Athletica Community,
Let’s celebrate our achievements from minor nuances to grand victories together; now and in the future.
I have used Athletica since Spring 2023.
I am 45 years old with a moderate history of amateur athletics; freestyle wrestling, mountaineering, ice climbing, and competitive freestyle whitewater kayaking; none involving running or track & field.
I have completed the 5k, 10k, Half Marathon Garmin “Coach” programs as well as used TP with a purchased training plan. I am sure you will read similar testimonials regarding lack of “program responses” to my session inputs, but that is not what I would like considered when factoring Athletica.ai against the marketplace of options we have available as athletes.
When I reflect back on the various historical graphs of my fitness before arriving at Athletica my progression (Load, CTL, call it what you will) was “rough or jagged” often trending higher but also sometimes drifting negative in terms of progression or my perception of development. Recovery wasn’t even something to consider; it was more a focus on the next session. Athletica has reshaped my focus on the recovery portion of the stress cycle in training.
Transitioning to Athletica I had many similar feelings about what the platform was doing and how it was doing it (I still try to dig into the “magic” of it, to grow as an athlete). The training sessions seemed lighter than the TP/Garmin ones, but they were almost every day which I accepted. The changes in the session were so gradual they were almost unnoticeable.
Now coming up to the end of my first year of actively trying different platforms I believe in Athletica 100%. I started running a mixed bag of sessions on the other platforms with limited progression. Within 6 months of consistent daily effort with the prescribed sessions on Athletica, I am achieving outcomes that I would have set for years of training. I average ~75km a week and growing.
Both Athletica and I, as an athlete, have adapted and improved tremendously during 2023 which I am deeply grateful for. I would like to sincerely thank the entire Athletica team, especially those behind the scenes, for the concerted efforts to continually improve the platform for the athletes’ benefit.
My intent has not changed since I started trying the various platforms: Run Far, Run Long, Breathe fresh air, and Enjoy every adventure as it happens.
I did get quite sick in October (COVID) combined with the Canadian Thanksgiving family time which took me away from my training for ~4 weeks. Athletica drew me out of the reduced training load during this time back to where I was when I got sick; most importantly without injury the entire year.
I enjoy poking at the platform to see how it responds biet a chatty subjective session input to seeing how the new AI coach does to shuffling sessions around during the week to see how it does with what life can through at me as a working father, business professional and aspiring self-coached ultra-distance athlete.
Athletica has taken my poking and prying in stride and still puts me back into the best form I can be at that time.
I have attached my Performance Potential as a testament and celebration of my 2023 athletic journey.
Interesting note: the rough or jagged portion of the right side of the graph is me challenging the platform and consolidating my load into Half Marathons every other day to focus on muscle and soft tissue durability, rather than smaller sessions each day; you can see the change vs a reduced load each day.
My most memorable Canadian adventure this summer was an overland run from Rosebud to Drumheller, Alberta with a close friend. It was 37 km along an abandoned CNR railroad line with ~24 truss railroad bridge crossings; all about 100 years old. My youngest son (10) chose the spot for our supply drop bags the night before. He insisted on having a picture with our dog to make sure his dad wouldn’t forget the spot. It was a glorious day running through the badlands of Alberta and appreciating the history of railroad building along with internal time. My boys made medals for us at the finish. My friend has framed his finisher medal alongside his other ultra medals.
I came away with a profound sense of gratitude for my family’s support of my shenanigans without that support I wouldn’t be able to try as hard as I do. 
I also celebrate the opportunity to run ~150km across Belize in November. I was chased out of Mangrove swamps by crocodiles and snakes. I will not forget running alongside police officers, and countless curious strangers wondering what this guy was doing in the middle of the jungle. The Belizean people’s genuine welcoming nature and the countryside are something to behold.
I learned that heat acclimation is a tough thing to try and power through on the first long run day and that slow and easy is the only way 
2024 I am registered for my first official Ultra-Marathon along a section of the Klondike Trail and have several endurance adventures planned in the Canadian Rockies and West Coast of British Columbia.
Please post your athletic adventure/memory for the Athletica community to better get to know you.
If you are comfortable sharing any insights/achievements you working to celebrate as we move into 2024 that would be great.
Looking forward to hearing from the Athletica community!
Wishing everyone triumph and greatness in all forms in 2024.
Aron Devauld
Thank you for that! All the best for 2024.
