Hi team, Coach Alexa here, coach online for We Run.
There has been a bit of a theme over the past couple of videos that has got me thinking about all the various different things that I take into account when I am planning people’s training, and also adjusting people’s training. Planning it is one thing, but adjusting it according to life, progress, fitness, and things that come up is a whole other different kettle of fish. I strongly feel that this is where having a human coach can add a huge amount more value.
A real-life example – marathon training meets puppy life
A runner of mine has been doing brilliantly training up for a spring marathon – her second marathon – looking to beat her time from last year.
She has had a wonderful training build-up. She has been super consistent. Those training sessions have been going really well from a running point of view.
About just over four weeks ago now, she brought home a really cute eight-week-old spaniel puppy.
That puppy, as delightfully gorgeous as it is, because I get sent lots of photos – another pro of the job – is being quite disruptive to sleep.
It is not sleeping through yet, not liking being alone, with a little bit of crying or quite a lot of crying in the night.
The impact of sleep disruption on training
That is having an impact on her because she is not able to recover as well. Her sleep has been really quite negatively impacted by the arrival of this delightful, small, high-maintenance creature.
So that is one aspect that I am taking into account in terms of her training load.
When routine falls apart
The other is the fact that it has completely upended her routine.
Her normal routine around her young family and her work had been working quite well throughout the week in terms of fitting in strength sessions and runs on different days. There was quite a good structure to her week that the runs were slotting into.
The puppy’s arrival has completely turned that all on its head.
So it has really shaken up that training routine at a point where it is not ideal, as we are building up to the peak of that marathon training.
Coaching in real time – adapting day by day
There are two big aspects that have changed, as well as a whole load of other ricochet effects of the arrival of this puppy throughout her life. But those are the two main ones.
We are working together almost on a day-by-day, or half-week by half-week basis at the moment on what runs she can fit in practically, how she is feeling, how she has slept, and therefore what her training needs to look like for the next few days.
Why human coaching still matters
It got me thinking – not wanting to blow my own trumpet – but I think it is that sort of thing that human coaches are a lot better at than AI and algorithm-based approaches.
I am doing my best to support her and get her to her marathon goal with this really fairly sizeable, life-changing, small four-legged creature arriving in her life.
Happy running.
