Built by a runner who got it wrong — so you don’t have to.
I’m Michael Shaffer. I founded StrideIQ because generic plans don’t know you — and when training doesn’t learn the athlete, it breaks people.
We learn from your history — your response curves, your tolerance, your constraints — instead of forcing you to match a template.
When StrideIQ uses athlete-specific numbers, it cites the underlying evidence (dates + run labels + key values). You can audit every claim.
Training paces come from real equations and flow into your workouts automatically — no calculator juggling, no mystery numbers.
We meet you where you are. The promise is simple: measurable progress, honest constraints, and decisions backed by your data.
Why I built this
I was injured by a plan that didn’t know me: population averages, rigid progressions, and no regard for real response curves. That experience wasn’t just frustrating — it was the clearest possible signal that “generic” is not the same as “safe.”
I’ve built systems from scratch before. I founded US Medical Scientific with no prior background in chemistry, coding, or hospital operations. I saw the iPad launch and built self-report testing software that automated workflows and delivered results directly to physicians.
That work exposed deeper gaps in healthcare, so we kept going: automated lab workflows, built on-campus high-complexity labs, and developed custom LIMS software integrated into hospital billing/EHR flows. We scaled to 200+ employees by obsessing over execution, and by attracting exceptional people through mission clarity — not credentials theater.
That experience taught me something fundamental: when you start from nothing, success comes from judgment about the problem, the mission, and the people — not from pretending you already know everything.
What StrideIQ is (and what it isn’t)
Coaches and software often force athletes to adapt to the method. That’s backwards. StrideIQ flips it: your data calls the shots. We learn the athlete first, then we earn the right to prescribe — and we show our work when we do.
StrideIQ is in active development. The free tools are live now; the Coach and planning system are being hardened around one non-negotiable principle: if the system says something about you, you should be able to verify it.
Questions? Use the site footer links or the in-app feedback options after you sign up.