Are Free AI Running Coaching Plans Actually Good or Evil? Matt Chittim

Are Free AI Running Coaching Plans Actually Good or Evil? Matt Chittim

In 2026, no one needs to hire a running coach to write a training plan. So the deeper question is, how does the work of a human running coach go beyond what a large language model can iterate?  What is the intrinsic human value of what I do to help runners around the world? I’m going to be exploring that a lot in my work coming up and to help me out today, I’m talking to another running coach and voice you might recognize, Matt Chittim of the Rambling Runner Podcast. And the conversation gets interesting. Today, Matt and I go into a lot of running topics like: * How AI is changing the profession * How masters runners can change their relationship with running, and * What Matt is doing now with knee surgery coming up. I was recently a guest on The Rambling Runner so if you haven’t checked out that conversation, please do that right after this one. Welcome to the Planted Runner. I’m Coach Claire Bartholic and my mission is to help you improve your running, your mindset, and your life with science-backed training and plant-based nutrition. If you need more help, you can order my book The Planted Runner: Running Your Best With Plant-Based Nutrition [https://theplantedrunner.com/book] wherever you get books or request a copy from your local library.  Don’t forget to stay tuned all the way to the end of the episode for another Mental Strength Minute. Fortify your mind in 60 seconds or less. LINKS: If you’d like help directly from me, you can check out my freebies, personal coaching, and sign up for my PR Team at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/link [https://theplantedrunner.com/link]. For my recommendations of at-home equipment and other running products I recommend, check out my curated list on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner [https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner] LIQUID IV: Just one stick of LIquid IV + 16 oz. of water hydrates better than water alone.  Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ [https://www.liquid-iv.com/] and use code PLANTED at checkout. RECENT REVIEWS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐More Masters Topics Have only listened to one podcast, the recent one on Master Runners.  It was excellent and I would strongly recommend many more episodes on just that subject. We runners from the Jimm Fixx era are still at it and are interested in topics that will help us run forever! DeBK265 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Amazing Content! Found running 5 years ago at age 64.  Claire’s podcast is a big part of why I am still at it and improving. I particularly love the PR Training labs which help me build race plans.  So many running podcasts are filled with non-pertinent chatter.  Claire is succinct and provided tons of helpful content.  When she interviews guests, she asks excellent questions and chisels home the “meat” (all while being plant-based!! 😜). Claire is a delight to listen to. S. Feralio ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Coach Claire is very helpful! I’ve listened to this podcast for a while now and really enjoy the content.  Episodes are typically concise and on a specific topic that tends to be helpful for the average runner looking to improve.  Give it a try! Rollem123 Music Credits: Music from Uppbeat

How to Actually Enjoy Vacation Without Derailing Your Training

What’s the right way to balance your training when you are traveling, especially if you have a family? Let’s find out. Today we’re going to tackle the topic of training on trips, specifically vacations with your loved ones.  We’ll get into: * how to plan your vacation for the ideal time in your training cycle * how to stay fit and healthy while still having fun, and if you do decide to skip training altogether, * how much fitness, if any, you’ll lose while lounging in the sun.  Welcome to the Planted Runner. I’m Coach Claire Bartholic and my mission is to help you improve your running, your mindset, and your life with science-backed training and plant-based nutrition. And if you’re gearing up for a big race this fall, now is the time to get your plan in place.  To make things easier, I’ve just built a super cool training strategy quiz that will help you figure out exactly which training solution is perfect for you.  I’ll tell you more about it a little later in the show, but if you’re ready to check it out now, head to www.theplantedrunner.com/start [http://www.theplantedrunner.com/start]. If you need more help, you can order my book The Planted Runner: Running Your Best With Plant-Based Nutrition [https://theplantedrunner.com/book] wherever you get books or request a copy from your local library.  Don’t forget to stay tuned all the way to the end of the episode for another Mental Strength Minute. Fortify your mind in 60 seconds or less. LINKS: If you’d like help directly from me, you can check out my freebies, personal coaching, and sign up for my PR Team at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/link [https://theplantedrunner.com/link]. For my recommendations of at-home equipment and other running products I recommend, check out my curated list on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner [https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner] LIQUID IV: Just one stick of LIquid IV + 16 oz. of water hydrates better than water alone.  Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ [https://www.liquid-iv.com/] and use code PLANTED at checkout. RECENT REVIEWS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Inspiration Thank you Claire for the amazing podcast, it’s literally the all non professional runners holy grail to run a sub 3 marathon and grab that BQ. Im learning more and more about my mistakes reading your stories form Instagram an listening to your podcasts and it’s opening me a new spectrum of things and what’s to do to don’t fail ilke many times before. Im hoping that this year will be my sub 3 at Berlin so i can have that thrilling moment when i cross the finish line and knowing that Ive achieved that. Your tips are so simple to follow and so helpful. Thank you for sharing your experience with us to make us a better runners. Greetings from Croatia, Rudi rudidossantos  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐High value, actionable advice. Coach Claire shares valuable advice to excel as a plant-based runner. This is the podcast to listen to if you want to reach your running potential at any age, powered by plants!” Kate Galli  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Great podcast Just stumbled on the podcast. Was a runner for a few years and have taken time off to raise kids (single parent of 3 young kids) and to transition to a plant based lifestyle. Looking to get back into the swing of things and a few episodes on YouTube and now here has me excited to get back. 123FanFare456 Music Credits: Music from Uppbeat

