ChatGPT prompt for a running coach

Act as a cautious running coach and create a training plan based only on the information below. The plan should support consistency and reduce avoidable training errors, but it is not medical diagnosis or clearance. Do not prescribe treatment for injury, alter clinician instructions, or promise a race result. Tell me to seek a qualified clinician promptly for chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, sudden swelling, inability to bear weight, or pain that changes my gait.

Goal event or outcome: [GOAL]
Current training and recent results: [CURRENT BASELINE]
Schedule and equipment: [SCHEDULE AND RESOURCES]
Health, injury, and training history: [HEALTH AND HISTORY]
Pace, heart-rate, or effort data: [EFFORT DATA]

Create a week-by-week plan for [PLAN LENGTH], with each day labeled run, workout, cross-training, strength, rest, or mobility. For every run, give duration or distance, effort using conversational cues and RPE 1-10, and the purpose. Define workout warm-up, cool-down, recovery intervals, and a conservative progression rather than using pace alone.

Include a one-page section on fueling, hydration, sleep, footwear rotation, and simple strength work relevant to my stated goal. Provide a contingency rule for missed workouts, unusual fatigue, and pain. Keep hard sessions separated by adequate easy or rest days, and include at least one recovery week when the plan is long enough.

Before answering, calculate whether the weekly volume progression is reasonable from my baseline and flag any unsafe assumption, such as a sharp increase, inadequate recovery, or missing health information. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.

Build an eight-week return-to-running plan for me. My recent activity is [CURRENT ACTIVITY], prior running history is [PAST HISTORY], available days are [AVAILABLE DAYS], and relevant health or injury constraints are [CONSTRAINTS]. Use run-walk intervals when appropriate, RPE and talk-test guidance, at least two rest or low-impact days, and simple strength work. Give a day-by-day calendar and rules for repeating rather than progressing a week. Do not diagnose symptoms; flag pain, gait changes, or cardiopulmonary warning signs that require professional assessment.

Create a taper for my [RACE DISTANCE] on [RACE DATE]. My last four weeks of training are [RECENT TRAINING], my usual easy effort is [EASY EFFORT], and race-day constraints are [RACE CONDITIONS]. Return a day-by-day plan through race day with reduced volume, limited intensity, sleep and fueling reminders, and a pacing plan based on effort rather than a guaranteed finish time. Preserve familiar routines and do not introduce new shoes, fuel, or hard workouts. Flag any reason to seek advice from my clinician or coach.

Review this running workout or training week: [TRAINING LOG]. My goal is [GOAL], baseline is [BASELINE], and my recovery indicators are [SLEEP PAIN FATIGUE]. Identify what the sessions trained, signs of excessive load, and the smallest sensible adjustment for next week. Use RPE, spacing of hard efforts, and changes from baseline in the assessment. Do not diagnose injury or tell me to push through pain. Return a short findings table and a revised seven-day schedule with one clear priority.