# Harrier — Voice & Tone

Clubhouse confident · Steady over shouty · Race-minded · Earned camaraderie · Heritage with pace

## Personality

- **Funny ↔ Serious:** leans serious (+1) — Harrier can be warm, but race preparation and coaching need credibility more than humor.
- **Formal ↔ Casual:** leans formal (-1) — The heritage crest and club identity call for a slightly classic, composed tone, while the app still needs everyday clarity.
- **Respectful ↔ Irreverent:** respectful (-2) — Distance training is personal, effortful, and sometimes fragile; Harrier should respect the runner, the plan, and the race.
- **Enthusiastic ↔ Matter-of-fact:** leans enthusiastic (-1) — Harrier should carry quiet momentum and pride, but avoid exaggerated hype that undermines its coach-like authority.

## Traits

- **Clubhouse confident** — Sounds like a seasoned coach inside a real running club: assured, calm, and grounded in the shared rituals of training.
  - Why: Harrier is both an app and a club, with a heritage athletic crest. The voice should feel established and trustworthy, not like a generic fitness tracker chasing trends.
  - e.g. "Welcome to Harrier. Set your race, choose your days, and we’ll build the block that gets you to the line."
- **Steady over shouty** — Motivates through composure, consistency, and belief—not hype, guilt, or all-caps intensity.
  - Why: Distance runners know progress comes from repeatable work. Harrier should respect the discipline of training rather than treating every run like a dramatic transformation moment.
  - e.g. "One missed run doesn’t move the goal. We’ll adjust the week and keep the block intact."
- **Race-minded** — Frames features, plans, and progress around preparation for a real event: the next start line, the next split, the next personal best.
  - Why: Harrier is for runners chasing their next race. The language should keep the race objective present without making every interaction feel high pressure.
  - e.g. "Eight weeks to go. Today’s tempo session sharpens the pace you’ll need late in the race."
- **Earned camaraderie** — Builds belonging through shared effort, mutual respect, and understated pride.
  - Why: As a training app and club, Harrier needs to feel social without becoming fluffy. The bond is the work: cold starts, long runs, logged miles, and showing up.
  - e.g. "Long run logged. That’s the kind of work the club notices."
- **Heritage with pace** — Uses crisp, classic athletic language with a modern runner’s practicality.
  - Why: The crest gives Harrier a sense of tradition, but the product is an active training tool. The voice should feel timeless, not old-fashioned.
  - e.g. "Your race block is set. Twelve weeks, four runs a week, one clear aim."

## Tone by context

- **Onboarding:** Be welcoming, assured, and purposeful. Make the runner feel they are joining a club with standards, not filling out a form. Keep setup language clear and progress-oriented.
- **Plan creation and coaching guidance:** Sound like a knowledgeable coach: specific, calm, and useful. Explain the purpose of workouts in runner language—pace, effort, recovery, endurance—without overloading the user with sports-science jargon.
- **Workout reminders:** Be direct and lightly motivating. Focus on the session’s role in the training block. Avoid guilt, panic, or faux urgency.
- **Post-run success:** Celebrate with restraint and pride. Acknowledge the work completed and connect it to the larger race goal.
- **Missed workouts or low adherence:** Be steady and nonjudgmental. Protect the runner’s confidence while making the next step obvious. Reframe consistency as returning to the block, not starting over.
- **Injury, fatigue, or rest:** Prioritize care and long-term performance. Use respectful, coach-like language that validates rest as training. Never push through pain.
- **Errors and empty states:** Be clear, brief, and composed. Own the issue where appropriate and give the runner a next action. Avoid cute metaphors that slow comprehension.
- **Community and club moments:** Lean into belonging, shared standards, and mutual recognition. Sound proud but not exclusive. Make runners feel part of something with history and momentum.
- **Marketing:** Lead with race preparation, consistency, and the identity of joining a serious-but-welcoming running club. Avoid generic fitness promises or body-transformation language.

## Messaging

**Audience:** Distance runners training for 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, marathons, and trail or road races who want structured coaching, club belonging, and a serious but welcoming place to build toward their next start line.
**Value:** Harrier gives distance runners a race-ready training plan and a club to keep them steady from first week to finish line.

- **Plans built for the race ahead** — Training is anchored to the runner’s event, schedule, current fitness, and goal—so every run has a role in the block.
- **Coaching that keeps runners steady** — Harrier guides the work with clear purpose, smart adjustments, and calm support when life, fatigue, or missed miles get in the way.
- **A club, not just an app** — The experience creates belonging through shared effort, club rituals, recognition, and the pride of showing up alongside other runners.
- **Heritage standards, modern tools** — Harrier brings the feel of a classic athletic club into a practical training product: structured, credible, and built for today’s runner.

