Racing IQ

We all know training matters—but what separates good races from great ones? It’s how you respond when you had to face the harsh realities of race. Think Sifan Hasan’s London Marathon debut: hamstring issues mid-race, but still a win. That’s Racing IQ.

In this episode, we unpack the art of staying calm and smart when race-day chaos strikes. Because on race day, it's not just about the body, your brain better show up too.

• Pacing IQ: The mind game of knowing when to hold pace or chase.

• Race-day decisions: How to adapt in real-time such as dropped gels, hydration mishaps, and the mental reset process.

• The metrics that matter: What data to track (and what to ignore) when racing.

• Training RacingIQ: Workouts, simulations, and post-race audits to build smarter instincts.

• Expect the unexpected—and have a plan for your plan falling apart.

• What could be a decision tree to manage mid-race pacing.

• Conditions (heat, hills, headwind) demand adaptation—not stubbornness.

• RacingIQ can be trained like any other skill.

Host: Aditi Pandya

Aditi is a seasoned endurance runner and the host of The World of Running podcast. She is qualified for the Boston Marathon multiple times and has numerous podium finishes in Indian races, the recent one is first runners-up at the TMM 2025 half marathon with a timing of 1:42:19 and holds a personal best of 3:29:05 in the marathon. Learn more about her at ⁠aditipandya.com⁠.

Expert Guest: Vijayaraghavan Venugopal

Vijay is one of India’s most accomplished masters marathoners, with 10 sub-3 finishes and all six World Marathon Majors completed. His best: 2:47 at the 2025 London Marathon. He’s also the co-founder of Fast&Up.

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🔁 Errata:

• Aditi mentions in her case of cramping - the marathon as being in 2023—it was actually in 2024.

The Elite Mindset

In the 45th episode of World of Running, host Aditi Pandya explores how an athlete’s mental framework can drive record-breaking performances. Joined by performance and mindset coach Andrew Snow, the discussion delves into:

• Mindset & Certainty: Examining the mental commitment behind iconic runs.
• Balancing Life & Training: Strategies for juggling a demanding 9-to-5 with rigorous running goals.
• Overcoming Mental Blocks: Techniques for dispelling limiting beliefs and developing focus on goals.
• Goal Setting & Emotional Alignment: How to set ambitious targets, whether it’s shaving minutes off a PB or aiming for world-class records.
• State of Flow: Understanding the balance of mental fortitude, practice, and embracing the routine to reach peak performance.
• Training Approaches: Insights into Andrew Snow’s method that differentiate elite training from conventional routines.

Aditi Pandya

Aditi is a seasoned endurance runner and the host of The World of Running podcast. She is qualified for the Boston Marathon multiple times and has numerous podium finishes in Indian races, the recent one is first runners-up at the TMM 2025 half marathon with a timing of 1:42:19 and holds a personal best of 3:29:05 in the marathon. Learn more about her at aditipandya.com.

Andrew Snow

Andrew Snow is a performance and mindset coach for distance runners and the founder of Run Elite, a unique program that helps runners achieve extraordinary improvements across distances from the 5K to the ultra-marathon. His innovative approach blends mindset tactics with world-class training science to guide runners toward peak performance. Andrew holds a degree in exercise physiology, a master’s degree in bio-mechanics, and has undergone extensive training under Tony Robbins' Master University system to facilitate rapid life change. With 29 years of competitive running experience, Andrew has earned a conference title on the track, multiple Boston Marathon finishes, and transitioned to trail ultra-running where he has won numerous races, holds course records, and completed several races over 100 miles, including the iconic Tahoe 200-mile endurance run. In addition, he holds a black belt in the International Tae Kwon Do Federation. When not traveling to discover the best tropical fruit, Andrew resides in the scenic mountains of Asheville, NC, where he continues to run.

References:

• RunElite: RunElite Book
• RunElite YouTube Channel

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This 44th episode of World of Running dives into the world of running communities in India. How they are built, sustained, and why they have become so popular in India over the last decade. Listeners will learn about the evolution of running clubs, the impact of community support on individual fitness journeys, and practical strategies to engage and nurture a thriving running group.

