- General
The Postman Paradox: Why We Are Launching Free AI Training Plans
I was wrong in the 1980s. I’m (probably) right now.
In the late 1980s, I sat in a high school auditorium and watched Alan Ashton, the co-founder of WordPerfect, demonstrate something called “electronic mail.” In what looked like pure magic, Alan sent and received messages in real-time with a colleague on the other side of the world.
I turned to a friend and made what I thought was a genius-level prediction: “This is the end of the postman.” Why would anyone ever need a human to hand-deliver a piece of paper if we could zap text through a screen?
My first job out of high school was working for Alan at WordPerfect, which led to a front-row seat for the tech industry’s explosion. I eventually came to see that while my teenage self was moderately wrong about absolutely everything, I was spectacularly wrong about the postman. The same technology that powered email eventually powered the e-commerce industry. Instead of killing the need for delivery, it exploded it. UPS revenue has grown from roughly $20 billion in the mid-90s to over $100 billion today. Turns out, when you make communication easier, people just end up ordering more physical stuff that requires even more humans to drive to your house.
Recently, I had that same “magic” feeling again. I was watching an AI engine build a comprehensive, periodized endurance training plan with blazing speed (the same demonstration Matt described in a recent blog). At first glance, AI could be perceived as a direct threat to coaches. But unlike decades earlier, I didn’t feel fear for the decline of a particular vocation (mine). I felt a tremendous sense of opportunity, which lead to our free AI training plans.
Why We’re Launching Free AI Training Plans
1. The “I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know” Factor
There is a massive risk for coaches in AI, but the biggest risk is doing nothing. If we sit on the sidelines, we learn nothing. We’ve realized that there is no opportunity if we remain stagnant. By launching this, we get to learn alongside our athletes. We’d rather be the ones figuring out the future than the ones complaining about it in a retirement home (this joke hits home more each time I proofread this post).
2. It’s a Coaching “Co-Pilot”
We don’t see AI as a replacement for coaches. We see it as a way for athletes and coaches to learn together. A coach can use AI to generate “first drafts” of complex schedules, allowing them to spend less time on the math of mileage and more time on the art of coaching: psychology, motivation, and telling an athlete to actually take a rest day for once.
3. The “UPS Effect” for Coaches
Just as email created a massive demand for physical delivery, we believe AI will create a demand for human accountability. As more athletes start training seriously because of free tools, they will eventually hit a ceiling where “data” isn’t enough. They’ll want a human who understands that they had a bad day at work or a nagging calf strain. By experimenting with the AI-tier of training, we are growing the future pool of athletes who will eventually realize they need a human coach to reach their true potential.
Full Disclosure: It’s a Beta
I want to manage your expectations: Our AI plan generator is currently in Beta. It’s a work in progress—a “science project” that we’re inviting you to play with.
Is it perfect? No. Will it occasionally suggest something that makes you tilt your head and go “Huh?” I hope so. If an AI triathlon plan tells you to “go jump in a lake,” please know that’s not an insult, it’s meant to be a legitimate, if poorly worded, training requirement. We’re underselling it because we want your feedback. We want to know where it excels and where it trips over its own virtual shoelaces. Plus, our industry leading 80/20 Intensity Balance and Norwegian Training Plans aren’t going anywhere so you’ll always have the most effective, tried-and-true endurance plans at your fingertips.
The Future is Hybrid
At 80/20 Endurance, we want to be at the forefront of the digital training revolution. We aren’t afraid that the machine can build a plan. We’re excited that the machine might be able to make some things better and faster.
Go ahead and give the generator a try. It’s free, it’s experimental, and it’s built on the 80/20 principles you trust. Just remember: the endurance coach isn’t going anywhere; she’s just getting a lot more packages to deliver.