Could an Artificial Intelligence coach unlock your full potential?
We’ve seen a number of articles similar to this one already in 2023 — the year Artificial Intelligence escaped its previous bounds and exploded onto the world. We’ll be seeing many more.
The big question: Should we let AI coach us? No doubt, there are situations where AI can produce certain results super fast and sometimes even super well. Is personal coaching one of them?
To decide for himself, runner-writer Andy Cochrane let his Garmin Watch dictate everything he did for a month with regard to his training and recovery. His particular Garmin has many algorithm-derived training tools. A spokesperson for the software company that delivered these suggestions said: “ We applied accepted training philosophies, and tested for years.”
Cochrane really liked how the software could pick up and analyze data from other devices, like his bicycle. He never had to actually input information into a training log. It all migrated there, to his log, on its own.
All of this hums along in the background and only gets more accurate as you use the watch more often, wrote Cochrane. “Overall, I found the AI behind the watch to be mostly accurate, suggesting base efforts in line with my expectations, threshold workouts consistent with past workouts, and anaerobic sprint workouts to be hard, as they should be,” he noted.
He didn’t, however, stick with the program after his 30 days of testing. Why not? Probably because he preferred “training by feel, an approach that offers more flexibility.” I suspect many of us would react this way.
On the other hand, it’s also alluring to think you could assign your training decisions to a smart system that might produce superior results. At the least, it might prove a fun experiment. More at Trail Runner.
Roadmap to success: 5 proven ways to reach your training goals
Strava data by itself is mostly a mountainous heap of training rubble. But when someone manages to turn that rubble inside out, important details can emerge. That’s what happened with this Strava analysis.
The question: Who reaches their training goals in a year, and how do they do it? A look back at Strava data from past years can help you hone in on your goals. Here are some suggestions.
Set round-number or other meaningful goals. Strava users like 1000K/year and 1000 miles/per year. Or, if you’re up for more than that, how about 2023K or 2023 miles? Or the same approach for next year? Palpable goals help you maintain your motivation through the months.
Also, aim high in August, September, and October. Those are the months when Strava users overcome the winter doldrums. Don’t expect to sprint through November and December — not very likely to happen.
Don’t let one or two missed training days sidetrack you. Get back into your running rhythm as soon as possible. You don’t want to let bad habits put down roots, and get stronger. Build your miles by introducing more training days (modest ones), not by aiming for longer runs. Athletes who met their goals had 15% more activity days than those who didn’t.
Find one or several great training partners. It never fails. Strava athletes who ran with others were 17 percent more likely to hit their training goals. More Strava goal-attaining strategies at Outside Online.
A new (somewhat risky) way to improve your marathon time
About 30 years ago, when I heard that some top American marathoners were taking glycerol to hyper hydrate for hot-weather races, I asked a Gatorade rep why their product didn’t include glycerol.
The rep answered, and this is a paraphrase, “Because if someone takes too much, it could suck their eyeballs into their skull.” That’s not the kind of quote that you forget quickly.
But it appears the procedure lives on. In fact, it might be gaining some currency. A new systematic review concludes: “Pre-exercise hyperhydration may improve exercise capacity during constant work rate exercise due to a reduced heart rate and core temperature, stemming from an acute increase in plasma volume.”
We’re all facing a lot of hot weather out there these days, and would welcome a way to feel and perform better in the heat. Hyperhydration means “drinking a lot before you run.” This systematic review revealed that studies have shown improvements in time trials, work completed, and exercise capacity, while lowering heart rate and core temperature. (And no reports of disappearing eyeballs.)
If you’re waiting for the bad news, here it comes: In about three-quarters of hyperhydration studies, the subjects have reported gastrointestinal problems of varied intensity. Your body will retain more consumed fluids if they include some sodium and/or glycerol, but both of these can contribute to the GI issues.
So you’d better test this out at home before using it in any important races. More at Sports Medicine with free full text.
Stride smart: How shorter steps can reduce your stress-fracture risk
If you think runners are concerned about ground reaction forces and potential injuries, you should consider the U.S. Army’s view. Stress fractures account for about 1.6 million injuries/yr in the Army. They’re the leading cause of lost days during basic combat training, where stress fracture incidence is 18 times higher than that of veteran soldiers not in basic training.
