Can smart insoles make you faster?

One of the main reasons my race trainers stay gathering dust at the bottom of my wardrobe, is that I often get a kind of imposter syndrome when I’m jogging in public. Are my feet striking the floor at the right angle? Do my arms look stupid?

There’s a lot to worry about, especially when you’re being lapped in the park by prorunners, speeding past you, seemingly just knowing exactly what to do.

So I was keen to see if Nurvv Run could help (£249.99, nurvv. com) - a clever coaching system that’s housed within a pair of running insoles you slip into your trainers.

From there, it analyses your running technique to give you real-time feedback, and coaching on how you can improve your running game.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The insoles, which will last five hours before charging, go under the sock liners already in your running shoes. They’re fitted with 32 sensor pressure pads, which feed through to a free, companion smartphone app, and also link to GPS tracker units which clip onto the collar of your shoes, just underneath the ankles.

The GPS and under-foot sensors work in tandem to feed back a variety of data about your running technique. As well as getting stats on your pace, distance and cadence, you’ll receive information on your foot-strike pattern, pronation and balance – three features that set these insoles apart from a wearable watch.

All of your running metrics are uploaded to the Nurvv app which builds up a picture of your running and provides coaching to help you run faster and improve your technique.

The app told me to me to add single leg stability exercises to my training, as well as increase my step width.

Using all of this knowledge, the app will suggest how long your next run should be or if you should take a rest day. It’s like having a running coach in your pocket, one that will give you audio prompts to, say, increase your speed, so you can stay on track with your target pace.

THE VERDICT

The removable GPS trackers connect fairly seamlessly. They have a button on the inside to switch them on – pop on your Bluetooth, start your run in the app and you’re good to go.

Although the they might look bulky on first glance, the trackers are surprisingly lightweight and comfortable.

Overall, I found this to be a really handy bit of kit for a beginner runner, as it made me feel a lot more comfortable and clued-up on my runs.