## Lexicon

**Use:** `the club`, `training block`, `race block`, `start line`, `finish line`, `personal best`, `PB`, `next race`, `long run`, `easy miles`, `tempo`, `intervals`, `splits`, `pace`, `effort`, `recovery`, `rest day`, `build`, `sharpen`, `hold steady`, `show up`, `log the miles`, `week by week`, `earned`, `ready for the line`
**Avoid:** `crush it`, `smash your goals`, `beast mode`, `no excuses`, `pain is weakness`, `burn calories`, `get shredded`, `summer body`, `life hack`, `grindset`, `dominate`, `elite only`, `just a jog`, `failure`, `lazy`, `you blew it`, `insane results`, `guaranteed PR`, `secret formula`, `gamified fitness journey`

## Mechanics

- **Capitalization:** Sentence case for product UI, emails, and headings. Title case may be used sparingly for official club names, race programs, badges, and crest-led campaign lines.
- **Contractions:** yes
- **Emoji:** Rare. Avoid in core product, coaching, errors, and race-plan moments. One restrained emoji may be acceptable in community/social posts, but words should carry the tone.
- **Reading level:** Grade 7–8. Short sentences, precise running terms, and clear next actions.

## Boilerplate

- **Short:** Harrier is a training app and club for distance runners building toward their next race.
- **Medium:** Harrier helps distance runners train with purpose from first week to finish line. Set your race, build a structured plan, adjust as life happens, and stay connected to a club that respects the work behind every start line.
- **Long:** Harrier is a training app and club for distance runners chasing their next race. Built with the spirit of a heritage athletic club, Harrier combines structured race plans, clear coaching guidance, smart adjustments, and community recognition to help runners stay steady through the full training block. Whether the goal is a first 10K, a faster half, or a marathon personal best, Harrier keeps the work focused, the plan practical, and the runner connected to something bigger than a solo logbook.

## Voice in action

**Onboarding headline**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Join the club. Tell us your race, and we’ll build the block. | Reach your running goals with a personalized fitness journey. | The preferred line feels club-led, race-specific, and direct. The alternative is plausible but generic fitness-app language. |

**Race selection prompt**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | What start line are you building toward? | What event are you preparing for? | Both are clear, but the Harrier version uses runner-native, emotionally resonant language. |

**Plan generated confirmation**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Your 12-week race block is set: four runs a week, with room to recover. | Your custom plan is ready. Let’s get started! | The preferred copy is specific and coach-like; the alternative is usable but too standard. |

**Workout preview**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Today: 6 easy miles. Keep the pace honest and save the legs for Thursday’s tempo. | Today’s run is 6 miles at an easy pace. Try not to overdo it. | Harrier sounds like a runner speaking to a runner, with a clear reason inside the week. |

**Push notification**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Tempo day. Warm up well, then settle into the work. | Your workout is waiting! Time to crush it. | Harrier motivates without hype or pressure. |

**Missed run**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | One missed run doesn’t break the block. We’ll adjust the week and keep you moving. | You missed a workout. Reschedule now to stay on track. | The preferred line is supportive and strategic; the alternative is functional but slightly scolding. |

**Post-run success**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Run logged. Another useful mile in the bank for race day. | Great job! You completed your run and earned progress toward your goal. | Harrier celebrates with understated pride and a race connection. |

**Rest day**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Rest day. Let the work settle—tomorrow’s miles will be better for it. | Take a break today so your body can recover. | The preferred line treats rest as part of serious training, not an absence of activity. |

**Error state**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | We couldn’t load your plan. Try again, and we’ll get you back to the block. | Oops! Something went wrong while loading your plan. | The Harrier version is composed, accountable, and oriented toward the runner’s goal. |

**Community challenge**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Club challenge: log your long run this weekend and add your miles to the board. | Join this weekend’s challenge and compete with other users on the leaderboard. | The preferred copy feels like a club ritual; the alternative sounds like a generic gamified app. |

**Marketing hero**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Train for the line with a club behind you. | Achieve your running goals with personalized coaching and community support. | The preferred line is distinctive, compact, and rooted in Harrier’s race-and-club positioning. |

**Email subject**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Your next race block starts Monday | Your personalized training plan is ready | Harrier frames the moment like the start of a serious training cycle, not a software output. |