To reduce this combat-training problem, the Army has been investigating the possible benefits of a shorter stride. In this study, Army researchers selected 21 women recruits who were small height, medium, or tall. All were experienced treadmill runners, so they were monitored and measured on a treadmill while running with their normal stride, and also with a stride 10 percent shorter than normal.
The researchers performed many analyses of how the women’s biomechanics differed at the two stride lengths. Conclusion: “Reducing the stride length decreased the joint moments, joint reaction forces, tibial strain, and tibial stress-fracture risk.”
Also, and the study team didn’t expect this: Height played no role in differentiating stress fracture risk. All the women — short, medium, and tall — benefited equally from shorter strides. More at BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders with free full text.
A similar study, among female collegiate runners, yielded a similar good result for increased stride rate, which is just another way of saying decreased stride length. This report is different from many others in that the research team measured stride rate over 1000 meters on a track. Most such papers collect only a few footfalls on a short plate in the lab.
Result: When the runners increased their stride rate, they decreased both their peak ground reaction force and their total cumulative force over the 1000 meters. More at Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Knee pain? This simple exercise will set you free
I’m accustomed to reviewing studies that conclude there’s only “low quality evidence” for this or that. So it was different and impressive to find an important exercise routine that has produced “high quality evidence to support” its practice.
And the problem being investigated is an important one that troubles many endurance athletes as well as the general population: knee arthritis. What can be done? Well, there are various options, including over-the-counter and prescription meds, and even surgery.
But before you go down any of those paths, consider simple exercises that can increase the strength of your hip abductors. “Ab” means “away from” (I had many years of Latin in jr. high and high school), so an abductor exercise is one in which you move your legs, against some resistance, away from the midline of your body. You can use gravity, rubbery bands, or machines to apply the resistance.
Doing hip abduction strength training rests on a foundation of “high-quality evidence as a rehabilitative treatment for subjects with knee osteoarthritis.” More in this systematic review and meta analysis at BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders with free full text.
Handle with care: 6 reasons to be careful with “massage guns”
It appears that “massage guns” are the must-have new runner tool of the moment, and the high-speed thumpers have many good uses. But that doesn’t mean you should try them on every painful or restricted body part.
Here’s a helpful article explaining 6 situations where you probably shouldn’t reach for your massage gun. It also has additional good advice on proper usage of a massage gun. As is often the case, a little might be very good, but more isn’t necessarily better. More at Marathon Handbook.
How you can boost your iron absorption, and beat anemia
Getting enough iron in the diet (or with supplement help) is essential for all endurance athletes. And it can be especially problematic for females, due to their loss through menstruation.
This review notes that hepcidin levels rise in the 3 to 6 hours post-exercise, and hepcidin tends to decrease iron absorption by the body. So if you’re consuming iron-rich foods during that 3 to 6 hour period, you might not be getting as much iron as you’d like. This probably explains “the high rates of iron deficiency seen in athletes.”
According to new research, it’s better to consume iron in the 30 minutes before exercise, or the 30 minutes after. This “allows for strategic iron intake to optimize absorption around exercise.” More at Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care.
Holy bunions! Are barefoot running shoes making a comeback?
In a long detailed article, we learn that “ancestral living” fans and, yes, some runners have spurred a rebirth in sales at barefoot running companies. I rarely see anyone running barefoot these days, and the infamous Vibram Five Fingers shoes are long gone. But other minimalist and zero-drop running shoes appear to be finding a niche.
They may also be at the forefront in using sustainable materials. One company, Vivobarefoot, is making shoes from “algae-based foam,” recycled and vegan materials, and leather sourced from small-scale, independent farmers.
Also, if you only knew that Emily Sisson is the current fastest American female marathoner of all time (2:18:29), you’re missing out on some details about her father, Mark, a former top triathlete. Five years ago, he sold his “Primal Kitchen” business for a reported $200 million. Recently he launched a minimalist shoe company, Peluva, with a son. Peluva shoes emphasize four key approaches the father-and-son team believe crucial to healthy walking: zero drop from heel to toe, increased flexibility, a wide toe box, and thinner soles. More at Fast Company.
SHORT STUFF you don’t want to miss
>>> Burn more calories (effortlessly): Just add more NEAT to your day — non activity thermogenesis.
GREAT QUOTES make great training partners
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
— Abraham Lincoln
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby