With six weeks to go until my next 70.3 I chose to look at whether AI could help me with my plan for the race. I watched Frankfurt and Roth back to back weekends and after their incessant advertising of Human** and Tri***. I decided to have a quick look.
So I downloaded TriSPOT
Started well, it asked me some questions with “SPottie” their AI bot. It asked me how long I ride for, how quick I ride.
Same again for running and swimming.
I said 10k- 45:30 and ran for 90mins
40k TT- 1:10 and ride for 3 hours
Swim: 1:40 and Swam for an hour.
All fairly reasonable and all fairly sensible.
So my AI created training.
I had a triple threshold day to start with (I was sensing some challenges but let it go). It suggested I would run threshold efforts at 7:02 per km. (Read above for the info I told SPottie).
It gave me 15 mins efforts on the bike at 68w. Which much to the amusement of my friends wasn’t quite accurate.
But the most scary, it suggested I swim repeats of 1:20 in the pool for 100m and do them off 90. (again check above).
I connected some info and nothing changed. I looked to see if I could update some info like FTP which I knew. But Dottie wasn’t interested, the AI was more clever than me.
I thought I’d check the pricing to see if I would survive on the app for more than 2 hours.
£70 per month for the AI coaching element which I was questioning or I could have a human coach using TriDot AI for £200 a month. So I could pay £200 a month not to use AI? Hmm..
So I deleted TriDot and went to Chat ***.
I asked Chat*** “I have an Ironman 70.3 in 6 weeks time, I currently have times for the elements of 10k in 45:30, 40k TT in 1:10 with an FTP of 270w. I can swim 1:40s CSS in swimming.
And to my utter surprise. It came up with a sensible plan… A lot more detailed than I ever expected. You could quite happily use this as a plan.
I then told it pool times. Something which SPottie suggested wasn’t good as having fixed sessions didn’t work for SPottie. Well sorry SPottie but Surrey Sports Park aren’t as flexible to my needs as you want them to be, neither is my employer!!
However, after 3 days life got in the way of ChatBOT and suddenly I needed to move some stuff around. Which ChatBOT suggested to me “If you need a formal coach the best way is to look at coaches in the UK who can match the plan to your needs”
So AI again told me I need a coach…
So I called my old coach (who was in the Kitchen) and said “I’m really sorry but AI can’t coach me”
After the initial push back of “ ha unlucky mate”
She came round, I reloaded TrainingPeaks and we back to completing the sessions planned around my life and my goals. With sensible threshold and efforts.
So my findings. AI can coach you, but even AI suggests you work with a coach. Whether that’s a TriSPot coach or a non TriSPot one.
So, why would I pay a coach to use AI to coach me? Well I wouldn’t… but maybe some others would.
I would pick a coach that matches my philosophy and can provide me a confidence into a race.
So next time you watch an Ironman Race. Think “I just opened TriSPot and completed an uninstall process of TriSPot within 2 hours of having it”
Stick to humans, these Robots are idiots!
No AI agents were named during this blog for legal reasons 😉