Coaching Guide

Learn how to use the Strava MCP Server like a performance coach to maximize value from your training data.

Table of contents

  1. Overview
  2. Activity Enrichment
    1. Standard Enrichment Process
    2. Example Transformation
  3. Conversation Patterns
    1. Pattern 1: Morning Check-In
    2. Pattern 2: Activity Enrichment
    3. Pattern 3: Race Analysis
    4. Pattern 4: Progress Review
    5. Pattern 5: Weekly Summary
  4. Best Practices
    1. Title Writing
    2. Description Template
    3. Example Descriptions
  5. Technical Tips
    1. Working with Timestamps
    2. Rate Limits
  6. Advanced Usage
    1. Telemetry Analysis
    2. Training Volume Trends
  7. Common Questions
    1. “How do I give context for better descriptions?”
    2. “Can Claude update multiple activities at once?”
    3. “What if my activity doesn’t have heart rate data?”
    4. “How detailed should descriptions be?”
  8. Privacy Considerations
  9. Getting Started
  10. Need More Help?

Overview

The Strava MCP Server transforms Claude into your personal performance coach, helping you derive maximum value from your Strava data through:

  1. Activity Enrichment - Transform generic workout titles into detailed training logs
  2. Performance Analysis - Analyze telemetry data for insights on pacing, heart rate, and power
  3. Progress Tracking - Monitor training volume, intensity, and consistency
  4. Personalized Guidance - Evidence-based training recommendations

Activity Enrichment

Many athletes sync workouts from devices like Apple Watch with generic names (“Morning Run”, “Afternoon Ride”) and no descriptions. The MCP server helps transform these into rich training logs.

Standard Enrichment Process

  1. Discover → “Show me today’s activities”
  2. Analyze → Claude reviews distance, pace, heart rate, elevation
  3. Gather Context → Claude asks how it felt, what the goal was
  4. Enrich → Claude updates activity with meaningful title and rich description
  5. Coach → Claude provides performance insights and training guidance

Example Transformation

Before:

Name: Morning Run
Description: (empty)

After:

Name: Progressive Long Run - 10K Base Building

Description: Perfect conditions at 55°F, overcast. Goal was easy
Zone 2 aerobic work and nailed it - HR stayed 135-145 for 93% of
the run. Started at 5:15/km pace, built naturally to 4:50/km in
final 2K without forcing. Legs felt surprisingly fresh after
yesterday's tempo session. This is exactly what recovery runs should
feel like - conversational effort throughout, building aerobic base
while allowing active recovery. Form felt relaxed and efficient.

Conversation Patterns

Pattern 1: Morning Check-In

You: “How did I do today?”

Claude:

  1. Calculates today’s timestamp
  2. Finds today’s activities with get_activities
  3. Reviews each activity
  4. Asks about workouts with generic names
  5. Updates activities with rich context
  6. Provides summary and encouragement

Pattern 2: Activity Enrichment

You: “Update my morning run”

Claude:

  1. Finds the run with get_activities (recent)
  2. Reviews distance, pace, heart rate
  3. Asks: “How did it feel? What was the goal?”
  4. Listens to your response
  5. Updates with update_activity:
    • Meaningful title
    • Rich description with your feedback
    • Coaching observations
  6. Confirms update and offers insights

Pattern 3: Race Analysis

You: “Analyze my half marathon from yesterday”

Claude:

  1. Finds the race with get_activities
  2. Gets full details with get_activity_by_id
  3. Gets telemetry with get_activity_streams
  4. Analyzes:
    • Pacing strategy (splits)
    • Heart rate response
    • Elevation impact
    • Comparison to goal pace
  5. Provides detailed feedback with data
  6. Updates activity with analysis in description
  7. Offers recommendations for next race

Pattern 4: Progress Review

You: “How’s my training going this month?”

