One of the big keys to achieving anything significant in your life – losing weight and keeping it off, running a marathon – is confidence. Being confident that you can accomplish something big will make that accomplishment practically inevitable. The opposite is also true however – a severe lack of confidence will make it basically impossible to re…

This past weekend was the biggest running event of the year here in Cincinnati – Flying Pig Weekend! I did a lot of racing this weekend and let’s just say that things did not all go as planned. But despite dealing with some very challenging situations, the whole weekend was a huge success, both for the city and for me personally. Today on the podca…

How are your stress levels these days? About 80% of Americans say they feel some degree of stress in their daily lives. Of course, some feel stress more often than others, but the fact is, we are a stressed-out society. Not dealing with stress can have all kinds of health and wellness implications including weight gain, high blood pressure, cardiov…

We’re in the middle of the Spring racing season here in the US and a lot of runners ask me questions about pacing for their upcoming race. Should you start slow and then try to finish fast? Should you start fast and try to make up some time for when you inevitably slow down at the end of a race? Should you focus on your heart rate? Your cadence? Yo…

One of the most powerful things you can do to improve your health and fitness is to regularly push past your comfort zone. This might seem obvious to you and pretty basic, but it’s an area where most people really struggle. The idea of getting uncomfortable is easy to understand, and most people say they’re more than willing to get uncomfortable. B…

17 years ago I finally made the decision to give up drinking alcohol. This was not a decision that came quickly or easily, I had been drinking daily for many, many years. I got to a point where my life was not what I wanted it to be. I wanted more for myself and alcohol was standing between me and the person I ultimately wanted to be. So today on t…

There’s a lot of interesting food advice being given out these days by health and fitness “experts.” One in particular that has stood out to me lately goes something like, “Take a few days each week and go crazy! Eat whatever you want! You don’t want to be too restrictive with your diet!” I’ve done a lot of thinking about this idea, in fact, I even…

Have you ever found yourself at the end of a sleeve of Oreos or at the bottom of a bag of potato chips and thought…did I really just eat all that? I know I have…and too many times to count! If so, then you have probably been doing some mindless eating. Mindless eating is something we have all done at one point or another, and it’s something you can…

If you’ve ever trained for a marathon then you know that sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve that goal. You have to put in a lot of hours on the weekends running in the cold. You have to give up time with your family and friends. You endure sore legs for days and you’re tired all the time. You are more than willing to sacrifice these thi…

A lot of runners are told not to lose weight while training for a race. There are many reasons why they are given this advice (which I cover in today’s episode), but I don’t necessarily agree with all of it. I believe there’s a right way and a wrong way to lose weight as a runner, even when you’re training for an event like a half or full marathon.…

If you've ever changed your eating habits or started exercising on the weekends instead of partying, and your friends have told you that you're boring then this episode is for you. Every day I talk to people who want to lose weight and improve their health and fitness and one of the reasons they struggle is because it all seems so boring. They don'…

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you probably already know that you have to change your diet. But if you think you can change your diet but not your thinking, you are always going to struggle. So today on the podcast, if you want to change a behavior and make it last, then you have to change how you think. The post 218. You Have to Chang…

Whether you are just getting into running or have been at it a while, you should be actively working on improving your endurance. While there are many methods out there that are designed to help you improve your endurance, there are a few key principles that most runners overlook. So today on the podcast, I share 5 ways to improve your endurance to…

As runners, we’ve been told over the last 40 years or so that the only way to fuel for running is with carbohydrates. Loads and loads of carbs. The thing is, this approach just doesn’t work for everyone. Some people (like me) gain a lot of weight eating all those carbs, regardless of how much we run. In this episode, I offer an alternative way to f…

Recently I spent a week on vacation and decided to change my diet a bit. I made the decision to eat more freely, to enjoy some of the amazing local food, to eat dessert, bread, pastries, and generally be a bit less strict about my diet. It was definitely an interesting experience and I learned some very valuable lessons along the way. In this episo…

Being overweight is not something that’s not talked about very much (or at all) in the running community. There seems to be some stigma around being a runner and being overweight. In this episode, I'll share why running is not a very effective tool for weight loss, and why you need to treat the underlying physical, mental, and emotional aspects of …

If you’re a runner and interested in getting the most out of your training, then you’ve probably tried a multitude of supplements. There are literally thousands upon thousands of health and wellness supplements on the market today and around 1,000 new ones are introduced every single year. So if you are feeling a little confused and overwhelmed by …

