Over the past few years, the topic of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and its potential impact on various professions has only grown, sparking a range of emotions from concern to despair. The Endurance Sports coaching profession has not been immune to the A.I. hype.

I’ve never been a fan of exercise “fads” or “shortcuts” to training or physical adaptations. While cold plunging (getting in cold water) may have some “potential” physiological benefits, I suggest focusing our attention on heat training and its potential to improve our performance.

However, we also observe significant similarities and iterative progress in various coaching areas, particularly when it comes to coaching older athletes. This topic is vast and highly individualized, but I’ve chosen to focus on a few common themes.

While I was reading an article by Jonathan V. Last, a political and cultural writer, I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t a political opinion piece. Instead, Jonathan delved into the varying differences between youth sports, amateur sports, and professional sports. Amidst this exploration, I stumbled upon an extraordinary quote by him:

This morning, I was drawn to an article about Black Bag's director, Steven Soderbergh, who was also behind the Ocean’s trilogy, Contagion, Magic Mike, and numerous other acclaimed films. His insights into his job, career, and the art of directing resonated deeply with me, particularly in the context of coaching.

With Spring approaching, I’m reaching out to those who may not ride frequently on the road or for those who haven’t done so in a while. Let’s call this musing, “Sharing the Road.”

Continuing last week’s YouTube channel-inspired themes, I regularly watch a few sailors. These weekly or bi-weekly videos feature couples (and one family) who are mostly traveling around the world, sailing (although one is currently in Spain undergoing a complete overhaul of their boat while another is building one from scratch). I watch sailing-related content.

Well, for those unaware, I’m not active on social media personally (Team MPI is, though!), but I do follow quite a few individuals on YouTube. One of these “YouTubers” I recently started following is Coach David Roche (https://youtu.be/C0w-orswOjE?feature=shared).

Being a professional endurance sports coach is an incredible profession. Of course, there are both highs and lows, but the highs are simply exhilarating! The variability and individuality of each athlete and sport make it an incredibly exciting field.

However, what happens when we achieve a certain level of proficiency? For those who have dedicated their lives to this lifestyle or are at the elite level, we quickly realize that the room for performance gains diminishes. At this point, most likely, they have mastered their process and have a deep understanding of the sport.

Rich interviewed Alex Honnold, the renowned rock climber known for his solo ascent of El Capitan, for an episode of his podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed Alex’s insights and philosophical perspectives on training and life in general. At one point, he said,...

“Every once in a while, something happens where you’re like, oh, now my life is different from here on out.”