The Supported Athlete Platform: Where Real Human Coaching Meets AI Training
Platforms like TrainerRoad are now using advanced AI models built on millions of completed workouts to decide what workout you should do next, based on your history, your progression, and your likelihood of success. That’s impressive. And as both a coach and an athlete, I genuinely like what I’m seeing.
Rather than fighting that reality, I want to be clear about how I see it fitting into my coaching, and where human coaching still matters most.
This post is about where I’m headed, how I plan to integrate AI-driven training tools into my coaching, and why I believe this actually creates more value for the athletes I work with.
Let the Software Structure the Workouts.
Let the Coach Support the Athlete.
Training as an endurance athlete isn’t just physical.
It has three interconnected parts:
The physical – what your body can do and how it adapts to training stress
The mental – focus, confidence, and decision-making under fatigue
The emotional – motivation, identity, and how training fits into the rest of your life
Each of these shapes not only who you are as an athlete, but how you show up on any given day.
AI-driven training tools like TrainerRoad are very good at supporting one piece of this puzzle. They are excellent at answering a very specific question:
“What workout should this athlete do next?”
Using massive datasets, they can analyze patterns, estimate likelihood of success, and adjust training loads faster and more consistently than any human ever could. That’s a real strength, and one I believe is worth using.
But training isn’t just about choosing workouts.
Training is about showing up when motivation is low. Training is about trusting the process when confidence wobbles. Training is about adapting when life gets messy. That’s where human coaching lives. My role isn’t to compete with software or override it at every turn.
My role is to support you—the athlete navigating real life—so the structure actually works the way it’s intended to. When the physical, mental, and emotional pieces are aligned, training becomes sustainable. When they’re not, even the best plan can fall apart.
I Am Not the Workout Picker
In this model, I am intentionally not positioning myself as the person manually selecting every interval or prescribing every watt. Instead, my role is: Translator. Supporter. Guide.
Translator
Helping you understand why the work matters and how today fits into the bigger picture. I help translate what the training is asking for into something that fits your reality… so the work feels purposeful instead of prescriptive.
Supporter
You know your life better than I ever could. My role isn’t to protect you from your own decisions or tell you what you should do. My role is to support you in the decisions you’re already making. Then help you take the next right step without guilt or second-guessing.
When life pulls your attention elsewhere, we adapt. When training slips, we reset. When confidence wobbles, we zoom out. That support is what prevents guilt, overreaching, and insecurity from taking root.
Guide
Helping you navigate the long arc of training. Through the stress, setbacks, events, and seasons of life. I’m here to help you reconnect the dots when things drift and remind you that one imperfect week doesn’t undo the bigger story.
Life-Aware Training Guidance
AI doesn’t know what it feels like when:
Your kid was up all night
Work exploded this week
Motivation is low but consistency still matters
Confidence is fragile after injury or time off
I do. And more importantly, I can help you decide what to do with that information.
Sometimes that means:
Doing a lighter version of the planned workout
Swapping intensity for steady movement
Moving a key session to protect recovery
Or choosing rest without guilt
The goal isn’t blind compliance. The goal is sustainable progress.
The TrainingPeaks Calendar Is Still a Good Anchor
While AI tools help guide day-to-day execution, your TrainingPeaks calendar becomes the home base.
This is where I provide:
Seasonal structure
Event ramps and decompression
Big-picture intent
Weekly tone-setting notes
Event-specific guidance
Human reassurance when doubt creeps in
The calendar tells a story.
Not just what you’re doing—but why you’re here.
What Coaching Includes (and Why It Matters)
This approach allows me to focus my energy where it has the most impact.
Coaching with me includes:
TrainingPeaks calendar oversight
Weekly tone and intent notes
Thoughtful pivots when life intervenes
Pre-event strategy and mindset check-ins
Post-event debriefs and reframing
Ongoing support, context, and communication
In short:
The software keeps you moving forward.
I make sure it makes sense.
A Note for Runners vs Cyclists
One important clarification.
This AI-supported training approach applies specifically to my cycling athletes.
At this time, TrainerRoad does not offer run-based workout support in the same way it does for cycling. Because of that, my work with runners remains more hands-on from a programming standpoint.
For Cyclists
TrainerRoad can support day-to-day workout selection and progression
Zwift (or similar platforms) can handle execution and fun factor
TrainingPeaks remains the global calendar and communication hub
My role focuses on context, support, pivots, and the big picture
For Runners
I continue to manage training calendars directly
Run workouts are programmed and adjusted manually
The same support, communication, and guidance applies
The philosophy doesn’t change.
The tools do.
Regardless of sport, the goal is the same: structured training that fits your life and supports sustainable progress.
Why I’m Making Changes
I’ve spent time reflecting on my coaching over the last year—what I provide, what it costs to run responsibly, and what actually serves athletes best.
Between software, platforms, taxes, and fees, a meaningful portion of every coaching dollar already goes toward infrastructure that supports athletes behind the scenes.
More importantly, I want my coaching model to:
Be sustainable
Be honest
Reflect the real value of support, perspective, and experience
Starting this spring, I’ll be rolling out updates to my coaching structure and pricing that align with this direction.
This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing what matters better.
The Big Picture
AI-driven training tools aren’t replacing human coaches. They’re replacing guesswork. My job isn’t to compete with software.
My job is to walk with you through the process, to help you train hard when it’s time, pull back when it’s needed, and keep the long view in focus.
Structure when it helps.
Support when it matters.
That’s the Supported Athlete Platform.
For more about my coaching structure and philosophies… Click Here!