When it comes to eating right and losing weight, there is so much information out there that it can feel incredibly overwhelming. While I can’t address every misconception out there on the internet here in one podcast episode, I do want to go over a few things you might want to stop doing right now. So in this episode, I’ve got 3 things you should …

There are a lot of dieticians and weight loss coaches out there who preach the benefits of tracking your food. They suggest tracking every bite you eat, entering all of your food into an app each day, and then sticking to this routine for…basically…ever. Today on the Running Lean podcast, I answer the big burning question: should you be tracking yo…

It’s a new year and a time when a lot of people become ultra-focused on health, fitness, and losing weight. It’s also a time when a lot of people will try some new fad diet or a new exercise routine that promises instant weight loss with minimal effort. In this episode, Common Weight Loss Myths Debunked, I clear up the most prevalent misconceptions…

There are basically two ways to approach any challenge. One way is to focus on all the reasons why you can’t do it. The other way is to focus on all the reasons why you can. Today, talk about why you do this, how this kind of thinking is keeping you stuck, and how to stop arguing for your limitations. The post 209. Replay: Stop Arguing for Your Lim…

Most people spend a great deal of time thinking about the past. They ruminate over things they did that they regret doing. They focus all of their energy on past events and spend zero time or energy on their future. This is a mistake. Why? Because you can’t change the past, it’s over and done with. But you can 100% change your future, so that’s a m…

If you want to accomplish a big goal, the key to getting there is consistency. The problem is, that most people don’t stick with something long enough to see the end result! They get off track somewhere along the way and usually end up staying off track. So today, it’s all about how to get back on track and how to stay there so you can actually cru…

Sometimes, I have a bunch of thoughts that I want to share with you here on the podcast and I’ll create an episode for each one of those random thoughts. This is a great way of taking a deep dive into each topic and looking at it from several different angles. However, today’s podcast is going to be a little bit different. Instead of focusing on on…

Most people come up with all sorts of excuses, reasons, and stories for why they can’t accomplish something hard. You set out to lose weight so you change your diet but you eventually slip back into old habits and your new way of eating goes out the window. When you ask most people why they […] The post 205. The Problem is You appeared first on Run…

It’s officially the Holiday Season and that means it’s time to gain a bunch of weight over the next 30 days and start the new year feeling like crap, right? I know it seems kinda crazy when I say that out loud, but the truth is, that’s the way most people do it. Most people gain quite a bit of weight during the holidays and then swear a solemn oath…

When it comes to diets and dietary advice, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. For every study that shows that one particular food is bad for you, there’s another study showing that it’s actually good for you. In this episode, I’m going to help you make sense of all the conflicting information out there so you can make informed dec…

One of the toughest things about losing weight and keeping it off for good is developing a healthy relationship with food. I work with runners every day who admittedly have a very unhealthy relationship with food. So, one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself is to begin to recognize and then start unraveling those unhealthy thought…

In the world of health and fitness, there is a lot of information out there - it can really feel pretty overwhelming. A lot of that information can be confusing and even contradictory, so how do you know what you should do? Well, rest assured that Dr. Marvin and I will break it all down for you and offer up some very clear strategies for reversing …

Today is a very special episode - number 200 - and I wanted to do something a little different to celebrate this milestone. I’ve had a look over the last 200 episodes and picked out the most important mindset principles runners need to know in order to crush your running and weight loss goals. I’ve featured each of these principles on previous podc…

There’s a lot of confusing information out there about how runners should approach strength training. In this episode, I will explain the difference between training for strength, power, and hypertrophy for runners. By the end of this episode, you will have a much clearer understanding of these different resistance training methodologies and how to…

When it comes to running tough races, you eventually get to a point where it’s all mind over matter. This emotional toughness or emotional tolerance is also required when you want to do other tough things in your life like not eating pizza when everyone around you is eating pizza! So today’s podcast is all about increasing your emotional tolerance …

Have you ever caught yourself eating something that you know is bad for you, but you do it anyway? Why do we do this and what can we do to stop it from happening in the future? In this episode, I hope to shed some light on why you keep going back for more of the foods you should probably not be eating, and what to do to stop it. The post 197. Why Y…

No matter how hard we try to control all the circumstances of our lives, eventually, things get a little out of control. How you handle yourself during these times of intense stress is extremely important. Everyone’s good at stress management when there’s no stress! But when life gets hectic and feels overwhelming, that’s when you need to double do…

