"Running is about listening to your body." - Eliud Kipchoge
Wearables promise unprecedented insight into performance, but some coaches now worry athletes are collecting more data than they can actually use.
In the past decade, elite sport has undergone a quiet technological revolution.
GPS trackers measure sprint distance. Smart rings monitor sleep and heart-rate variability. Core body sensors can track internal temperature in real time during competition.
For coaches and sports scientists, this data promises a clearer picture of how athletes respond to training. But it has also created a new challenge: deciding what information actually matters.
Sports scientist Stephen Seiler, whose research has shaped endurance training programmes across multiple sports, has often cautioned that data must serve performance - not overwhelm it.
"The best athletes in the world still train by feel," he said.
That philosophy remains common among endurance athletes. Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has often emphasised simplicity in his training approach.
"Running is not about complicated science. It’s about listening to your body," he said.
Modern performance teams now face the challenge of balancing those two worlds.
On one hand, wearable technology can reveal patterns invisible to the naked eye: fatigue accumulation, declining sprint output or abnormal heart-rate response. These signals can help coaches intervene before injuries occur.
On the other hand, too much information can blur rather than clarify the picture.
Athletes can become overly dependent on numbers, questioning sessions that 'feel good' simply because a device suggests otherwise. Some coaches now limit how much data athletes themselves see, allowing performance staff to interpret the metrics behind the scenes.
The debate reflects a broader shift in sport. Technology is no longer just enhancing training - it is reshaping how athletes think about their own bodies.
The most successful programmes are beginning to settle on a hybrid model: technology provides the signals, but experience and intuition interpret them.
After all, no wearable yet understands an athlete’s body quite as well as the athlete themselves.