Key topics discussed:

Guest Intro:

Joining the conversation is Ramesh Kanjilimadhom, an IT professional and seasoned marathon runner from Kochi. Ramesh boasts an impressive record with 89 marathons under his belt - including six appearances at the Boston Marathon, and has been running barefoot for the last 15 years. In 2013, he started Soles of Cochin a vibrant running community that has motivated hundreds of runners locally. His journey from casual running to creating a vibrant community provides invaluable insights into the challenges and rewards of building a lasting network of runners.

References (links):

Welcome to the 43rd episode of The World of Running! In this episode, we’ll dive deep into goal-based training—a strategy designed to help runners improve by tailoring their training toward specific targets. Whether you’re working on shaving minutes off your personal best or chasing a big milestone like qualifying for the Boston Marathon, setting clear, realistic goals is the key.

Key Topics Covered:

Aditi Pandya

Aditi is a seasoned endurance runner and the host of The World of Running podcast. She qualified for the 2024 Boston Marathon, has numerous podium finishes in Indian races, and holds a personal best of 3:37:06 in the marathon. Learn more about her at aditipandya.com.

Aravind Ajad Yarra

Aravind is the co-founder of GeeksOnFeet and also the producer of The World of Running podcast. He is an experienced marathoner with a personal best of 3h:23m.  He’s deeply involved in running science, mechanics and data based training. Aravind shares his experience with goal-based training and helps runners set realistic, data-driven milestones to keep improving.

Follow us for more updates:

Welcome to the 42nd episode of the World of Running, over the last two running seasons, 2022 to 2024 (April to March), the total number of running events organized in India was 1,185, and the number of finishers was about 1.1 million. Running takes off in India, and marathons are no longer a once-a-year event.  Aditi Pandya discusses the booming running scene in India with Venkatraman Pichumani, the author of the India Marathon Annual Report. They explore the key findings from the report, trends in race participation, performance, and the challenges faced by race organizers.

Key Topics Covered:

Aditi Pandya

Aditi, the host of ‘The World of Running’ podcast, is an accomplished athlete and an endurance runner. She qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2024, has won multiple podiums at various races in India and her current PB is 3:37:06. You can know more about her at https://aditipandya.com/

Venkatraman Pichumani 

Venkat is a successful professional turned entrepreneur who now chases his passion for promoting running for good health. By profession, Venkat is a CA. He is a Level II RRCA Running Coach and RRCA Race Director, a member of the Road Running Clubs of America (RRCA), and USA Track and Field (USATF) among many others. Venkat has many publications to his name, including "Sofa to 5K – A Beginner's Handbook for Running" (in 5 languages). He is a regular blogger and Vblogger and the founder and trainer of the Zippers Club.

Venkat can be reached on Tel 9920121097

email [email protected]

web www.youtoocanrun.com and racemart.in

Zippers Club https://youtu.be/DtblWvm10C8?si=35oEZZnzTuOQPddv

https://www.facebook.com/youtoo.canrun/

https://www.instagram.com/youtoocanrun/

https://www.youtube.com/@YouTooCanRun

In this episode, we delve into the complex relationship between weight loss and running performance with Evan Lynch. We discuss the allure of the "ideal" racing weight and whether it's truly necessary for recreational runners. We explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of weight loss for runners. This episode also discusses practical strategies for safe and effective weight loss, including tips on nutrition, managing cravings, and avoiding common mistakes. Additionally, the importance of mental well-being and balancing self-care with performance goals, with Evan.

Key Points Covered:

Aditi Pandya

Aditi, the host of 'The World of Running' podcast, is an accomplished athlete and an endurance runner. She qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2024, has won multiple podiums at various races in India and her current PB is 3:37:06. You can know more about her at https://aditipandya.com/ 

Evan Lynch

Evan is the owner of the Southeast Nutrition Clinic. He is a sports nutritionist based in Ireland. 

