On Your Marks
A running coach for one race goal (5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon), with a training plan for the days you can train and a daily read of how likely you are to reach your goal, shown with its range.
Need help? Email contact@ethertech.dev. Say which phone you use and what you were doing when the problem happened. A person reads every message.
Ideas and feature requests: use the Feedback button at the top of every screen, or email feedback@ethertech.dev.
How it works
You set one goal: a race distance, a date, and either a goal time or just finishing. You say which days you can train. The app builds a plan for those days and, from the first day, tells you how likely the goal is with that much time and those days.
Every run you log changes the reading. Missed sessions lower it; quality sessions run at or faster than their target pace raise it. Most single sessions move it by a point or two: what predicts a race most is where you start and the race day itself. The chance is always shown with a range, because a single number would claim more than the app knows.
What the labels mean
Thin data, Some data, Steady data. How much evidence about your current fitness the reading rests on. For a goal time, evidence is an interval or tempo session logged with its work pace; for a finish goal, it is a long run. Under 3 such sessions reads "Thin data", 3 or more reads "Some data", and 8 or more sessions after at least 8 weeks reads "Steady data". The range does not shrink much as evidence grows: most of it is race day itself (weather, course, the day), which no amount of training data removes.
How sure is the chance? The chance always shows as a range first, with the best guess under it. The numbers are fitted on a published research dataset of runners' 2019 marathons (BMClab, CC BY 4.0). When tested on races the model had not seen, they did not hold well enough to pass: high readings came true a little less often than they said, and some races (Boston, with its qualifying field) differ from the rest by more than the range allows. Other distances are estimated from the marathon, assuming race day is steadier over shorter races. Read the chance as a guide to direction, not a forecast. "How sure is this?", under every chance in the app, says the same.
Common questions
Do I need an account? No. Signed out, your data stays on your phone. Signing in with Apple, Google or email keeps a copy so you can restore it or use another device.
What is "Help improve the predictions"? Unless you turn it off, the app shares your goal, the runs you log, what the gauge said and your race result, with no name, email or account, so the predictions can be checked against real races and corrected. It tells you the first time, before anything is sent. Turn it off, or delete what was shared, on the You tab. Details are in the privacy policy.
I missed a lot of runs. Can I start again from where I am? Yes. On the Plan tab, open Plan options and choose Recalibrate. It keeps what you have done and plans the rest from today.
How do I delete my account? In the app, open the You tab, then "Delete my account". It deletes your saved copy and your sign-in at once. If you cannot open the app, email us from the address you signed in with and we will delete it for you.
What does the cadence trainer do? Run with it on and, at every kilometre or mile, a voice tells you your cadence (steps a minute) for that stretch and how far over or under your target it was. It recommends a target from your last tracked run, or from the session's pace before that; you can set your own. It needs location and motion access during the run, and the installed app.
How does race fuelling work? From how long your race should take, the app suggests carbohydrate an hour (none under about 75 minutes, about 30 g up to 2 hours, about 60 g beyond), when to take each gel, and about 500 ml of fluid an hour. Change any of it on the Goal tab under Race day. Long runs of 75 minutes or more become practice runs, building from about half your race rate to all of it; log how each went, and gut trouble holds the next one at the same rate. It is general guidance, not medical advice, and it never changes your chance.
Does it read my watch or Apple Health? Not yet. You log runs by hand; the form is pre-filled from the plan.
Does it cost anything? No. The app takes no payments today. If that changes, this page will say so first.