There have been some eye-opening discoveries recently around dietary advice doled out by influencers on social media. It turns out that the food and beverage industry has been paying registered dietitians to promote diet soda, sugar, and supplements on TikTok and Instagram. In this episode, I shine a light on this alarming topic, explain why it's i…

There are a lot of metrics available to runners these days - pace, distance, time, V02 max, recovery advisor, performance condition, and on and on… The 3 key metrics you want to pay attention to as a runner are: VO2 max, lactate threshold, and running economy. I’ll explain what each of these is, how they affect you as an endurance athlete, and what…

When it comes to losing weight, there are many, many approaches you can take - some of them will work while others definitely will not. Runners especially need to be mindful of their approach to weight loss because certain methods might help you lose weight but will impair your running performance in big ways. In this episode of the podcast, I go o…

A LOT of people are addicted to, or have a troublesome relationship with, sugar. The problem is that most people don’t know how to break their sugar addiction and never get to a place where they can enjoy sugar in moderation. In this episode, I explain why sugar has such a powerful grip on us as humans and how you can take back control and break yo…

Lots of runners look pretty healthy on the outside. They exercise a lot, maintain a decent weight, have low body fat percentage, low BMI, and generally look fit. But inside there could be a lot more going on that no one really sees. I came across a study recently that looked at low-carbohydrate diets versus high-carbohydrate diets and their effects…

There’s a lot of confusion out there these days around carbs, especially in the endurance athlete community. Are carbs good? Are they bad? Do they have a place in our diet or should we avoid them altogether? In this episode I’ll explain why carbs are not the enemy, but also why it might be a good idea to keep your carbs low most of the time. The po…

If you are having a hard time sticking with a health and fitness routine, then you might want to have a look at your locus of control. Locus of control refers to where you believe your control lies - either outside of you or within you. Today I’ll explain what locus of control is and how you can begin shifting your locus of control so you can get b…

Most people tend to be pretty motivated when they start something. But then, over time, that motivation begins to fade. This is the reason why gyms are full in January and empty again in March. So today, I’m taking a look at why that motivation fades and what you can do to keep it going so you CAN actually crush your health and fitness goals. The p…

I think we all know that eating too much sugar is not good for you. Excess sugar consumption has been linked to all sorts of metabolic dysfunction like high blood pressure, excess weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes just to name a few. So the solution is pretty simple - just moderate your sugar intake. But why is this so much easier in th…

I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on human metabolism and I’ve noticed a lot of inconsistencies in the data available. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about metabolism, especially when it comes to losing weight. Today I want to focus on demystifying metabolism so you can separate fact from fiction and make better choices to improve …

I work with a lot of runners who are awesome at sticking with their running plans. But when it comes to sticking to their diet so they can lose weight…it all seems to fall apart. Why is this? Why is it so easy for runners to stick to a difficult marathon training plan and so had to stick to a healthy eating plan? In this episode, I will explain why…

A lot of people set out to lose weight and then quit. While there are a lot of reasons why someone might give up on themselves, one of the most likely reasons is a serious lack of focus. In this episode, I uncover the incredible power of focus, and how it can help you become the leaner, stronger, more badass runner you’ve always wanted to be. The p…

Over the last 100 years or so, we have become a society of pleasure-seekers and pain-avoiders. In this episode, I’m going to help you decide if you might be addicted to dopamine, and offer up some tips to avoid getting sucked down the dopamine whirlpool. The post 183. Are You Addicted to Dopamine? appeared first on Running Lean with Patrick McGilvr…

If you’re anything like most runners, especially if you live in the US, this is most likely the off-season for you. Most runners approach this off-season as a time to live it up, eat and drink whatever, slack off on training, and “just have fun.” So in this episode, I offer a better approach to the off-season, one that will have you feeling your be…

Today I have a special treat for you, I’m sharing a candid conversation I recently had with Pete Caigan. Pete is one of my clients who has had a pretty remarkable transformation over the last 6 months or so. He shares his story of changing his diet, getting fat-adapted, losing weight, and attempting that same 50k again. I hope you enjoy this episod…

Recently, I completed a self-supported, solo 12-hour run. I’ve always wanted to do a 12-hour event, but I could never really find a race that spoke to me. So, I decided to take things into my own hands and do it myself! In this episode of the podcast, I share what I learned running solo for 12 hours - what prompted me to want to run alone for so lo…