Using the Simulator | Support

Using the Simulator — Three Practice Modes

Last updated: May 18, 2026 · Applies to: Earn Your Ears 1.3.0 and later

The Simulator is where you practice. It uses the same GPS tracking and sweep math as the live Race Day Tracker, but for any time of year — tune-up runs, target pacing, or a full race-morning rehearsal weeks before you fly down to Florida.

Version 1.3.0 splits the Simulator into three distinct modes, each built for a specific kind of training:

Mode	What it's for	Tier
Distance Run	Just go run a distance. Any distance.	FREE
Corral Simulation	Rehearse a real runDisney race with your actual corral's head start applied.	PREMIUM
Proof of Time	Pace yourself against a target finish time or target pace — for a PoT submission or a personal goal.	PREMIUM

[Screenshot: Simulator mode picker showing the three modes]

Getting into the Simulator

1 Open the Race tab

Tap the Race tab at the bottom of the screen. At the top, you'll see two mode tabs: Race Day and Simulator. Tap Simulator.

2 Pick a mode

The mode picker shows all three options. Tap the one you want — you can switch between them any time before starting.

Mode 1 — Distance Run FREE

The simplest mode. Pick a distance, tap Start, run.

1 Pick a distance

Choose from the preset distances (5K, 10K, 10 Miler, Half Marathon, Full Marathon) or tap Custom and type in any distance you want — "3.5", "7.2", "13.5", whatever you're going for that day.

[Screenshot: Distance Run mode with custom distance entry]

2 Confirm and start

Tap Start. A confirmation pops up showing your distance and "Coaching: 16:00/mile sweep" — the same sweep cutoff pace runDisney uses on race day. Tap Ready to Start and the tracker begins.

What "coaching" means here: Even though you're not in a real corral, the app pretends you started in Corral A — so the sweep buffer counts down at the standard 16:00/mile pace from minute zero. It's a clean, no-head-start way to see whether you can hold pace on your own.

Mode 2 — Corral Simulation PREMIUM

This is the race-morning rehearsal. You pick the weekend, race, and corral — identical to the Race Day Tracker — and the simulator applies your corral's head start to every sweep calculation. Run this a few weeks before your race and you'll know whether your training pace is going to keep you ahead of the sweep van for your start time, not Corral A's.

1 Pick your weekend

STS, WDW Marathon Weekend, Wine & Dine, or Princess. Each weekend has its own race lineup and corral structure.

2 Pick the race

5K, 10K, 10 Miler, Half, or Full — whichever races that weekend offers.

3 Pick your corral

If you already know your real assigned corral, use it. If you don't have a bib yet but want to plan around a likely corral, pick the one matching your submitted Proof of Time (or pick C or D if you're a first-timer who didn't submit one).

[Screenshot: Corral Simulation setup — weekend, race, corral chips]

4 Confirm and start

The confirmation alert shows the head start that's being applied — for example, "Corral D (+38 min head start)". Tap Ready to Start. From here on, the tracking screen looks and behaves exactly like Race Day — same four stats, same color-coded sweep buffer, same voice coaching.

Why this is the most valuable practice mode: "Can I finish under 16-minute pace?" is the wrong question for a back-corral runner. The right question is "Can I still finish ahead of the sweep van after losing 38 minutes at the start?" Corral Simulation answers that, on your real training route.

Mode 3 — Proof of Time PREMIUM

Proof of Time (PoT) is the qualifying time runDisney uses to seed you into a faster corral. This mode is built around hitting a target — either a finish time you need to beat, or a per-mile pace you need to hold. The app coaches you against that target throughout the run.

Distance note: PoT requires 10K or longer. runDisney doesn't accept 5K times for corral qualification, so the Simulator only allows PoT on 10K, 10 Miler, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, or any custom distance over 6.2 miles.

1 Pick a distance

Same options as Distance Run mode: preset (10K and up) or Custom.

2 Choose your input style: Time or Pace

Two tabs let you enter your target in whichever way you think about it:

Time — enter hours / minutes / seconds for your goal finish time. The app shows you the per-mile pace that target requires.
Pace — enter minutes / seconds per mile. The app shows you the finish time that pace produces over your chosen distance.

[Screenshot: PoT mode with Time/Pace toggle and target preview]

3 Verify the derived value

Right under the input, you'll see either "Required pace: 10:30 /mile" or "Estimated finish: 2:18:00" — depending on which mode you're in. Make sure that matches what you're trying to hit before tapping Start.

