Smarter training starts here. Athletica’s newsletters deliver science-backed insights, expert tips, and AI-powered training updates for endurance athletes of all levels. Catch up on past editions and subscribe to stay ahead in your training journey.
The muscle that matters most this race week
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Hello Reader, I wanted to share a quick story and a new release I’m really proud of. Years ago, when Kyle Buckingham crossed the line first at Ironman South Africa, he reflected later and said to me: “Paul—I know you’re trained as a physiologist, but really, you’re more of a psychologist.” It made me smile. Andi Boecherer once told me almost exactly the same thing after winning Ironman Lanzarote. It took me back to my early days at the Australian Institute of Sport with my mentor Dr David T Martin, who taught me the truth that underpins every race-week plan I’ve written since: Belief is the real performance enhancer. The physiology just gives it a place to show up. That theme came up again when I spoke with Prof John Kiely on the Training Science Podcast. No matter how sophisticated our periodisation or taper numbers, in the end, the athlete’s mindset is what brings it all to life. And that is what our coaching process needs to deliver. So—how do we bottle that?This month, I’m excited to announce that Athletica’s AI-Coach now offers a fully personalized Race Week Countdown Plan—a daily, calm check-in that reminds you:
Every day, a short mindset prompt lands right when you need it most—mirroring what I’d say if I was there with you in person at the start line.
Let’s hear from youI know it’s Northern Hemisphere summer—and many of you are in the thick of race season (and even race week) right now. I’d love for you to have a read of your AI-Coach’s race week messages, put them into practice, and let us know in the Forum thread how it worked for you. I’m all ears—and our team is always listening to help us make it better for the next time you're standing on the start line. Yours in training and racing, Paul Laursen, PhD |
Athletica AI Coach and Training Science
Smarter training starts here. Athletica’s newsletters deliver science-backed insights, expert tips, and AI-powered training updates for endurance athletes of all levels. Catch up on past editions and subscribe to stay ahead in your training journey.
Welcome to Inside Athletica April edition. The Workout Wizard is now live for everyone - including inside the mobile app. Smarter swaps, better context, and more flexibility when life doesn’t go to plan. We’re also actively working on upgrading the AI Coach. The feedback you’ve been sending has been incredibly valuable - keep it coming. With summer around the corner, many of you are heading into marathon blocks. This is where consistency, smart adjustments, and staying healthy really start to...
Welcome to Inside Athletica Most athletes try the Athletica AI Coach once, get a vague answer to a vague question, and move on. This month’s Inside Athletica is a simple fix: how to ask better questions so you get specific, data-driven answers based on your training history. Start with the quick guide (“What can I ask?”), then go deeper with the blog + podcast(s). You’ll leave with questions you can copy/paste for training decisions and for customer-service type issues inside Athletica. Good...
Hi everyone, Over the past month, many of you experienced turbulence across Athletica. We know that when your training doesn’t work smoothly, explanations don’t matter. Outcomes do.Still, I want to briefly explain what happened, why it mattered, and where we are now. At its core, Athletica is not a chatbot or a dashboard. It’s a sports science system. The figure below shows the Athletica architecture. Raw data from your wearables doesn’t go straight to a screen or an AI response. It’s first...