Do I need Strava?
No, but it's where Pacer gets its sharpest data. With Strava connected, finished activities arrive automatically, match themselves to the planned session, and feed the analysis — including lap-level block detection. Without it, you can log sessions manually or let Apple Health supply the workout.
Does it need an Apple Watch?
Not required. The Watch app gives you today's session on your wrist, live charts and structured workouts you can start from Exercise → Plans, and readiness gets much better with overnight HRV and sleep. But an iPhone plus any GPS watch that syncs to Strava is enough to train with Pacer.
How does the readiness score actually work?
Four inputs, each weighted and scored against your own rolling 30-day baseline: HRV (35), sleep duration and depth (30), resting heart rate (25) and yesterday's step load (10). Deviations are measured in standard deviations from your normal, so a 42 ms HRV is only a problem if 42 is low for you. A resting HR 15 bpm over baseline reads as illness and caps the day regardless of the rest. Every deduction is shown with its reason — nothing is a black box.
What happens to my health data?
HealthKit data is read on device and stays there; it is never uploaded to a third party. Your plan syncs through your own account so it survives a new phone, and nothing is sold, brokered or fed to an ad network. There are no analytics SDKs in the app.
When does the beta end, and what will it cost?
The beta runs until the adaptation engine has been through a full race cycle with enough runners — realistically a few months. Everything is unlocked while you're testing. When Pacer launches it'll be a subscription with a free trial, and beta testers keep founding-runner pricing.
Can I move a session, or skip a week?
Yes. Hold and drag any session to another day and the week re-balances around it. Skip a week entirely and the next adaptation softens the ramp rather than pretending it happened — that's the whole point of the loop.
Which languages and units are supported?
English and French, metric and imperial, °C and °F. Everything — including paces, splits and weather — follows your choice.