He works as a sports nutritionist with the Dublin City University athletics team and with the Irish wheelchair basketball team. Evan has worked with Olympic sprint finalists, European cross-country medallists, and Kona Ironman world medalists amongst other athletes. You can reach him at [email protected] or on instagram @elynchfitnut

Key Links and References

Related Episodes & Articles

In this episode, we’ll discuss one of the most overlooked aspects of running - “Breathing”, and how runners can improve their performance and health through better breathing.

Aditi Pandya, the voice behind the World of Running podcast, is an avid runner and is co-founder of GeeksOnFeet. Aditi is an accomplished athlete, and is an endurance runner with a personal best in marathon of 3:37. Her goal with this podcast is to democratize running and ensure that valuable content reaches every runner, from beginners to experienced.

SUNIL MENON

Sunil Menon is the Founder and Head Coach of Menon Fitness Systems. Sunil quit his 18 years of IT career to start Menon Fitness Systems with a mission to Influence the right habits for an active lifestyle by providing Training & Nutrition plans, Safe and Natural Nutrition products, and Healthy hacks for smart training and leading an injury-free life. He started teaching 8 years back in 2016 & has his mentees globally. 

Sunil is a two-time Ironman finisher. In July 2019 he participated in Ironman Zurich which he completed in 13hr:26 mins and was the winner of the 2012 Bangalore Ultra. He is a Boston qualifier and ran it in 3:05 which is also his Personal Best. He is a certified Ironman Coach from Ironman University in 2015. 

Sunil's book on breathing: Breathe Better, Live Better & The Power of Conscious Breathing

Sunil can be reached at Menon Fitness Systems, and on Instagram Menon Fitness Systems (@menonfitness)

Youtube Episode

Links to Other Episodes and Articles:

Sleep is such a basic need that it affects our mood, efficiency, longevity, and most importantly it improves our running performance. Sleep is also required for maintaining and nurturing our relationships, growth of society, and many more intrinsic necessities. 

Sleep releases hormones that aid in muscle protein synthesis, thus repairing the cellular level damage from exercise, it improves our reflexes, decision making capacity and overall keeps our mind and body working at an optimal level. 

In this episode we will be discussing the fascinating world of sleep and its impact on life, health and more importantly running performance.

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Sudhir Kumar. 

Dr. Sudhir Kumar is a neurologist. He has been in medical practice for about 30 years. He enjoys his work and loves solving complex neurological problems. He treats patients from across the world. His motto in medical practice is: Prompt diagnosis of disease, early initiation of treatment and offer the best treatment at the lowest possible cost. 

Dr Sudhir took up running at age 49. He loves training at lower heart rates. At 49, before he started running, he weighed about 100 Kg. Running has transformed him. He is very active on “X” & regularly posts about neurology, medicine, fitness, running and nutrition.

Reference 

Athletes Guide to Recovery 

Recover to Perform

Recover through Cold and Hot 

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As runners we are quite conscious of the training process be it the miles/week, the specific paces or the interval durations. But training is not just about how far or how fast we can run; it’s also about how well we bounce back and prepare ourselves for the next training run or race. The backbone to achieve performance goals without getting injured, is to have a good recovery strategy alongside the training. More often than not we are guilty of ignoring recovery all together, especially when we are juggling family, work and running.

This episode explores the art and science of recovery

GUEST INTRO: SAGE ROUNTREE

Sage Rountree is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, USA Triathlon certified expert, and Road Runners Club of America certified coach. She holds a PhD in English and is the author of The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery, The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, and The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga. She also contributes to Runner’s World and Yoga Journal. Sage competes in running events from the 400m to the 50K and at triathlons. She raced for Team USA at the 2008 Short-Course Triathlon World Championship. Her coaching clients compete in running, ultras, and multisport events, including the Ironman World Championship. She is co-owner of the Carrboro Yoga Company and teaches workshops on yoga for athletes nationwide.

Please visit her website to find all about her work and useful resources for runners.

Her book on recovery - The Athletes Guide to Recovery