In this episode, Naveen John breaks down his and Team India's performances at this year's Asian Championships. Failures are as much a part of sport as successes. In fact in sport we fail more times than we succeed. We talk about how he deals with disappointment of failure at something that he worked so hard towards. We talk about the performance gaps with the top guys at the Asian level and what it takes to bridge those gaps among other things.

It was an insightful chat as always.

0:00:00  Intro

0:03:50  Grateful but disappointed

0:06:20  Indian team composition, selection trials

0:10:25  Preparation closer the biggest event, last minute variables

0:19:10  Team Time Trial team composition and how it played out

0:28:46  His ITT performance, not putting all eggs in one basket

0:37:40  Falling ill at the wrong time. Can everything be controlled?

0:41:50  Dealing with the disappointment, having something bigger and looking ahead

0:46:40  Earning support with performance

0:49:55  Is it possible to bridge the gap?

0:55:15  No overnight success but the chase is the excitement

0:56:35  The Joel situation

0:59:50  The road race

1:02:25  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Dave King is a bad-ass marathon runner and a cancer survivor. Dave has been an inspiration for me and many others who are fortunate to cross paths with him. He was one of the key figures who helped me stay active when I was feeling down without any activity during the wintery Vermont days back in 2010 when I was there on work for an year.

This life long working athlete is now retired from work and keeps busy with home projects, volunteering, running and gravel-mountain biking.

0:00:00  Intro

0:03:45  Running in winter and layering

0:09:20  How running helped us in Vermont winters

0:15:45  Ramping up for Marathon training and doing too much too soon

0:22:25  Starting running again in his 40s after stopping cross country in school

0:23:45  Starting gravel biking after a back injury

0:33:10  Training for Boston marathon qualification

0:37:00  Talking of maintaining form while running and cycling

0:39:15  Dealing with Cancer training for running during the treatment, building back up to marathon

0:44:40  After effects of cancer treatment and how running helped

0:50:00  Building back up after a freak back injury

0:52:20  Tips for working athletes

0:53:35  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Nagaraj Harsha is a runner and a triathlete who has been in the sport for over a decade now. His journey both as a person and as an athlete is pretty inspiring. For me it is a lesson on how one can build a life for oneself through sheer determination and passion despite coming from very humble background with very limited resources.

In this episode, we talked about his running and triathlon journeys over the years. We talked about why he took a step back from triathlons after more than 5 years of living and breathing triathlons. We explored his running journey and how it is helping him find balance to enjoy both work and life outside of work.

0:00:00  Intro

0:03:50  What is work for him, pursuing MBA from IIM

0:05:45  Starting work life early as kid to aid his mother

0:11:15  Earning support for education through sponsorship and scholarship from Compassion International

0:15:50  First job after graduation and dealing with boredom through trekking with Chennai Trekking Club

0:21:44  Starting running to lose weight and progressing

0:26:34  Getting into cycling and getting mugged on his first ride

0:35:10  Being inspired by Dipankar and getting into Triathlon

0:37:20  Signing up for 70.3 Colombo in 2012 and the race experience.

0:46:20  Ironman journey and perspective change and learnings over the years

0:58:55  Moving away from Triathlon and sticking to running

1:10:25  Getting to sub-3 marathon, progress in running with focus on a single sport!

1:19:10  Meeting his education sponsors and how did they feel

1:26:20  Tips for working athletes

1:30:05  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Bindiya Surya is a rider who started cycling in her early 30s during the pandemic in 2020. Within an year of starting to cycle she represented her State, Tamilnadu at the Indian Cycling Nationals. From not being able to ride even 5km without stopping for catching a breath, her journey to the Nationals in such a short span is inspirational. It is a testament to her living by the mantra, you don't have to be great to start but you need to start to be great.

In this episode, we talked about her journey so far, her goals and aspirations and her support system that makes it all possible.

