Beyond hard workout: A multimodal framework for personalised running training with immersive technologies

Training to run is not straightforward since without proper personalised supervision and planning, people will not improve their performance and will increase the risk of injuries. This study aims to identify the different factors that influence running training programmes, examining the benefits, challenges or limitations of personalised plans. Moreover, this study explores how multimodal, immersive and artificial intelligence technologies can support personalised training. We conducted an exploratory sequential mixed research consisting of interviews with 11 running coaches from different countries and a survey of 12 running coaches. Based on the interviews and survey analysis, we identified and extracted relevant factors of the training process. We identified four relevant aspects for running training: physical, technical, mental and body awareness. Using these aspects as a reference, we derived a framework using a bottom-up approach. This framework proposes multimodal, immersive and artificial intelligence technologies to facilitate personalised running training. It also allows coaches to personally guide their athletes on each aspect.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Running is a popular sport that provides health benefits and is practised by many people around the world.
• Training is a process that enables athletes to improve their development in various aspects of their sport; in the case of running, it helps them to increase their speed and endurance.
• Personalised training supports the needs and abilities of athletes, by helping them to achieve their potential through individualised activities or programmes.
• Sports science research indicates that personalised training can be improved by applying technology to tackle its challenges and limitations.

What this paper adds

• We show that personalising the training requires not only focusing on the runners' physical condition but also on their mental, technical and body awareness aspects, where each of them has a different adaptation to training.
• We show that multimodal and immersive technologies offer suitable and portable ways to measure and target the mental and body awareness aspects during running training.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• This paper presents a list of factors, measures and devices that coaches can use to plan and design their training sessions in a more personalised manner.
• This study can serve as a foundation for future research that aims to identify and target the various factors that influence the learning and training of sports.