‘I like to run to feel’: embodiment and wearable mobile tracking devices in distance running

Many experienced runners consider the use of wearable devices an important element training process. A key techno-utopic promise wearables lies in proprietary algorithms to identify load errors real-time and alert users risks running-related injuries. Such ‘knowing’ is claimed obviate need for athletes’ subjective judgements by telling how they have deviated from a desired or optimal intensity. This realist-contoured perspective is, however, at odds with sociological research indicating that engage active ‘data sense-making’ highly contextualised. To investigate athletes (or not) algorithmic analysis understand, make sense of, improve their performance real-time, we undertook qualitative interviews distance explore lived experiences running wearables. The described actively interpreted data wearables, drawing on own experience, ‘somatic knowledge’, embodied ways knowing. allowed them assess relevance usefulness relation goals, intentions, feelings. Our findings challenge promises predictive analytics.