0:00:00  Intro

0:04:55  What is work for her

0:05:26  Sports in early school life etc

0:08:50  Starting of cycling during Pandemic

0:19:00  Experience of first ever race

0:31:20  How did she get to Tamilnadu state selections

0:39:20  Training, racing and doing virtual Everesting indoors during pandemic

0:49:25  2021 selections for Nationals

0:56:15  2021 Nationals experience

1:09:35  Her support system

1:17:25  Balancing work, workouts and managing recovery

1:23:25  Tips for working athletes

1:26:30  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Nandini Sharma is a doctor by profession and rider who represented Tamilnadu at Indian Cycling Nationals. Her journey in endurance sports started with using running and cycling as stress busters while in medical college. She pursued triathlon for a few years and has completed half iron and full iron distance triathlons. Now while  pursuing a demanding career as a doctor, she is focusing on just cycling with aspirations of winning a medal at the nationals.

In this episode, we talked about her endurance journey and how she manages training towards Nationals while working as a full-time doctor.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:15  How does her typical work day look

0:04:20  Sports in school at Kendriya Vidyalaya

0:05:45  Starting to run with her dad, getting into triathlon/Duathlon

0:11:30  How becoming physically active helped her at medical college

0:15:05  Signing up for Iron distance triathlon and completing it

0:22:45  Transitioning into racing shorter distances

0:33:30  Seesawing between career and cycling

0:42:00  Giving up fitness and trying to work to make it back, weight loss, TFN discussion, off season weight etc

0:55:25  Nationals experience

1:03:50  What next, future goals and aspirations, saying yes to one thing and no to a lot

1:11:30  Managing recovery while at work, eating clean and her nutritional routine on and off the bike

1:20:15  Tips for working athletes

1:25:05  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Hari Menon is a dear friend and a long time cycling teammate. He is also been a runner for four decades as well.

In this episode, we talked about his running and cycling journeys over the years. As someone who has cycled and raced in various parts of the world and as someone who has been living and racing in Dublin for the last couple of years, he shared pretty interesting insights into the club level riding and racing there. It was interesting to note them and contrasting that with the situation in our part of the world to learn and implement a few things here. I really enjoyed this conversation. I'm sure you will too.

0:00:00  Intro

0:06:30  What is work for him

0:08:41  Running and cycling for more than 40 years, different perspectives at different times

0:13:15  Running in school days, college days and early mentors

0:23:00  Getting away from sport, smoking and trying to get back to running

0:27:00  Chancing upon a cycling tour, Tour of Nilgiris connect in 2008

0:31:20  Meeting him for the first time in 2010 the TFN and Bikeszone  connect

0:37:10  Riding with Vicki, being a couple with same interests, riding in various parts of the world

0:46:00  Running and cycling, do they help each other?

0:49:30  Dealing with injuries, importance of strength training

0:54:15  Riding in Dublin and other parts of world; how it compares to Bengaluru

1:03:00  Club structure and club ride groups, events abroad etc

1:25:05  Tips for working athletes

1:26:50  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Vinay Basavaraj was a National record holder at 200m breast stroke and represented India in swimming at South Asian Games. He was an Olympic hopeful who came close to making the cut before retiring from sport. After years of gap he came back to sport with triathlon. He not only pursues the sport with utmost passion but also became a Ironman certified coach guiding other amateurs to get better at it.

In this episode, we talk about his journey in sport as an athlete and as a coach. We talk about his recent 70.3 Dubai as well as the differences and similarities of practicing sport as a pro vs as an amateur among others things.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:30  What is work for him

0:03:10  Very early entry into sports with Judo and discovering Swimming

0:06:05  Competitive swimming career as a National level swimmer

0:12:15  Initial years after quitting swimming

0:13:40  Getting back to sport through running

0:17:04  Getting into Triathlon through Tri Thonnur

0:19:00  Initial years of triathlon for him

0:21:35  His Dubai 70.3 experience

0:25:00  His most memorable race so far

0:26:15  Coaching triathletes and what he looks for

0:29:15  His advice for aspiring triathletes

0:30:25  Common at sport pro level vs amateur level

0:32:10  Time management and what he misses

0:34:35  Tips for working athletes

0:35:32  His typical training cycle for 70.3

0:39:10  Working on mental aspects

0:43:15  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Tasneem Topiwala is a practicing Architect and interior designer. This mother of two is a long distance endurance cyclist who has just come back from completing the 4000km journey from Kibithoo of Arunachal Pradesh, which is the last town on the Indo-China border in Eastern India to Koteshwar of Gujarat, which is the last Indian town on the Indo-Pak border. She and her co-rider Meera Velankar who was on this podcast last year completed the challenging ride in 27 days.

