Training this year has been a magically consistent thing, more than ever before. I've finally hit the summer-training slump, so I'm hoping a little look back on my accomplishments will help kick me into gear for the last few intensive weeks before I leave for vacation.
Because my last half of the year is only 10 days after I return from a two-week vacation in Singapore and Bali, I decided I needed some help creating my training plan. I used my work-granted access to Claude to create an interactive training calendar and put it to use.
The outcome has been interesting. It became immediately apparent that Claude is the LLM Strava (and its acquired partner-app Runna) uses to create its training plans.
I tend to just run whatever distance I want at whatever pace feels good on weekdays and add a mile or two each weekend to my long run. My Claude-plan provided me with particular workouts to complete, including tempo runs beyond any distance I'd ever done before, and particular paces.
The tempo runs were the scariest thing about adhering to this plan. I'm used to capping pre-work weekday runs at 4 miles due to time, but Claude wanted me to complete 5 or 6 mile tempo runs on weekdays. (Originally it even had a few 7-milers in there, but I removed them. I had to be realistic!) The longest tempo run I'd done before this was 4 miles.
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| Finally putting my Garmin to use by creating real workouts! |
On the question of paces, I'd already been working to slow my easy and long runs way down, so when Claude recommended fairly conservative paces based on the run and race data I shared, I was glad they aligned with that goal.
I started this plan in late June. In July, I had my highest mileage month ever, including when I was training for full marathons. 73 miles. I was flabbergasted when I saw that, since I usually barely break 50 miles in a month.
A perk of having a plan like this is that I was really good at following it for awhile. I felt accomplished when I checked off a box and when the confetti exploded after completing a full week. The downside is that I stopped listening to my body. Usually, I'll add a rest day here or there, adjust my long run mileage, or skip a day when I have other things going on.
Following a plan took decision-making off my plate, but overtraining burnout took me by surprise in early August and I suddenly lost momentum. It was hard to give myself a break because I felt like a failure for not checking off my workouts. How quickly I had fallen into an all-or-nothing mindset!
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| Smiling after struggling through a 9-miler. |
Like all LLMs, Claude is complimentary and kind. When I have to go in and make an adjustment, it never tells me I'm a loser for missing a workout. When I tell it something like, "The AQI has been 120 because of wildfire smoke, I missed two runs!" it will unfailingly tell me I made a smart decision to skip runs because my lung health is so important, and will suggest a way to get back on track, but that doesn't assuage my guilt that I wasn't able to complete the prescribed plan without deviation.
I will say this: the pros of having a plan sketched out far outweigh the cons. I like the positive feedback of checking off workouts, I like not having to think about what I'm going to do each day, and tackling tempo runs makes me feel strong and capable in a way I haven't felt in a long time.
I have to work on the sense of failure I feel when I need to make a change to my calendar. Listening to my body is good, actually. The struggle comes from my need to perform perfectly, even if I'm only performing for an LLM.
I have three more weeks of training before I leave for Singapore. I am looking forward to finishing strong and truly earning my taper. And then, on race day, we'll see how good AI actually is at creating bespoke workout plans.
Ali
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