7 Ways to Use ChatGPT as Your Running Coach (Without Losing Your Common Sense)

ChatGPT (and other large language models) are taking over the world. OpenAI is aiming for 1 billion users by the end of 2025, and it’s not hard to see why.

AI can seemingly do it all: proofreading (or writing) your homework essays, managing your relationship, writing your code — you name it.

But what about running?

While ChatGPT can’t run the race for us (...yet?), it can help us show up on race day at our best.

ChatGPT: An Unreliable Narrator

I recently caught up with a friend who works in AI safety. One big challenge companies like OpenAI face, according to him, is the “agreeability” of their language models.

ChatGPT is, in many cases, infuriatingly agreeable. Ask a question, and it will often find a way to give you the answer you want — even if it’s inaccurate or nonsensical.

It also hallucinates. Like your drunk uncle at the family Christmas party blathering about politics, ChatGPT can confidently give you pages of absolutely false information.

In my experience, the more detail you drill down into, the more careful you need to be.

Here's a good rule of thumb to follow:

Use AI as a supplement, not a sole source. Cross-check anything important with reliable, real-world sources.

If you’re serious about your running, you should also:

• Read running books (Matt Fitzgerald, Jack Daniels and Jay Dicharry are great starting points)

• Subscribe to trusted newsletters (e.g. Runner’s World, The Running Channel)

• Talk to fellow runners, coaches, and experts

With that caution out of the way, here are seven ways you can use ChatGPT as a running coach — responsibly.

1. Nutritional Tool

From strict calorie-counting with MyFitnessPal to looser systems like Fitzgerald’s Diet Quality Score (DQS), there are loads of ways to track your nutrition.

But strict calorie-counting is not fun. Here's just a few problems:

• Time-consuming: weighing and logging every gram of food is tedious

• Stressful: it can make every meal a mental negotiation

• Not always accurate: studies show food labels can be off by up to 20%

ChatGPT offers a middle ground. Instead of logging every crumb, you can casually tell it what you ate:

“Give me a rough calorie and macro breakdown of today’s food: breakfast was porridge with banana, lunch was a chickpea + sweet potato salad, dinner was salmon with rice and broccoli. Ate some crackers, had a few coffees ... etc”

It’s quick, flexible, and adaptable to your preferences — you can ask for calories, macros, DQS, or just a diet quality assessment without numbers.

A quick note on accuracy note: estimates won’t be perfect, especially without exact measurements. But they can be good enough for trends and feedback — and if you do give exact weights, ChatGPT can be surprisingly precise.

2. Gear Advice (Shoes, Watches, Monitors, etc)

Buying running gear online can feel overwhelming. Google searches often give you the brands with the best SEO, not the best fit for you.

ChatGPT can offer extremely tailored advice to needs, in a way that a Google search never could. For instance, it could figure out the best choice based on your:

• Budget

• Foot shape and gait

• Training goals (5K vs. marathon)

• Conditions (trail, heat, snow)

Example:

“Find me budget-friendly 5K racing shoes for wide feet that cushion against shin pain.”

It will summarise your requirements, shortlist suitable models, and explain why they fit.

It’s a fast way to cut through hours of review-reading — even if you still do your own research afterwards.

3. Adapting to New Conditions

During a 4-month stint in Cambodia, I made a huge mistake: I slept in. In the tropics, a day-time run is largely out of the question.

But I'm a stubborn man. By the time I started my 20-miler with marathon pace efforts, it was midday, 35°C, and the sun was relentless.

Five miles in, drenched in sweat, far off pace, and ready to jump off the nearest bridge, I stopped in the shade and asked ChatGPT how to adjust.

It advised:

• Lowering my target pace

• Focusing on hydration and cooling strategies

• Avoiding midday runs in the future (i.e., don’t be an idiot)

I reset my expectations, followed ChatGPTs advice and finished the run. It wasn't perfect, but it helped.

If you’re in an unfamiliar environment, ChatGPT can help you adapt to the local conditions. For instance:

• High altitude

• Heat and humidity

• Hilly terrain

• Trail surfaces

4. Managing and Assessing Injuries

Few things crush a runner’s spirit faster than an injury — especially when you don’t know whether to run through it or rest.

While it’s no substitute for a physiotherapist, ChatGPT can help you:

• Identify possible causes from your symptoms

• Suggest initial self-care steps

• Decide whether professional help is worth it

Three weeks before the Leiden Marathon, I developed knee pain. ChatGPT suggested I likely had runner’s knee, advised immediate rest and icing, and gave a safe comeback plan.

I followed it — skipped physio — and still ran a PB of 2:45:00.

Skipping physio is not the solution for everyone, but ChatGPT can be a great middle ground and gate-keeper, saving you both time and money. And if you do need physio, ChatGPT can be a great sign-poster.

5. Finding Alternative Exercises

When you’re injured, some exercises are off-limits. For instance, with the stress fracture that's presently plaguing my life, I can’t do high-impact moves like squat jumps or box jumps.

When my plan (Dicharry's Running Rewired) calls for one, I just ask ChatGPT for a low-impact alternative targeting the same muscles.

It’s also useful if you’re:

• Bored of your routine

• Looking to progressively overload

• Adjusting for equipment limitations

6. Creating a Pacing Strategy

At the Phnom Penh Susu 5K, minutes before the start, the realisation dawned that I had absolutely no pacing plan.

I whipped out my phone and quickly asked ChatGPT — it gave me a strategy, I followed it, and I finished 3rd.

While I don’t recommend such ludicrous disorganisation, ChatGPT can help you:

• Decide between even splits, negative splits, or other pacing strategies

• Calculate target splits for each section of your race

• Adapt pacing to course profile and conditions

It’s especially useful for marathons, where pacing mistakes can be costly.

7. Motivational Coach

Numbers aside, ChatGPT is also great at pep talks.

For instance, if you’re:

• Doubting yourself before race day

• Struggling to stick to your plan

• Feeling demotivated mid-training block

Then you can tell ChatGPT exactly how you’re feeling. It will acknowledge your struggle, remind you of your goals, and give you a grounded confidence boost.

It’s quirky, but surprisingly effective.

Final Thoughts

ChatGPT won’t log the miles for you. But with the right prompts, it can be one of the most versatile training partners you’ve ever had.

Use it for ideas, feedback, and perspective — but then double-check everything that matters. AI is powerful, but it’s not infallible.