Thursday, adjusted
6 × 800m moved to Saturday
HRV has been down three days and you are in the late luteal phase. Two easy days first, then the intervals land where you can actually hit them.
Pushed to your watch. No app to open.
Your AI Running Coach
built around your life.
A personalized running plan grounded in science
Your AI running coach learns from your watch data and real-world coaching experience, keeping your personalized running plan realistic, adapting to your life, and helping you hit your goals with fewer injuries and setbacks.
No credit card. Connect your watch in seconds.
As seen on
The problem
The best plan is the one you can actually execute.
The best coaches don't hand you a plan and walk away.
They know when to push and when to pull back. They're there at every step.
But the tools most runners have? Static schedules that shatter the moment life gets in the way.
With Vertical, you will never fail a plan. It will just adapt.
The disconnect
Your watch knows
your heart rate.
It doesn't know you.
HRV, sleep score, Body Battery, VO₂ max. We have more data than ever, but data only matters in context.
Your watch cannot ask how you are feeling and will still say "productive" when you feel anything but.
Vertical combines modern training metrics with your real life.
The gap
The science exists.
It's just not applied to you.
Periodization, load management, recovery protocols, all well established. But locked behind coaching certifications, academic papers, and expensive 1:1 coaching. What reaches you is a generic template.
Read the science behind Vertical →50 metrics on your wrist.
Decades of research in journals.
Yet no one is asking:
how are you actually feeling?
How it works
Meet your coach.
01
It starts with a conversation.
Connect your wearable data, then hop on a voice call or chat with your coach. Goals, schedule, injury history, the things a watch can't measure. Data plus dialogue gives your coach a complete picture of who you are.
Voice call or chat · Onboarding
Your coach is listening
4:32CoachWhat's your main goal right now?
YouSub-4 marathon in October. I've been stuck around 4:10 for two years.
CoachAny injuries or niggles I should know about?
02
Grounded in real research & coaching experience.
We built a collection of 500+ peer-reviewed papers covering periodization, recovery, injury prevention, and more, curated by coaches who've worked with athletes from first-time 5k runners to world champions. Every decision your coach makes combines modern training science with real coaching experience, applied to your level.
See the research behind Vertical →Research foundation
Polarized training intensity distribution
HRV-guided training in recreational runners
Running-related injury prevention through biomechanics
Sleep and athletic performance
+ 500+ more papers
03
Then it builds a plan with you.
Draft a plan, talk it through, move sessions and ask why. Have a training philosophy or workouts you like? The coach works around that. It's a conversation, not a prescription.
Can I move my long run to Sunday? I have a family thing Saturday.
Done. I've moved your 22k to Sunday and shifted recovery to Monday. Saturday is now rest.
Updated schedule
MonEasy 8k
WedTempo 10k
SatRest
SunLong 22k
04
Every workout, your way.
Paces, zones, structure, but flexible. Swap days, shorten a run. Your coach reshuffles everything.
Wednesday · Tempo Run
Warm-up2 km · 5:30/km
Tempo6 km · 4:25/km
Cool-down2 km · 5:45/km
05
After every run, your coach is there.
Your coach reads the data, analyzes each training session together with you, and adjusts what comes next. Mention an injury, the next two weeks rewrite themselves.
Post-run debrief
Solid tempo today. Your splits were even and heart rate stayed in zone. You negative-split the last 2k which is exactly what we want. Tomorrow is easy 6k, keep it under 5:40.
1–2 km4:28/km
3–4 km4:24/km
5–6 km4:20/kmNegative split
Integrations
Your data goes in.
A better week comes out.
Most apps collect this and show you a chart. Vertical uses it to change what you run tomorrow.
Connected
- Garmin
- COROS
- Suunto
- Polar
- WHOOP
- Oura
- Clue
- Flo
- Apple Watchsoon
What the coach reads
heart_rateevery secondhrv62 ms, down 12%sleep7h 12mtraining_loadCTL 48 · ATL 61cycle_phaselate luteal, day 24how_you_feellegs heavy
What changes
Ask about any of it in the app, or from the assistant you already use.
Pricing
Your coach. Free to start.
Free assessment
Free
Find out exactly where you stand. Your coach analyses your training history and tells you what's holding you back.
Start for free- 200+ data points analysed
- Training zone breakdown
- Personalised coach insight
- 3 minutes · No credit card
Most popular
Vertical PRO
$25/ month
Full coaching, daily adaptations, and unlimited access to your coach.
Get started- Everything in Free
- Unlimited coach conversations
- Daily HRV-aware plan adjustments
- Post-run debriefs after every session
- Full training history analysis
- Race readiness & taper coaching
No credit card required to start · Cancel any time
Common questions
How is Vertical different from apps like Runna or Garmin Coach?
Those apps generate a plan and adjust paces as your fitness moves. Vertical is built around a coach you can actually talk to. You onboard with a real conversation, chat or voice, and every decision is grounded in your own training data plus 500+ peer-reviewed sports-science papers. Miss a run or mention a niggle, and the plan itself rebuilds around it.
Which watches and devices does Vertical work with?
Vertical connects directly to Garmin, COROS and Polar. Your runs, heart rate, HRV and sleep data sync automatically, no manual uploads.
What happens when I miss a run or my week changes?
You never fail a Vertical plan, it adapts. Tell your coach you are travelling, tired, or short on time, and the week is rebuilt around your reality: sessions move, load rebalances, and your goal stays on track.
Do I need a running watch to use Vertical?
No. A watch gives your coach richer data, but you can start by talking through a recent race or your typical effort levels and Vertical derives your paces and zones from that conversation.
Is Vertical right for beginners?
Yes. The coaching approach is built from research and coaching experience spanning first-time 5k runners to world champions, and every plan is set to your current level, not a template.
How much does Vertical cost?
The training assessment is free, takes 3 minutes, and needs no credit card. Vertical PRO, with the full adaptive coach, is $25 per month after a 7-day free trial. Cancel any time.
Start today
You never fail a Vertical plan.
It just adapts.
Connect your Garmin, get a full training analysis in 3 minutes, and meet the coach that adapts to your life, not the other way around.
No credit card required · Cancel any time