Is your watch making you a worse runner? We dig into two powerful books — The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg and The Score by C. Thi Nguyen — to unpack how metrics, Strava segments, and training scores can quietly hijack your motivation and identity as an athlete.

We also tackle a wild listener question: a 23-year-old running 30 hundred-milers a year. We break down the real physiology — rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, endocrine suppression — and the psychology of the attention economy, dopamine loops, and identity fusion.

Plus Hot or Nots on running onesies, ankle weights, and legs up the wall. And meet Microcosm coach Kristin Layne, who specializes in multi-sport coaching for busy athletes.

Key topics: value capture, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, the 4 phases of competence, running by feel vs. running by data, RPE, and defining success on your own terms.

Books discussed:

• The Way of Excellence — Brad Stulberg
• The Score — C. Thi Nguyen

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