#109 From Feeling Burnt Out and Backing Out of Berlin Marathon to Winning Ironman Goa70.3 in Just 2 Months - Nihal Ahamad Baig

<p>Nihal Baig is an IIT Bombay alumni working in Pune. He is a runner, a triathlete and a coach who won this years Ironman Goa 70.3 race with a timing of 4hrs 29mins. This was more than 13mins better than previous winning time at the race and about 17mins better than his time at the race in 2019 where he finished second overall.</p> <p>I was fortunate to witness the race firsthand and I was blown away from the performance of nearly 1200 athletes enduring the tough weather and course conditions.</p> <p>In this episode I sat down with Nihal the day after the race and talked about his preparation leading up to the race and the race day experience itself. It was surprising to learn that his preparation was anything but ideal, but he still managed to set a personal best time for himself for the distance as well for the event.</p> <p>The takeaway for me from this conversation is that if you continue to stay in the sport even through your bad days, you give yourself a chance to find your mojo again and give yourself a chance to do well.</p> <p>0:00:00 Intro</p> <p>0:04:25 His prep! Berlin marathon and the decision to skip it</p> <p>0:06:30 What were the signs that told he was close to burnout</p> <p>0:13:10 Staying in the game with swimming and cycling</p> <p>0:22:00 His swim prep and the race</p> <p>0:30:00 Taking the confidence from the swim on to the bike leg</p> <p>0:34:45 The calculations going into the run leg</p> <p>0:41:55 His coaching initiative, The Whole Athletes</p> <p>0:43:05 Closing remarks!</p> <p>Link to Nihal's first visit on the podcast: (Episode 25): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEeWZC924fo">&nbsp;#25 Not Just a Marathoner! A Working Athlete and A Winner in Marathons and Triathlons - Nihal Baig! - YouTube</a></p> <p>Link to his coaching site: <a href="https://thewholeathletes.com/" target="_blank">https://thewholeathletes.com/</a></p> <p>Some Links Below:</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/334744737743027/">Working Athlete Community</a> on FB.</p> <p><a href="https://anchor.fm