The geek's guide to running faster | The Vergecast

Quick Overview

The Vergecast episode features an interview with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former Wired editor-in-chief, focusing on his approach to running, which blends intense, data-driven optimization with personal philosophy, alongside a segment where reviewer John Higgins advises listeners to immediately turn off motion smoothing and enable Filmmaker Mode on new televisions purchased during Black Friday sales.

Key Points: Nick Thompson views running through two distinct modes: 'optimization mode' where he tracks heart rate and cadence, and 'spiritual mode' when running in nature without tracking data. Thompson uses extensive gear for peak training, including a Garmin watch and a chest-worn heart rate monitor, noting the wrist is inaccurate for HR monitoring due to movement. To test running shoes, Thompson uses a stride power meter on his shoe to determine which pair requires the least power and lowest heart rate to maintain a specific pace on a track. Thompson trains by intentionally simulating adverse race conditions, such as running after eating a large meal or running when his WHOOP score is very low (e.g., 2 out of 100) to stress-test his brain's pain signals. Thompson found that having an external coach supervising his training resulted in a 95% success rate, significantly higher than his 25% success rate when self-coached, suggesting accountability is a powerful forcing function. John Higgins recommends that for new TVs, the first step after setup is to go into picture settings and switch to Filmmaker Mode, or Cinema/Movie mode if Filmmaker Mode is unavailable, to turn off excessive processing. Higgins explains that motion smoothing, which causes the 'soap opera effect,' attempts to correct the 'sample and hold' nature of modern displays when viewing 24 frames-per-second film content, but it looks unnatural and should be disabled.

Context: The Vergecast episode, hosted by David Pierce, is structured around two main interviews. The first features Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and a very fast runner, discussing his training philosophy, the technology he uses, and his book, 'The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports.' The second segment shifts focus to consumer technology, specifically televisions, with new AV reviewer John Higgins providing purchasing and setup advice relevant to the Black Friday shopping season.