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Running Lean with Patrick McGilvray

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315. The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework Part 2: How Runners Should Actually Eat

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In The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework – Part 2: How Runners Should Actually Eat, we’re talking about the piece that confuses more runners than anything else: food. Most runners think eating …

Continue Reading about 315. The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework Part 2: How Runners Should Actually Eat →

Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach. For runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought. Possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there and welcome to episode 315 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners, and today the leaner, stronger runner framework. Part two, how runners should actually eat. So in this episode, uh, we are going to be talking about the piece that confuses more runners than anything else, and that is food.

So most runners think that eating better means eating less, cutting out all the carbs completely. Or just being more disciplined. And for a while that might seem like it’s working, but then the hunger ramps up, recovery slows down, energy crashes and running starts to feel way harder than it should. So in this episode, I’m breaking down how runners should actually eat if they wanna burn fat, recover faster, and stop feeling like food is this constant mental tug of war.

And this isn’t about meal plans or calorie counting or eating perfectly, it’s about fueling in a way. That supports your training instead of constantly fighting against it. So if you’ve ever felt confused, frustrated, or stuck when it comes to food and running this episode is going to bring a lot of clarity.

All right. Like I said, this is part two of the Leaner Stronger Runner framework. This is part two of a three part series. Last week I talked about why running more isn’t the answer. And before I get into today’s topic, I wanna set the stage a little bit because if you’re listening to this episode, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re already doing a lot of things right?

A lot of the people that listen to this podcast, they are runners who are doing. Most things, right? Um, you know, you’re running consistently, you’re training, you’re, you’re lifting weights. You care about your health. You’re trying to make good choices. You’re not just like sitting on the couch, you know, hoping that things will magically improve for you.

Also, something still feels a little bit off. So last week in part one of the series, I talked about why running more is in the answer why piling on miles intensity and effort often makes things worse instead of better when runners are trying to lose weight and improve performance. Today we’re talking about the next piece in the framework.

Um, and then for a lot of runners, this is gonna be the most emotionally intense or emotionally loaded part, and that’s about how runners eat. And I wanna be clear right up front, this is not about. Perfection. You know, it’s not about starving yourself. It’s not about meal plans or calorie counting or tracking your macros.

It’s not about being good or bad or eating clean. It’s about understanding how food is supposed to work with your training, not against it. And here’s something that I’ve noticed after coaching hundreds and hundreds of runners over the years, runners are very disciplined, okay? They are very disciplined about running.

They are very disciplined about sticking to a training plan. They’re very disciplined about exercise in general until food enters the conversation. Then suddenly everything feels. Confusing. Everyone has a different opinion and nothing seems to really work consistently. You know, one week you feel amazing and the next week you’re exhausted.

One week your hunger feels quite manageable, and then the following week you’re thinking about food all the time. And a lot of people I talk to, they internalize this and they think, gosh, I gotta be doing something wrong. This is not the way it’s supposed to be. But the truth is, most runners were just never taught how to eat as endurance athletes.

I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who have a nutrition coach or a running coach, and the nutrition coach really doesn’t know how people should fuel for, uh, endurance athletes. And, and the, and the running coaches don’t understand how people. Should fuel at all. Really, all they know is just, just for running, right?

There’s nothing that kind of bridges that gap, okay? People are, are, are taught that, you know, you’re, you’re either a fitness enthusiast or you’re a dieter, or you’re just somebody who’s trying to lose weight as fast as possible, right? And all that, all those rules and all that just does not translate well to fueling properly.

Maybe losing some weight, improving your body composition as an endurance athlete. Okay. This is why I do what I do, because there’s this huge gap there. So there’s this diet mentality that a lot of runners bring into their training, right? Because that’s all they know. Most runners start with this mentality, whether they realize it or not, but they’re thinking in terms of good foods and bad foods about earning your food.

Like you, you just ran a lot, so you’ve earned. X, Y, or Z, um, burning off calories, you know, making up for overeating by probably doing something, which is the opposite of undereating. Or being, uh, on track or off track or being good or being bad. And when you combine that mindset with endurance training, you, you aren’t actually solving anything.

You’re just creating more friction, okay? Because running doesn’t respond well. To punishment based eating. Okay? Your body doesn’t care how disciplined you are. It responds to signals. Okay? So I want to be very clear here. Here’s a, uh, a very, very, uh, common, uh, situation or scenario that I see all the time.

