Ready or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay and having an impact on all areas of our lives, including our athletic endeavors. When used appropriately, AI can assist coaches in enabling endurance athletes to get the most from their training.
The running industry has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Not only have training techniques continued to evolve, but more than ever endurance athletes are seeking out coaching and training plans to assist with their development.
Technology has played a huge role in the evolution of the sport, with a variety of training platforms and wearables with an exhaustive array of data. Ultimately the goal of all this data may seem counterintuitive – it should help you get better at using your own internal governor to listen to your body. Coaches can help athletes make better sense of both the quantitative data from your watch, and the qualitative data that comes from self-evaluation.
Artificial intelligence is bound to have an impact on coaches and athletes as it becomes more prevalent. But when it comes to training, AI isn’t quite as smart as we give it credit for (yet!). Coaches and self-reflection will always be the best source of data for training, but by learning to work with AI we can harness the most useful aspects without giving it free reign over our running.
Dirk Friel, CoFounder of TrainingPeaks
When it comes to endurance training, we’re often most familiar with the names of elite athletes in the spotlight. But behind the scenes in training and coaching, today’s guest is a major force in the endurance world. Dirk Friel is the co-founder of TrainingPeaks, the largest training platform in the world for athletes. He’s also a talented athlete who explores the mountains through cycling and ski mountaineering.
In 2017, Dirk was named Business Person of the Year by Boulder, Colorado’s Chamber of Commerce. TrainingPeaks has continued to grow and evolve over the years. What began as a coach-focused triathlon training platform now includes running, cycling and a host of other sports, And soon they’ll be launching Training Peaks Strength for coaches as well!
Dirk and I discuss how training has evolved since the early days of faxed training plans, and where it is headed with the rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
Our conversation covers:
- The future of coaching and the impact of AI
- Why coached shouldn’t worry about losing their jobs to AI
- How TrainingPeaks harnesses AI to assist coaches and athletes
- Upcoming technology for athletes and coaches
- What has surprised Dirk from his decades of work with endurance athletes
- Challenges currently facing the coaching industry
Dirk Friel has had a huge impact on the world of endurance training and continues to influence coaches and athletes through his training platform. Our conversation will help you think about the current and future role of technology in your own training!
Subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Follow Dirk on Instagram
- Learn more about Dirk
- Listen to the TrainingPeaks CoachCast
- Follow Training Peaks on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter
- Sign up for our email list to hear about my new training plans on TrainingPeaks!
Thank you DrinkLMNT!
A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at DrinkLMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.
DrinkLMNT’s products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.
If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.
Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out DrinkLMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.
Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
