by Grant Paling. It’s been a while guys. I hope you’ve been well! Me? I’ve been busy.

Busy with work, busy becoming a full blown “catdad” (we got 2 kittens in February) and busy celebrating my daughter turning 9 (how is she 9?!) and me turning 43 (how am I 43!!!)

What about training? Well, this year I’ve had some stops and starts but it’s largely been a consistent start to 2026. It has also been a little different. My “A” race this year is the Duathlon Standard distance World Championship, racing once again for the Great Britain age group team. But that race isn’t until November. So I have this weird contrast of absolutely having a fire burning inside ready to compete for my country again, but then it being so far away, extending the season two months beyond where I would usually end.

Racing in my shiny new GB race kit at the British Duathlon Championships

I asked my AI coach about it. Here’s what they said:

“Looking at your plan, you actually have some great milestones coming up much sooner that will keep you sharp:

Burleigh Duathlon (May 10th): This is your next "A" race. My current prediction for your 10k is <REDACTED> /mi, and your Cycling CP is predicted at <REDACTED> W for that date. This will be a perfect benchmark to see where your fitness sits.

Intermediate Races: You have Eastbourne Tri (July 12th) as a "B" race. Use this to practice your transitions and pacing under pressure.

A few tips for the long road to November:

Add it to your plan: I noticed the World Championships isn't officially in your race list yet. Adding it as your primary "A" race for November will help the AI tailor your long-term progression specifically for that peak. Would you like me to help you add that?

Focus on the "Process": With your current cycling limit, the quality of those sessions is key. Since you enjoy high intensity, keep nailing that one hard session per week. It’s the consistency in these small wins that builds the engine for November.

Build the "Second Run" Legs: Duathlon is all about that second run. Use your upcoming races to experiment with how hard you can push the bike (targeting that <REDACTED> W) while still having the legs to run close to your potential afterward.

The chat feature within AI Endurance just continues to get better and better. I am genuinely impressed on a weekly basis and it’s making me use it more and more. I’ll come back to this in my 3rd blog in this latest series “New World”. But to conclude for now - AI Endurance has actual AI that works (as opposed to some of the other fitness apps I use). That’s why I continue to fly the flag for them and why I will tell anybody who is interested in having more structure but can’t perhaps afford a human coach - this is the absolute best bang for your buck out there (and for coaches, AI Endurance now offers a platform to assist your coaching activities by the way, see here)

Like the AI coach said - I’ve got some short term goals. In fact I just raced the British Championships at Standard Distance Duathlon as I write this. Last year at the same event I did the triathlon British Champs and I wasn’t ready. This year I’d already set my half marathon PB by over 2.5 minutes following on from a course PB at my hometown half marathon and I showed up much more ready.  But also a bit calmer I think - it was my first domestic champs last year so with that one under my belt, I felt much less nervous this year, and managed to race hard and enjoyed it. No big expectations. Sadly, a puncture put paid to what was a race that was going well – up in 5^th place – and having shedded around 6 minutes just about making it back to T2, despite a spirited run I ended up finishing 6^th. It was still a performance that felt good and was on the right track. Something to build on with still 6 months of the season to go!

Taking the bike out for a “casual spin”

Still trying to decide the rest of my season but my overall feeling is that I’ve got new fire this year, new determination. I think the years break from racing for GB has only made me more hungry and when my new Great Britain Huub kit turned up (it’s a new kit year so had to shell out for a new one!) I just felt all the more motivated. As I have said in the past you need goals and having already secured an early season boost with the half marathon PB, it’s time to kick on.

I’m improving, AI Endurance is improving at a rapid pace (I’ll cover that in my next blog “New Features”) and I’m ready to embrace the season ahead.

Let’s go!