Cape Town is Now a Marathon Major. Learn More About the Race

Cape Town, South Africa has officially been named as the eighth star Abbott World Marathon Majors series starting in 2027. It joins Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, London, Chicago, New York, and Sydney as bucket-list marathons around the world. Today, I’m going to talk to PR Team member Terry Whelan about his experience running the marathon in Cape Town, South Africa in May. You’ll learn: * What the race was like * How the experience of the Age Group Championships went, and * How his training is about to change this year If you’re a runner that’s worried that your age is catching up with you, Terry’s about to give you a little inspiration. And if you’re gearing up for a big race this fall, now is the time to get your plan in place.  To make things easier, I’ve just built a super cool training strategy quiz that will help you figure out exactly which training solution is perfect for you.  I’ll tell you more about it a little later in the show, but if you’re ready to check it out now, head to www.theplantedrunner.com/start [http://www.theplantedrunner.com/start]. Welcome to the Planted Runner. I’m Coach Claire Bartholic and my mission is to help you improve your running, your mindset, and your life with science-backed training and plant-based nutrition. If you need more help, you can order my book The Planted Runner: Running Your Best With Plant-Based Nutrition [https://theplantedrunner.com/book] wherever you get books or request a copy from your local library.  Don’t forget to stay tuned all the way to the end of the episode for another Mental Strength Minute. Fortify your mind in 60 seconds or less. LINKS: If you’d like help directly from me, you can check out my freebies, personal coaching, and sign up for my PR Team at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/link [https://theplantedrunner.com/link]. For my recommendations of at-home equipment and other running products I recommend, check out my curated list on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner [https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner] LIQUID IV: Just one stick of LIquid IV + 16 oz. of water hydrates better than water alone.  Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ [https://www.liquid-iv.com/] and use code PLANTED at checkout. RECENT REVIEWS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Great snack sized bits of running info “Stumbled across this podcast the other day and finding it very useful. Each episode is short and to the point with actionable information for the listener. You won’t find case studies and long episodes with this one, there are time and place for those as well. But sometimes you just want an episode you can get through in one quick setting.” Fireplug 4760 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I am so excited for this podcast! “I can’t even count the number of hours that I’ve listened to Claire on my runs. As a newer plant-based runner, this new podcast is right up my alley. Thank you for sharing your knowledge so freely and generously!” lilitalia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Great show! “I always enjoy listening to the show—I love the realistic and well-balanced attitude towards running and overall lifestyle. Lots of great information and it’s a fun listen!” WeeWonders  Music Credits: Music from Uppbeat

