- Updated: November 25, 2025
- 6 min read
Running Tech Gear and Motion Smoothing: The Vergecast’s Marathoner Guide
Skip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonThe VergeThe Verge logo.The geek’s guide to running fasterPodcastsClosePodcastsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PodcastsGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechThe geek’s guide to running fasterOn The Vergecast: a marathoner’s guide to AI, holiday TV questions, and cheap earbuds.On The Vergecast: a marathoner’s guide to AI, holiday TV questions, and cheap earbuds.by David PierceCloseDavid PierceEditor-at-LargePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by David PierceNov 25, 2025, 2:42 PM UTCLinkShareIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.David PierceCloseDavid PiercePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by David Pierce is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.One thing we talk a lot about on The Vergecast is how to engage with technology without losing your mind. One version of that discussion has to do with fitness, and the so-called quantified self: what does it take to make use of the tools and trackers available to you, without letting exercise take over your life? It’s a fun, complex topic, and one we come back to often.There is, however, another side to the debate.What if you want the most data, the most insights, the most feedback, the most coaching, whatever it takes to do better, no matter what? That requires a different set of tools, and a different relationship with technology. Subscribe: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Pocket Casts | MoreNicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and the author of the new book, The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports, has spent years developing that relationship.(He’s also a very fast runner — the type who wins races rather than just finishes them.) And on this episode of The Vergecast, he describes his approach to running and to running tech. He walks us through how he uses his Garmin watch, the custom GPT he built to give him nutrition and workout advice, and how he experiments with his workouts to find out what data matters and what simply doesn’t.Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Vergecast everywhere you get podcasts. Head here to get your ad-free feed. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.After that, The Verge’s John Higgins joins the show to deliver some helpful advice ahead of the holiday season. You might be heading home for Thanksgiving this week, which means you might need to turn off some motion smoothing — but what is motion smoothing? And why is it ever on in the first place?John also helps us decide which Frame-style TV is the one to get, how you should customize your new set right out of the box, and more.Finally, David answers a question from The Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) with some follow-up to a previous question about inexpensive earbuds. We’ve gotten a lot of recommendations, and figured we should share.If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started:Nick Thompson’s book, The Running GroundFrom The Atlantic: Why I RunTV manufacturers unite to tackle the scourge of motion smoothingDear Roku, you ruined my TVHow to turn off motion smoothing on your high-definition TVSamsung’s Frame TV is finally getting the knockoffs it deservesSamsung announces The Frame Pro: could this be the perfect TV?The Nothing CMF Buds 2 PlusNothing’s other headphonesEarFun’s earbudsThe Soundcore P40i headphonesThe Sony WF-C700N headphonesTozo’s headphonesFollow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.David PierceCloseDavid PierceEditor-at-LargePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by David PierceGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsPodcastsClosePodcastsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PodcastsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechTVsCloseTVsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TVsVergecastCloseVergecastPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All VergecastMost PopularMost PopularAmazon’s Starlink competitor is launching with ‘world’s fastest satellite internet antenna’RAM prices are so out of control that stores are selling it like lobsterI’m officially done with YouTube Kids‘Holy shit’: Gemini 3 is winning the AI race — for nowThe Steam Deck LCD is 20 percent off for Black FridayThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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