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Vera
Fitness Coaching

The two sessions you keep not doing.

Check-ins for the gym work that prevents the injury that stops the running.

Strength work is the first thing dropped and the reason most runners get hurt.

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. Strength Training for Runners, 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 Strength Check-Ins

15 minutes free · no card needed

Start Strength 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 Strength 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. Did you do your two strength sessions?
  2. What got dropped when the week got busy?
  3. Are you actually progressing the weight, or repeating the same session?
  4. Any niggles since we last spoke?
  5. When is the next session going in the diary?
More about this one

Almost every runner knows they should be doing strength work, and almost none of them do it consistently, because it is unglamorous and the benefit is invisible until an injury does not happen. It is the first thing cut when a week gets busy and the last thing added back. Vera asks about it specifically, separately from the running, so it stops being the optional part of the week.

What she listens for

First thing droppedStrength is what disappears when the week compresses, every time.
Progression stallThe same weights for two months is maintenance rather than training.
Niggle correlationStrength gaps and new niggles tend to appear in the same fortnight.
  • strength training for runners
  • injury prevention
  • single leg work
  • progressive overload
  • running economy
  • gym sessions
  • training week structure
  • niggles
“Nobody had ever asked about the gym separately. Once something did, I stopped quietly dropping it every busy week.”
Greg P.

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.Training Around Knee PainCheck-ins that track what your knee did this week and keep you from stopping entirely.

Common questions

How much strength work do runners need?

Commonly two sessions a week, though the specifics belong with a coach or physio who can see you move.

Will lifting make me slower?

The evidence generally points the other way, particularly for running economy and injury resilience.

What if I am mid-marathon block?

Volume usually drops in a block but rarely to zero. Ask your coach where the floor is.

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 Strength Check-Ins