#79 - The Dangers of Data Obsession (and Why Your Watch Might Be Ruining Running)

Join Tommy to explore one of the biggest shifts in modern running: our obsession with data.

Running used to be simple. You put on a pair of shoes, headed out the door, and judged the run by how it felt. But somewhere along the way watches, Strava, VO2 max scores, heart rate graphs and endless metrics began to take over.

In this episode Tommy follows the story of an everyday runner who slowly falls into the trap of letting numbers define his runs. He breaks down why many of the metrics runners obsess over aren’t nearly as important as they think, why wearable tech estimates are often misleading, and how the constant comparison culture of Strava can quietly erode the joy of running.

This is not an attack on data. Data can be useful. But when numbers start replacing experience, something important is lost.

If you’ve ever finished a run that felt great… only to feel disappointed when you saw the numbers on your watch, this episode is for you.

A conversation about running, freedom, and remembering why we started in the first place.

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