In this episode, we talk about her endurance journey. We talk in detail about the East to West ride in detail, going into the challenges and the exhilarating moments of that amazing journey.

0:00:00  Intro

0:03:45  What is work for her

0:04:10  When did cycling start for her

0:05:05  Transitioning into long distance cycling

0:10:15  Memorable and tough experiences in 600km brevet

0:13:30  Contributing to the  Relief riders initiative

0:18:04  What drives her for pursuing long distance cycling

0:19:15  How did the East to West ride come about

0:21:35  Her training to prepare for the East to West ride

0:23:00  Her experience of 1200km LRM

0:27:15  Challenges during the East to West ride

0:36:15  Managing accommodation and food along the way

0:40:25  What all kit and spares were carried on the ride

0:42:10  Compatibility with fellow rider while riding together

0:43:35  Most memorable moments from the East to West ride

0:46:52  What helped her continue despite bad falls

0:50:10  Tips for working athletes and women

0:51:25  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Neil D'souza is one of very few adventure sports film makers we have in India. He covers various sports like river rafting, kayaking, climbing, cycling etc. He spent almost 6 months trekking in the Himalayas and made an amazing documentary about the experience.

In this episode, we talk about his how he came to covering sports and his journey in the Himalayas. He shared some of those experiences where he almost did not make it out alive to tell the tale. They were mind-blowing and talks a lot about his resilience. It was an amazing conversation that I really enjoyed.

0:00:00  Intro

0:04:00  What is work for him

0:06:15  How did you get into adventure sports film making

0:16:50  Always in sports in school and college

0:21:00  Common threads he finds in various sportsmen/athletes from different sports

0:26:47  What is his process for covering sports and making adventure sports films

0:36:04  Experience of covering Indian Cycling Nationals(Road and MTB)

0:38:50  His favorite sport to cover

0:41:00  The touching story of Manigandan and his Tour of Nilgiris speech and his film around it.

0:49:40  Neil's memories from Tour of Nilgiris

0:58:15  Toughest experience for him, The Himalayan Film

1:18:05  Three near death experiences while running solo for 4 months in the Himalayas!

1:33:45  Any advice for aspiring adventure and sports film makers

1:37:25  Closing remarks!

Indian MTB Nationals coverage by Neil:

2021 Nats

2020 Nats

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker

Kavi Mahajan has started cycling 5 years ago at 98kgs. After starting cycling he has lost 20kgs in the last 5 years and has become one of the strongest masters cyclists in the country.

In this episode, we talk about his cycling journey and how it helped in him in losing weight and becoming a healthier human being. We talk about his training routine and what helped him become stronger over the years. We also talk about why he doesn't take part in races but just enjoys riding really fast. It was a fun and inspiring chat with a lot of fun stories.

0:00:00  Intro

0:02:10  Current situation with work from home.

0:03:30  Sports in early life

0:05:40  Early work life routine and chancing upon cycling through TDF

0:07:30  2 month research for bicycle and early bike saga

0:17:30  Early riding in Chennai

0:20:30  The move to Bangalore

0:24:50  Dealing with injuries

0:32:01  Fatigue resistance, riding on reserve and building the engine

0:36:05  His fascination with speed

0:38:00  His fueling for rides(not for everybody)

0:41:00  20kgs weight loss and going fast on hills

0:45:00  His obsession with keeping the bike clean

0:49:40  Training indoors

0:53:00  Why he doesn't race

0:56:00  TeamBROS and what he likes about it

0:57:50  Tips for working athletes

1:23:00  Closing remarks!

Some Links Below:

Working Athlete Community on FB.

Link to Anchor Voice messages

About the Podcast

The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration, training tips, mental hacks, time management and life-style advice through conversations with some of the best in sport, from athletes to coaches. If you think you can benefit from this, please consider subscribing so that you don't miss the weekly episodes in future.

If you like this, share with friends who could be interested.

For the visually inclined, a video version of the podcast can be found here: YouTube

Other Places you'll find the podcast on:

Anchor | RSS | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google podcasts | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker