Fika with Coach Liz: Postpartum Training, Training Plans & AI Coaching

We sit down for another fika with Coach Liz, a swimrun coach who works with swimrunners and returned to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship this year with her partner Jacob. We shared a good stretch of the course with them in Sweden, so we start with a race report from their second time racing it, including a faster finish than last time.

Liz coaches through TrainingPeaks, builds custom swim plans for swimrunners, and has a few roster slots open for next year. She also trained for ÖTILLÖ as a new mom, with a toddler at home, a partner training for the same race, and about 20 to 30 miles of running a week.

We cover how two parents split the training week, how to return to running after pregnancy, and the signs that tell you to back off. We also answer a listener question about using an off-the-shelf triathlon plan for swimrun: know your hours, be honest about your fitness level, lay the plan over your work and family calendar, and know the intention of every session. When time is short, Liz shares what works with 35 to 45 minute swims and 20 to 30 minute strength sessions.

Liz also spent the summer testing AI coaching with her TrainingPeaks files. We talk about what it got right, where the workouts missed, and why honesty matters with any coach.

00:00 Intro
01:00 Coach Liz and Jacob's ÖTILLÖ race report
04:00 Two parents, one race: splitting training with a toddler
06:00 Coming back to training after pregnancy
10:30 Signs you are progressing too fast and the 24-hour rule
12:00 Skipping the comparison game on social media
14:00 Training on limited miles: the run, StairMaster and strength session
18:00 ÖTILLÖ recap: technical running, fueling and sharing the swims
21:00 Listener question: off-the-shelf triathlon plans for swimrun
24:00 Goals, family time and the shorter ÖTILLÖ distances
27:00 Honest self-assessment and training without a coach
30:00 Flexing a plan around work and family
32:00 Time crunched: where swim and strength fit
37:30 Coaching with AI: Coach Liz's experiment with Claude
45:00 Using AI as a tool, not a coach
47:00 Where AI coaching falls short
50:00 Community, Strava club and what is next

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