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Vera
Fitness Coaching

Say the race plan out loud before the start line.

Pacing, fuelling, and what you do when it goes wrong at halfway.

Everyone has a plan until the first kilometre, which they run too fast.

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. Race Day Nerves & Plan, 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.
Talk Through Your Plan

15 minutes free · no card needed

Talk Through Your Plan

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.

Talk Through Your Plan

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. What is your pacing plan for the first ten minutes?
  2. What is your fuelling plan, and have you practised it?
  3. It is going badly at halfway. What do you do?
  4. What is your realistic target versus your hopeful one?
  5. What are you most nervous about?
More about this one

Race nerves show up as pacing errors. The adrenaline of a start line makes the first few kilometres feel easy at a speed you cannot hold, and the plan you wrote sensibly on Tuesday evaporates. Saying the plan out loud, including the contingency for when it falls apart, makes it far more likely to survive. Vera walks through your pacing and fuelling plan and asks what you will do at the point where it usually goes wrong.

What she listens for

Start-line optimismOpening pace plans that are faster than anything you have trained at.
Untested fuellingRace day is not the day to try a new gel.
No contingencyA plan with no branch for it going wrong tends to end the race when it does.
  • race day nerves
  • pacing plan
  • negative split
  • fuelling strategy
  • start line adrenaline
  • A and B goals
  • race contingency
  • pre-race routine
“Saying my opening pace out loud was the moment I heard how unrealistic it was. I ran a PB going slower.”
Iris D.

Related practice

Marathon Training Check-InsWeekly calls about the long run, the niggles, and whether you are overdoing it.Couch to 5K Check-InsA call after each run, so the plan survives the first bad week.Hyrox Training Check-InsCheck-ins that ask about the stations you avoid, not just the running.Strength Training for RunnersCheck-ins for the gym work that prevents the injury that stops the running.

Common questions

When should I do this call?

The evening before works well. Race morning tends to add pressure rather than remove it.

Can it help with fuelling specifics?

Only in general terms — practise fuelling in training and get specifics from a sports dietitian.

What if I have never raced before?

Then the contingency conversation matters most, since the first race is where plans most reliably collapse.

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.

Talk Through Your Plan