AI can write theoretically perfect training plans—but it has no clue why your legs feel like two blocks of concrete today.
- AI is great at building a logical, structured plan for your workouts, based on vast amounts of theoretical data.
- It completely lacks empathy and context: it doesn’t know if you slept poorly, if you’re stressed, or if your calf is acting up.
- It’s an excellent tool for generating creative ideas for warm-ups, stretching, or alternative workouts when you’re feeling uninspired.
- It works as a tireless data analyst, helping you spot trends in your performance you might have missed.
- It can’t fix your running form or give you that (real or metaphorical) pat on the back when you’re ready to give up.
- Think of it as an efficient assistant, not a life coach—the final decision should always be yours.
I Asked ChatGPT to Train Me for a Marathon. Here’s What Happened.
Imagine a coach who never sleeps, has read every running book ever published since 1970, and answers in three seconds flat without ever losing patience. That’s basically what you get when you open a chat with an AI and ask: “Create a training plan to run a sub-4-hour marathon.”
The result is visually satisfying. In seconds, the screen fills with a neat chart: rest on Monday, intervals on Tuesday, long run on Sunday. It all looks perfect. The mileage progresses with mathematical logic, the workload increases gradually, and there’s even a taper before race day.
And yet, as you scroll through that spotless schedule, something feels off. It’s a cold kind of perfection. It’s a roadmap drawn by someone who’s studied every map in the world but never set foot on the pavement—never felt short of breath on a hill, and most importantly, doesn’t know who you are. What you have is a solid theoretical plan for an average runner who doesn’t exist, generated by a brilliant syntax machine. But you’re not a statistical average.
The Superpowers of AI: Structure, Ideas, and Data Analysis
Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t a useless tool. Far from it. When used wisely, AI has some truly valuable strengths for runners.
Its first superpower is organization. If your brain is a mess and you don’t know how to fit three runs into a busy week, AI is the best secretary you could ask for: give it your constraints, and it gives you a plan.
Its second strength is its encyclopedic creativity. We often get stuck in routine—same warm-up, same drills, same neighborhood loop. Ask ChatGPT “Give me 5 fun fartlek variations” and it might unlock ideas you’d forgotten or never tried.
And then there’s its ability to synthesize. If you upload your raw data (safely and where possible), AI can help you interpret the numbers—like why your heart rate dipped or your pace dropped after the 10K mark. It does the grunt work of analysis we often avoid out of laziness.
The Hard Limit: AI Doesn’t Know Your Legs Hurt Today
And here’s the rub—what no algorithm can currently solve. Training isn’t just about applying physical stress and recovering. It’s about adjusting that stress to real life.
AI doesn’t know you worked late or ate poorly last night. It doesn’t know your kid had a fever and you only slept three hours. It doesn’t know that twinge in your Achilles feels worse today than yesterday.
If you follow an AI-generated plan blindly, you’ll head out Tuesday morning for brutal intervals “because the plan says so.” A real coach, seeing your face or hearing your voice, might say, “Not today—do 40 minutes of easy running and go to bed early.”
AI lacks context and empathy. It can’t sense mental fatigue, which often weighs heavier than lactic acid. That’s the real risk: outsourcing your body’s needs to something that doesn’t have one.
3 Smart Ways to Use AI as Your Free “Assistant Coach”
So what’s the solution? Use the tech for what it is—a tool, not a guru. Here are three smart ways to make it work for you:
- Alternative generator: Sick of planks and basic crunches? Ask AI: “Give me a 15-minute core workout for runners, no equipment needed.” You’ll get variety and (usually) clear instructions.
- Theory translator: You’ve heard of “anaerobic threshold” or “VO2 Max” but don’t really get what they mean? Ask it to explain it “like I’m 10.” AI excels at breaking down complex training concepts.
- Logistics manager: Packing for a mountain race and scared you’ll forget something? Ask for a checklist. It’ll remind you of gels, safety pins, and anti-chafing cream—stuff you might overlook when nerves kick in.
Tech Is a Tool. You’re the Athlete.
There’s a huge difference between information and knowledge, and an even bigger one between knowledge and wisdom. AI has all the information in the world and a good chunk of structured knowledge. But running wisdom—the ability to feel when to push and when to ease off, to sense when you’re full of energy or completely drained—only belongs to you.
By all means, use ChatGPT to structure your week or spark inspiration when routine gets stale. But don’t let an algorithm tell you how you feel. When you lace up and step out the door, the only processor that really matters is the one between your ears—wired directly to your heart and your legs. And the good news? That one doesn’t need a software update.