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Vera
Fitness Coaching

Sixteen weeks is a long time to be alone with a plan.

Weekly calls about the long run, the niggles, and whether you are overdoing it.

Marathon plans fail from doing too much, not too little.

What Vera actually is

A phone call with someone who is not there. You say the thing out loud, they answer the way a real person would, and you get to do it again — as many times as it takes, with nobody listening.

1She calls youA real phone call, about ten seconds after you tap. Lock screen, headphones, car — wherever you take calls.
2She plays the other personNot a coach reading tips. Marathon Training Check-Ins, with someone on the other end who answers back.
3She pushes when you are vagueFollow-up questions, interruptions when you ramble, and a straight read at the end on what landed.
Start Weekly Check-Ins

15 minutes free · no card needed

Start Weekly Check-Ins

15 minutes free · no card needed

“What if I am bad at it?”Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.
“What if I do not know what to say?”She asks first and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.
“What if it is awkward?”It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Start Weekly Check-Ins

15 minutes free · no card needed

What she'll actually ask

She asks these the way a real person would, then follows up on whatever you say.

  1. How did the long run go, honestly?
  2. What is your mileage this week compared to last?
  3. Is anything niggling, and for how long now?
  4. Are your easy runs actually easy?
  5. How are you feeling about race day?
More about this one

Most marathon blocks fall apart in the middle third, either from an injury caused by adding mileage too quickly or from the sheer monotony of week eleven. Both are easier to catch in conversation than in a training log, because the warning signs are things you say out loud before you write them down. Vera checks in weekly, asks how the long run went and what is niggling, and pushes back when your week looks like too much too fast.

What she listens for

Mileage jumpsLarge week-to-week increases are the most common route to a stress injury.
Persistent nigglesA niggle mentioned three weeks running is a physio appointment, not a niggle.
Easy run paceRunning easy days too hard is why the hard days stop working.
  • marathon training
  • long run
  • weekly mileage
  • taper
  • easy pace
  • training block
  • race day plan
  • overuse injury
“It asked about the same niggle three weeks running and then told me to see someone. It was a stress reaction.”
Femi A.

Related practice

Strength Training for RunnersCheck-ins for the gym work that prevents the injury that stops the running.Couch to 5K Check-InsA call after each run, so the plan survives the first bad week.Race Day Nerves & PlanPacing, fuelling, and what you do when it goes wrong at halfway.Exercise Habit Accountability CallsA call that asks whether you did it, on the days you said you would.

Common questions

Will it write my training plan?

No. Bring a plan you trust — these calls handle adherence, fatigue, and the honesty a spreadsheet cannot capture.

How do I know if I am overdoing it?

Persistent niggles, sleep disruption, and easy runs feeling hard are the usual signals. Any of them is worth raising with a physio or coach.

What about fuelling?

Practise it on long runs, and talk to a sports dietitian about specifics. Under-fuelling a marathon block is common and genuinely risky.

What if I am bad at it?

Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.

What if I do not know what to say?

She asks the first question and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.

What if it is awkward?

It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Ready to try it?

Your first 15 minutes are free. No card required.

Start Weekly Check-Ins