, and enhance fatigue resistance.
Warm-up (20-25 minutes):
5-10 minutes: Progressive Build (Z2-Z3) - Gradually increase power from 120 watts up to 180-200 watts. Maintain a comfortable cadence.
10-15 minutes: Higher Cadence Drills - 3 x 1-minute efforts at 95-105 RPM, still in Z2-Z3 (150-180 watts), with 1 minute easy spinning (Z1) in between. Focus on maintaining control and smoothness at higher cadences.
15-20 minutes: Cadence & Power Integration - 2 x 2-minute efforts:
Minute 1: 80-90 RPM at Z3 (190-210 watts)
Minute 2: 90-100 RPM at Z3-Z4 (210-230 watts)
2 minutes easy spinning (Z1) after each 2-minute effort.
20-25 minutes: Short Intense Efforts - 3 x 30-second efforts at Z5-Z6 (275-325+ watts, above FTP), followed by 1 minute of easy spinning (Z1). These are short, sharp bursts to activate fast-twitch fibers and prepare for the main set. Focus on quick acceleration.
Main Set (1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours):
This main set simulates the demands of a rolling 70.3 course, combining sustained efforts with “over-unders” to mimic ascents and descents/flats.
Block 1: Ironman Effort with Rolling Simulation (45-60 minutes)
3 x 15-20 minute efforts with 5 minutes easy spinning (Z1) in between.
Within each 15-20 minute effort, alternate as follows:
2-3 minutes at 70.3 Goal Power (Z3): 185-200 watts (74-80% FTP). This is your target sustained effort for the race.
1 minute “Rolling Ascent” (Over) (Z4): 225-240 watts (90-96% FTP). Simulate climbing or pushing over a rise.
1 minute “Rolling Descent/Flat” (Under) (Z2): 140-160 watts (56-64% FTP). Recover briefly on a descent or easier flat section.
Repeat this 4-5 minute cycle (2-3 min Z3, 1 min Z4, 1 min Z2) for the duration of the 15-20 minute block.
Block 2: Threshold Push for Fatigue Resistance (30-40 minutes)
2 x 15-20 minute efforts with 5 minutes easy spinning (Z1) in between.
Within each 15-20 minute effort:
10-12 minutes at “Sweet Spot” (Z3-Z4): 200-225 watts (80-90% FTP). This builds sustained power just below threshold.
5-8 minutes at “Threshold Push” (Z4): 235-250 watts (94-100% FTP). This pushes your limit and builds fatigue resistance, similar to a strong effort over a longer climb or into a headwind.
Cool-down (10-15 minutes):
10-15 minutes: Easy Spinning (Z1) - Gradually reduce power from 150 watts down to 80-100 watts. Focus on flushing the legs and bringing your heart rate down.
Important Considerations for the Athlete:
Hydration and Nutrition: This is a long session. Ensure you have plenty of fluids (water, electrolytes) and consider taking on some simple carbohydrates (e.g., energy gels, sports drink) during the main set, simulating race-day nutrition.
Cadence: For the longer efforts, aim for a cadence that feels sustainable and efficient for you (typically 80-90 RPM). During the “Over” efforts, don’t be afraid to drop your cadence slightly if it helps you produce the power, but try to keep it above 70 RPM.
Perceived Exertion (RPE): While watts are primary, also pay attention to your RPE.
Z1: Very easy
Z2: Easy, conversational
Z3: Moderately hard, can still talk in short sentences
Z4: Hard, can only speak a few words
Z5: Very hard, unsustainable
Rolling Course Specifics: If you have access to a simulator that can mimic rolling terrain, this session will be even more effective. Otherwise, visualize the changes in gradient and adjust your effort accordingly.
Listen to Your Body: If you’re feeling overly fatigued, it’s okay to shorten a block or reduce the intensity. Consistency over time is more important than one heroic session.
Post-Session: Prioritize recovery with stretching, refuelling, and rest.
This session provides a strong stimulus for Ironman 70.3 bike performance on a rolling course, combining sustained aerobic power with the dynamic efforts needed for varied terrain. Good luck!"
Maybe it should be 110% fading to 90% and then hold on for 2hr15 or as long as you can.
Same for the run go out at 3:30 min/km for the first km and then go oh shit maybe I need to roll this back by 60 - 90s per K
I actually did a couple of AI generated 70.3 sessions from bestbikesplit last season for Cotswolds 113 and Swansea 70.3… they were good sessions to be far.
Probably need age included in the prompt to help with the warmup. Personally I know the warmup I need, and a real coach can help there with what works for an althlete, the back and forth communication helps for sure.
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