4 Confirm and start

The confirmation alert shows distance, target pace, and target finish. Tap Ready to Start and the tracker begins coaching you against the target pace. The on-screen stats swap "vs Sweep" for "vs Target" — positive means you're ahead of pace, negative means you're behind.

How to actually hit a PoT: Don't go out too fast on mile 1. The "vs Target" number will start optimistic if you do, and you'll burn through your buffer. Even-paced or slight negative split (faster second half) is the safest way to hit a target.

What the screen looks like during a simulated run

The running view is the same across all three modes — four stat cards plus a Stop button. The only thing that changes is the fourth stat:

Mode	Fourth stat shows
Distance Run	vs Sweep — minutes ahead of the 16:00/mile cutoff, no head start.
Corral Simulation	vs Sweep — minutes ahead of the sweep, with your corral's head start applied.
Proof of Time	vs Target — minutes ahead of (or behind) your target pace.

The first three stats (Distance, Time, Pace) work identically across all modes. For details on reading the sweep buffer color codes (safe / caution / danger), see the Using the Race Day Tracker article — the math is the same.

Premium gating — what's free, what isn't

Distance Run mode is fully free. You can use it as much as you want, with custom distances and full GPS tracking.

Corral Simulation and Proof of Time are part of Premium. If you tap one without an active Premium subscription, you'll see a paywall explaining what each mode does and offering monthly or annual plans. Founding Members (the first 25 beta testers) have Premium granted automatically — no subscription needed.

If you previously paid: If you've subscribed before but the modes are showing the paywall, tap Restore Purchases at the bottom of the paywall. This re-syncs your Apple receipt and unlocks immediately.

Background tracking and saving

The Simulator uses the same background GPS, the same voice coaching, and the same finish-summary save flow as Race Day. If you can lock your phone during a Race Day run, you can do it during a Simulator run.

For setup details on Location permission and the save flow, see the Race Day Tracker article.

Troubleshooting

The Start button won't activate in Distance Run mode

You need a valid distance. If you typed a custom distance, make sure it's a positive number — "0" or an empty field won't activate Start. Preset distances activate Start as soon as you tap them.

The Start button won't activate in Corral Simulation mode

You need all three: weekend, race, and corral — same rule as Race Day. If you switched weekends mid-setup, your previous race and corral picks get cleared on purpose (the chips don't match across weekends).

The Start button won't activate in Proof of Time mode

Either you haven't entered enough digits to make a valid target, or your target is impossibly fast/slow for the distance. Double-check the "Required pace" or "Estimated finish" preview line under the input — if it's blank, the target isn't valid yet.

I'm on Premium but Corral Simulation says it's locked

Tap Restore Purchases from the paywall. If that doesn't work, check Profile to confirm your Premium status is active. If it's not, there may be a billing issue worth resolving in the App Store subscriptions panel.

Can I save a Simulator run as if it were a real race?

Yes. The finish summary offers the same Save to Run History and Save to Training Log options as Race Day. Simulator runs are labeled in your history so you can tell them apart.

My Corral Simulation says I'm in danger from the very start

The simulated head start "spends" your buffer before you even take a step. If you picked Corral G with a 50-minute head start, the sweep van has 50 fewer minutes to chase you down before mile 1 — that can put you in caution or danger immediately. This isn't a bug — it's the math telling you that for your assigned corral, you can't afford any slow miles early. Run a Distance Run version first to see how you do without the head start eating your buffer.

The "vs Target" stat in PoT is wildly negative on mile 1

Pace is a rolling average, so it overreacts during the first quarter mile or so while GPS settles. Don't trust the number until you're past the half-mile mark. By mile 2 it'll be much steadier.

Can I run Distance Run mode indoors on a treadmill?

Not usefully. The simulator depends on GPS for distance, and treadmills don't move — you'll show zero distance forever. Future versions may add manual entry for treadmill runs; for now, outdoor runs are the way.

Need more help?

Discord (fastest) — Join here
Email — support@earnyourears.app
Support portal — support.earnyourears.com/portal

When reporting an issue, please include your build number (from the home screen), the Simulator mode you were in (Distance Run / Corral Simulation / Proof of Time), and any setup values (distance, corral, target pace) you'd selected.