The geek's guide to running faster

What It Covers

Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, discusses his approach to optimizing running performance through extensive data tracking, wearable technology, heart rate monitoring, and unconventional training methods that stress multiple body systems simultaneously.

Key Questions Answered

• •Heart Rate Training Zones: Track heart rate across races to establish precise benchmarks—marathons should start at 130 bpm at mile five, rise to 140 at mile fifteen, and reach 150 at mile twenty-three for optimal performance without cardiovascular failure.
• •Shoe Testing Protocol: Test multiple shoe models on a track wearing a stride power meter, running two miles in each pair at race pace while measuring heart rate and power output to determine which shoes require the least energy expenditure for a given speed.
• •Wearable Sensor Stack: Wear a Coros armband on the upper bicep rather than wrist for accurate heart rate readings, since wrist placement causes inaccurate data due to bone interference and movement. Core temperature monitors and running dynamics pods provide supplementary training data.
• •Stress Adaptation Training: Train the brain's pain thermostat by deliberately running under adverse conditions—after eating heavy meals, when dehydrated, or with low recovery scores—to simulate the physiological stress experienced during the final miles of ultramarathons when fresh training cannot replicate those conditions.
• •Custom AI Coaching: Build a custom GPT trained on personal running data, nutrition logs, blood work results including hematocrit levels, and race goals to receive personalized supplement recommendations, workout pacing advice, and dietary adjustments that increase oxygen-carrying capacity through targeted nutrition interventions.