Claude:

  1. Gets stats with get_athlete_stats
  2. Gets activities with date range
  3. Analyzes:
    • Consistency (activities/week)
    • Volume (distance, time)
    • Intensity (pace trends)
    • Variety (sport types)
  4. Compares to previous periods
  5. Celebrates progress
  6. Identifies improvement areas
  7. Sets next goals

Pattern 5: Weekly Summary

You: “Summarize my week”

Claude:

  1. Calculates week timestamps
  2. Gets activities for the week
  3. Compiles statistics
  4. Identifies best efforts
  5. Notes patterns (recovery, hard days)
  6. Provides markdown summary
  7. Offers next week’s focus

Best Practices

Title Writing

Poor titles:

  • ❌ “Morning Run”
  • ❌ “Afternoon Ride”
  • ❌ “Workout”

Good titles:

  • ✅ “Tempo Run - 5K @ Marathon Pace”
  • ✅ “Recovery Run - Easy Zone 2”
  • ✅ “Hill Repeats - 8x400m”
  • ✅ “Progressive Long Run - 10K Build”

Description Template 

[Weather/Conditions] [Goal/Purpose] [Execution/Performance]
[How it Felt] [Notable Observations] [Training Context]

Example Descriptions

Example 1:

Perfect fall weather, 62°F with light breeze. Goal was controlled
tempo effort at marathon pace. Executed well - hit 4:30/km for the
middle 5K with HR steady at 168-172. Felt strong and sustainable.
Slight fatigue in final 2K but maintained form. Confidence builder
for upcoming race. Recovery tomorrow.

Example 2:

Brutal hill workout! 10 repeats of the neighborhood hill (~300m,
8% grade). 2-3 min up hard, jog down recovery. HR spiked to 180+
on each rep but recovered well. Legs were burning by rep 7 but
pushed through. These are getting easier - last month I could
barely finish 6 reps. Clear progress! Ice bath after.

Technical Tips

Working with Timestamps

Claude can calculate timestamps for you, but if you need to:

// Get current timestamp
const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);

// Today at midnight (local time)
const today = new Date();
today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
const todayEpoch = Math.floor(today.getTime() / 1000);

// Specific date
const specificDate = new Date('2026-01-17T00:00:00');
const specificEpoch = Math.floor(specificDate.getTime() / 1000);

Rate Limits

Strava enforces API limits:

  • 100 requests per 15 minutes
  • 1,000 requests per day

Best Practices:

  • Don’t repeatedly fetch the same data
  • Use date filtering to reduce results
  • Space out bulk operations

Advanced Usage

Telemetry Analysis

Ask Claude to analyze your race with streams:

You: “Analyze my race pacing using the telemetry data”

Claude will:

  1. Get activity streams (time, distance, velocity, heartrate)
  2. Calculate splits and pacing
  3. Analyze heart rate zones
  4. Check for cardiac drift
  5. Provide detailed insights

You: “Compare my training this month vs last month”

Claude will:

  1. Get athlete stats for recent period
  2. Get activities for both months
  3. Compare volume, consistency, intensity
  4. Identify trends and patterns
  5. Provide recommendations

Common Questions

“How do I give context for better descriptions?”

Be specific when Claude asks:

  • Mention weather conditions
  • Explain the workout goal
  • Describe how you felt
  • Note any challenges
  • Reference recent training context

“Can Claude update multiple activities at once?”

Yes! Say: “Enrich all my runs from this week. I’ll tell you about each one.”

“What if my activity doesn’t have heart rate data?”

Claude can still enrich with:

  • Pace analysis
  • Elevation impact
  • Training context
  • How you felt
  • Route details

“How detailed should descriptions be?”

Aim for 3-5 sentences covering:

  1. Conditions and goal
  2. Execution and performance
  3. How it felt
  4. Notable observations
  5. Training context

Privacy Considerations

When creating descriptions:

  • Focus on performance, not personal details
  • Avoid sharing specific locations in public activities
  • Keep descriptions about training, not personal life
  • Remember descriptions may be visible to followers

Getting Started

Simple workflow to start:

  1. Morning after workout: “Show me today’s activities”
  2. Pick one to enrich: “Update my morning run”
  3. Answer Claude’s questions about how it felt
  4. Review the enriched activity in Strava
  5. Repeat daily to build detailed training history

Over time, these enriched descriptions become invaluable for:

  • Understanding what training works for you
  • Identifying patterns in performance
  • Planning future training cycles
  • Learning from past successes and mistakes

Need More Help?

Happy training! 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♀️💪