modbender Strava Training Coach
Evidence-based AI training partner that catches injury risk before you feel it.
Why This Matters
Most running injuries follow the same pattern: too much, too soon. Nielsen et al. (2014) found that runners who increase weekly distance by more than 30% have significantly higher injury rates. By the time you feel pain, the damage is weeks old.
This coach watches your Strava data daily and alerts you before problems become injuries — so you stay consistent instead of sidelined.
Built on the 80/20 polarized training model (Seiler, 2010; Stoggl & Sperlich, 2014) — the same approach used by elite endurance coaches to build durable athletes who train smarter, not just harder.
What You Get
- ACWR Monitoring — Tracks your acute:chronic workload ratio (Gabbett, 2016). ACWR > 1.5 = high injury risk
- Acute Load Alerts — Weekly mileage up 30%+? You'll know before your knees do
- 80/20 Intensity Checks — Too many hard days eroding recovery? Get evidence-based recommendations
- Recovery Nudges — Extended gaps that might affect your training adaptations
- Weekly Reports — Sunday summaries with 4-week trends, ACWR, and intensity distribution
- Oura Integration — Optional sleep/readiness scores to inform training decisions
Quick Start
1. Connect Strava
# Set your Strava API credentials (required)
export STRAVA_CLIENT_ID=your_id
export STRAVA_CLIENT_SECRET=your_secret
# Authenticate (opens browser for OAuth)
python3 scripts/auth.py
Tokens are stored in ~/.config/strava-training-coach/strava_tokens.json with 0600 permissions.
2. Set Up Notifications (Required)
Discord:
export DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=https://discord.com/api/webhooks/...
export NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL=discord
Slack:
export SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=https://hooks.slack.com/...
export NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL=slack
⚠️ Security: Webhook URLs must be set via environment variables. No hardcoded URLs allowed.
3. Optional: Enable Oura Integration
export OURA_ENABLED=true
Requires Oura CLI authentication.
4. Run
# Daily training check + alerts
python3 scripts/coach_check.py
# Weekly summary report
python3 scripts/weekly_report.py
Optional: schedule with cron for hands-off monitoring:
{
"name": "Training Coach - Daily Check",
"schedule": {"kind": "every", "everyMs": 86400000},
"command": "python3 scripts/coach_check.py"
}
Security Features
This skill is designed with security in mind for ClawHub publication:
Credential Handling
- No hardcoded secrets — All credentials via environment variables
- Secure token storage — Tokens saved with 0600 permissions
- XDG compliance — Config stored in
~/.config/strava-training-coach/ - Token validation — Structure validation before use
Input Validation
- Date format validation — ISO8601 format checking
- Numeric range validation — All thresholds bounded
- Type checking — Safe type conversion with defaults
- Webhook URL validation — Pattern matching for Discord/Slack
Data Protection
- Log redaction — Sensitive data masked in logs
- Secure temp files — Proper permissions on state files
- No data leakage — Safe error messages
- Rate limiting — Max 1 alert per hour per type
Network Security
- HTTPS only — All API calls use TLS
- Timeout handling — 30-second timeouts on all requests
- Retry logic — 3 attempts with exponential backoff
- Certificate validation — Standard SSL verification
Configuration
All thresholds are optional — sensible defaults with validation.
# Training thresholds (validated ranges)
MAX_WEEKLY_MILEAGE_JUMP=30 # 5-100%, default: 30
MAX_HARD_DAY_PERCENTAGE=25 # 5-100%, default: 25
MIN_EASY_RUN_HEART_RATE=145 # 100-200 bpm, default: 145
# Feature flags
OURA_ENABLED=false # Enable Oura integration
VERBOSE=false # Enable debug logging
Example Alerts
Injury Risk
"Weekly mileage up 45% (18 -> 26 mi). ACWR: 1.62. Nielsen et al. (2014) found >30% weekly increases significantly raise injury risk. Your acute:chronic workload ratio is in the high-risk zone (>1.5). Reduce next week's volume by 20-30%."
"60% of runs were moderate/high effort (HR >145). Seiler (2010) found elite athletes keep ~80% of sessions below VT1. Polarized training produces better VO2max gains than moderate-intensity training (Stoggl & Sperlich, 2014)."
"5 days since last activity. Mujika & Padilla (2000) found VO2max begins declining after ~10 days of inactivity. A gentle 20-min walk or easy jog can maintain adaptations."
Achievements
"30-Day Streak! Consistency beats intensity. Holloszy & Coyle (1984) showed mitochondrial density increases with repeated aerobic stimulus."
Weekly Reports (Sunday)
- Weekly mileage with week-over-week change %
- Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) with risk zone
- Intensity distribution (easy/moderate/hard) vs. 80/20 target
- 4-week trend visualization
- Evidence-based recommendations for next week
Training Philosophy (Evidence-Based)
- Polarized Training — 80% easy, 20% hard (Seiler & Kjerland, 2006; Stoggl & Sperlich, 2014)
- ACWR Sweet Spot — Keep acute:chronic workload ratio between 0.8-1.3 (Gabbett, 2016)
- Progressive Overload — Gradual increases; >30% weekly spikes raise injury risk (Nielsen et al., 2014)
- Consistency > Intensity — Frequency drives mitochondrial and capillary adaptation (Holloszy & Coyle, 1984)
- Strength Training — Reduces sports injuries by 68% and overuse injuries by ~50% (Lauersen et al., 2014)
See references/training-principles.md for the full guide with 30+ scientific references.
Files
scripts/auth.py— Strava OAuth setup (tokens stored in XDG config dir)scripts/coach_check.py— Daily training analysis and alerts (security-hardened)scripts/weekly_report.py— Sunday summary reports (security-hardened)references/training-principles.md— Evidence-based injury prevention guide
Smart, Not Spammy
Alerts fire only when something matters:
- Mileage spike detected
- Intensity pattern concerning
- Meaningful PR achieved
- Weekly summary ready
Not every workout. That's what Strava is for.
Rate Limits
- 1-2 API calls per check
- Strava allows 100 req/15 min, 1000/day
- Daily checks use ~30 requests/month