Afraid of the Track? How to Finally Master the Oval

If you are lucky enough to have access to a local track today, it can be the very best thing to get better and faster at running. Let’s find out why. Today, we’ll go over: * the common and perhaps misguided perceptions of track running,  * how you can use the track to improve your running, and  * the important rules of the track, so you won’t look like newbie out there, even if you’ve never run on a track before. And I’ll also go into why you just might learn to love it.  Yep, it’s possible! Welcome to the Planted Runner. I’m Coach Claire Bartholic and my mission is to help you improve your running, your mindset, and your life with science-backed training and plant-based nutrition. If you need more help, you can order my book The Planted Runner: Running Your Best With Plant-Based Nutrition [https://theplantedrunner.com/book] wherever you get books or request a copy from your local library.  Don’t forget to stay tuned all the way to the end of the episode for another Mental Strength Minute. Fortify your mind in 60 seconds or less. LINKS: If you’d like help directly from me, you can check out my freebies, personal coaching, and sign up for my PR Team at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/link [https://theplantedrunner.com/link]. For my recommendations of at-home equipment and other running products I recommend, check out my curated list on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner [https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner] NOURIFY PLUS from PREVINEX: Simply the highest quality, best tasting plant-based protein powder you can buy. If you are ready to simplify your nutrition and optimize your fueling, you can try Nourify for 20% off the regular price with my unique link https://previnex.refr.cc/default/u/claireb [https://previnex.refr.cc/default/u/claireb] RECENT REVIEWS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Great snack sized bits of running info “Stumbled across this podcast the other day and finding it very useful. Each episode is short and to the point with actionable information for the listener. You won’t find case studies and long episodes with this one, there are time and place for those as well. But sometimes you just want an episode you can get through in one quick setting.” Fireplug 4760  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Tapering episode “Loved listening to this episode it had a lot Of great info!!!” LRod@1002 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Love this podcast! “I’ve been listening to several different running podcasts, but this is the most accessible information in a very straightforward and easy to understand format. I especially love how you wrap with the mental strength minute. Highly recommend!” margarita 2018 Music Credits: Music from Uppbeat

PRTL: Athletic Running Plan

Welcome to the PR Training Lab!  Go behind the scenes with me as I create a custom training plan for one lucky runner. In this episode, we feature Samantha: 🏃🏽‍♀️42 years old 🏃🏿wants to get faster and stronger without racing 🏃🏼‍♀️wants a hybrid training plan Learn how I create a custom athletic training plan for Samantha. Follow along with the questions I ask each runner: 1.  What is your goal? 2.  How long have you been running regularly? 3.  Do you have any current or recurring injuries?   4.  What are your RECENT (past 6-12 months) race times and distances?  If you have not raced recently, but have in the past, please estimate your race fitness.  If you have never raced, or not in a very long time, please estimate how fast you could run 1 mile (1.6km) as fast as possible. 5.  How many miles or kilometers per week do you typically run (do not include race weeks or taper weeks)? 6.  What is the highest amount of weekly mileage you've ever run and how long ago was that? 7.  How long is your average/most recent long run? 8.  What pace would you say is a very easy effort, relaxed pace for an average run?  This is a pace so slow that you could talk the entire time almost as easily as walking. 9. When do you want to run and rest? 10. What are your favorite and least favorite  kinds of running workouts? 11.  Do you strength train and/or cross train? 12. What do you struggle with? If you would like to win a free custom training plan and be featured in a future episode, first write a review of the show on Apple Podcast and then enter at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/prlab  If you need more help, you can order my book The Planted Runner: Running Your Best With Plant-Based Nutrition [https://theplantedrunner.com/book] wherever you get books or request a copy from your local library.  LINKS: If you’d like help directly from me, you can check out my freebies, personal coaching, and sign up for my PR Team at https://www.theplantedrunner.com/link [https://theplantedrunner.com/link]. For my recommendations of at-home equipment and other running products I recommend, check out my curated list on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner [https://www.amazon.com/shop/theplantedrunner] LIQUID IV: Just one stick of LIquid IV + 16 oz. of water hydrates better than water alone.  Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ [https://www.liquid-iv.com/] and use code PLANTED at checkout. RECENT REVIEWS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A+ I appreciate Coach Claire’s positive insights on training! JRA4177 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Great podcast Claire has amazing guests and I learn such valuable information from her. Jill Nuge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Unique This podcast, in addition to featuring scientific and engaging content, has another important quality: it combines the coach’s personal experience and insights on the topic and presents them in the simplest way possible.  This unique aspect makes the podcast incredibly valuable and enjoyable to listen to. nmroshan Music Credits: Music from Uppbeat