*2.1. Monitoring Systems for Runners*

Researchers have studied the effectiveness of various features present in remote monitoring systems for runners. Boratto et al. studied the effectiveness of u4fit, a human-in-the-loop remote monitoring system linking runners with professional fitness coaches to enhance runner safety and engagement [15]. Similarly, Vos et al. describe the design process and evaluation of Inspirun, a smartphone application for recreational runners [16]. Both papers emphasize the importance of personalized running experience and coaching. Both u4fit and Inspirun track heart rate, running speed, and GPS coordinates to keep track of the runs and to determined the intensity of the training. Given an intensity profile and training results, u4fit relies on a human fitness coach to provide feedback on compliance with the personalized training regimen. On the other hand, Inspirun relies on the smartphone application itself to provide coaching feedback. u4fit is aimed at improving and sustaining runner motivation, while Inspirun is designed to help recreational runners set new performance-related

goals. The authors, however, do not report on any quantitative results in their publications. Unlike u4fit or Inspirun, our efforts are focused on minimizing injuries in a specific subpopulation of runners, i.e., long-distance runners. Moreover, in RunningCoach, the training regimen is focused on cadence, which has been reported as one of the factors associated with injury and performance.

Our long-term goal, which we aim to achieve after a series of further studies, is to develop a recommendation algorithm that outputs an optimal cadence level for an individual runner, based on her or his physical parameters (e.g., age, gender, height and weight), data from previous runs (e.g., performance, heart rate, etc.) and other factors related to injuries.
