Nivedita Samanta

Nivedita Samanta

Runners

Career Highlights

2010: ran my first half marathon in New Delhi.

2012: ran my first full marathon in Mumbai. I also ran a half marathon in Ladakh as part of La Ultra.

2013: I ran the Triund Trail Race, organised by a close friend.

2016: I came on-board as an Adidas Running athlete and ambassador and have been building the community in India’s National Capital Region.

2017: I ran my fastest half marathon and met Haile Geberslassie, the running legend. Over the years, I have gone from a 2:10 half marathon finisher to a 1:42 finisher and I believe my best is yet to come.

In 2018, I hope to qualify for the Boston Marathon and focus more towards running full marathons.

Nickname: Nivi

I began running as a 13 year old student in my boarding school in the mountains of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India. Then, I ran middle distances and 3,000 metres. I transitioned to running 5,000 metres as a high school senior and continued to do so while in college in the USA. Running always helped me channel my energies positively and give greater focus to everything that I did. In November 2009, I returned to India and decided to take on a bigger challenge of running a half marathon. Subsequently, I ran my first half marathon in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I find the discipline and planning required to train and stay on the top of my physical fitness hugely motivational. In addition, the ability to push my personal boundaries to become a better runner also inspires me to be a better human being – as a citizen, as a wife and as a dog mother. I quit my job with Vodafone Foundation in 2016 to pursue my passion of running, fitness and overall wellness through my fit-venture Fit Rabbits. Since, I have studied to hone my skills as as marathon running coach. In the forthcoming days, I hope to encourage, help and guide many people to discover their ultimate fitness potentials.

Up Close, and Personal

To me, sport is…

an integral part of my existence.

My idea of an effective weight training session is

one that is well-planned, strategic towards my overall goal for a race or retaining my fitness levels. I believe in periodisation and heart-rate based training. I also spend 10-15 minutes of warm-up and cool-down activities and dedicate at least one day for flexibility and stretching. As a runners, hills and intervals training is hugely crucial to athletic performance. I follow hard-easy training protocols week on week.

The moment when I discovered my athletic potential was

1999 when I came first in a 400 metre race at my school without much effort.

The three biggest lessons I have learnt so far in my athletic career is

1. Always pay attention to warm-up, mobility and cool-down protocols.

2. Listen to your body and give a day every week towards recovery.

3. Well rounded training includes running, functional movement work and nutrition. Nutrition is an essential aspect to continue improvement.

Before a big race, I tell myself

that the race is a test of myself vs myself. I encourage myself by getting my brain to not be stupid and just focus on finishing a race, as per plan.

The toughest competition of my life was

In 2013 when I injured myself running the Mumbai Marathon on my birthday in the 22km mark. I had to battle with my physical and mental barriers to finish my race, which I did.

The most memorable moment of my sporting career so far

Running a half marathon in Ladakh.

My training sanctuary is

having a strong mental game, nothing else really matters as long as my brain is positively aligned.

My dream starting line is

Boston Marathon.

I nourish my soul with

cooking food, baking – where I try new healthy recipes, enjoy walks and snuggles with my dog and reading a lot of science fiction, when I can.

Unived helps me by…

RRUNN Pre Mix: Sometimes, I can’t eat a meal in time before a hard run. This is my go-to option along with a gel. On specially on hot and humid days, I find this incredible.

RRUNN Endurance Gels: Take them every hour, no matter where or when I am running.

RRUNN Post Mix: I always take this after my runs because sometimes it takes me a while to get some food in me.

Organic Pea Protein: Good to taste, good for post-training (specially weight training) and some days after a hard run.

RRUNN Electrolyte tablets: Excellent option for summer and monsoon months in India.

In 2019, I am setting my sights on…

New Delhi Marathon – February

I have chosen to associate with Unived because…

the brand’s values for creating vegan, natural, gluten-free, scientific formulations resonate with me. In addition, being an Indian company, I am proud to be associated with them.

My favourite Unived product is…

The RRUNN energy gels, irrespective of the flavours.