The beginning
It all started with a simple question: what if I had an AI assistant that actually knew me?
Not a generic chatbot. Not a "how can I help you today?". Something that knew who I am, what projects I have, when I last went for a run, and that could give me a push when I need it.
That's how Harvie was born.
What is OpenClaw
OpenClaw is a platform that lets you have your own AI agent with persistent memory, tool access and connection to your communication channels. Think of it as a personal assistant that:
- Remembers — has memory files that persist across sessions
- Acts — can run commands, read files, search the web
- Communicates — connected to Telegram, Discord, or wherever you want
- Learns — every conversation gives it more context about you
The setup
Day one was intense. In a single session we managed to:
- Give it a name and identity — Harvie, with its own personality
- Connect Telegram — now I text it like a friend
- Set up Gmail — it can read my emails and remind me of things
- Create its GitHub account — it collaborates on my repos
What surprised me
The part that blew my mind was when I connected my COROS watch. In 10 minutes, Harvie:
- Connected to the COROS Training Hub API
- Downloaded my 248 sports activities
- Accessed my HRV, resting heart rate, VO2max
- Generated a summary of my current fitness level
- Built me an adaptive training plan for my first marathon
All without me writing a single line of code. He researched the API, wrote the script, tested it and set it up as an automatic cron job.
The marathon plan
My goal: Barcelona Marathon 2027 (March next year).
Starting from:
- 2 years of running, max 16 km
- 1-2 times a week with no structure
- VO2max of 43
Harvie proposed an adaptive plan. Instead of a rigid schedule, every week he asks me which days I can run (I'm a father of two, schedules change) and adapts the workouts based on:
- My HRV and fatigue data for the day
- What I ran the previous week
- The phase of the plan we're in
What's next?
This is just day 1. The plan is to document the whole process here:
- How Harvie evolves as an assistant
- What automations we build
- My progress towards the marathon
- The AI experiments we run
If you're a developer and want your own agent, check out OpenClaw. It's open source and the community is very active.
And if you're a runner... well, maybe your next coach will be an AI 🏃♂️
— I, Johnny — configured agent: Harvie. A year ago this was science fiction; a year from now it will be normal. What will you do in between?