Okay? And maybe this is you. So you decide you wanna lose some weight, you’re a runner, you decide you wanna lose some weight, so you quote unquote, like, clean up your eating right. Maybe you cut portions. You, you start, uh, eating a lot less. You, you reduce your carbs back to almost none. You try to be good.

You’re skipping all the snacking that you used to do, and at first this might seem like it’s working okay, but after a few weeks, you’re noticing some negative side effects. Here, running starts to feel harder. Your energy drops, you’re hungrier all the time than you should be. Uh, you’re not recovering property properly from all the, uh, training that you’re doing.

Alright, then you have a, a long run. Or a stressful week, and suddenly your ravenous cravings hit late at night. You start overeating foods that you’ve been, you know, pretty good about avoiding, but now that’s all you can think about, right? And then this mental spiral starts to kick in of, oh, I blew it. You know, I need to be more disciplined.

I need to get stricter. And so you tighten the screws again. But listen, this is not a willpower issue. This is a fueling mismatch, and I want you to really hear this, okay. Eating for runners is not about restriction. It’s about supporting adaptation. Your body is constantly adapting to stress. Running is stress.

Strength training is stress. Life stress adds to this, okay? Food is not something you quote unquote. Control food is one of the tools that your body uses to recover and adapt. When your eating supports adaptation, your body feels safe. Like you’re no longer in that fight or flight mode, you’re no longer like super stressed out.

Your body feels calm and safe and at peace when it doesn’t though, your body goes into this defense mode, right? Goes into the fight or flight mode, and most runners believe. Incorrectly that, you know, if I wanna lose weight, I just have to eat a lot less. And that idea works on paper. Okay? It looks good when you start crunching the numbers.

If you’re like, Hey, you know, if I’m used to eating 2,500 calories a day, if I eat 1500 calories a day, I should lose weight. Okay. And guess what? It, it will work like that will work for you. Um, but it really is not going to support you as a runner, okay? Because if you’re training consistently, especially if you’re training hard, let’s say you’re training for a marathon, you know you’re running 30 to 50 miles a week, somewhere in that range, your body needs.

Energy. Your body needs nutrients. Your body needs recovery resources. And when you eat too little or you’re not eating consistently, your body doesn’t think, oh great, it’s time to lose weight. It thinks, Hey, we are under attack, we’re under threat here. Something is not right. You know, we’ve got all those energy that we’re expending and we don’t have enough fuel coming in.

So your body goes into. Fight or flight mode, it goes into high stress mode, uh, chronic stress mode. Your, your hunger increases, your cravings go through the roof. Your body starts holding on to body fat. So you, you think you’re gonna lose weight, but it actually has the opposite of effect. Your body will start holding onto more, more body fat.

You know, because it doesn’t want you to, you know, waste away into nothing. Your recovery slows down. Um, running just feels harder than it should. Okay? This is why runners are saying like, you know, I don’t eat that much, but nothing is changing. I can’t lose the weight. Right? Your body isn’t broken. Your body is actually doing what it’s supposed to.

It’s protecting you. Okay, so just know we have to respect the physiology here. Okay. Now, a lot of runners feel kind of out of control around food. This is actually a, a big one. All right? A lot of runners feel like they’re, they’re fine all day and then suddenly f. Food feels uncontrollable, let’s say at night.

Like, why can’t I just stop eating? Why do I crave sugar so much? Why do I keep losing control? And it’s not a character flaw. It’s not like you’re a bad person or anything like that. This is what happens when you under fuel earlier in the day, you undereat. After training, you rely on willpower. Instead of having structure in place, your body is simply asking for what it didn’t get earlier.

Um, delayed hunger. It’s still hunger, okay? And listen, hunger is not the enemy, right? Hunger is just information. A lot of people treat being hungry as an emergency situation that they have to fix right away, and it really isn’t. But listen, chronic hunger. If you’re a runner and you’re experiencing this chronic hunger, it probably means that you’re under fueling relative to your training.

It probably means that your recovery. Is not working properly, is incomplete. Your blood sugar’s probably unstable. Your stress hormones are most likely elevated. So it can be. All of these things are combination of a few of these things and ignoring hunger isn’t gonna make it go away. It just kind of makes it.

Show up even more. It makes it louder. Okay? So it’s not a problem for the most part, but we have to understand that it is information and you gotta do the right thing with that information. And this is confusing for a lot of runners and I get that. You know, they’re thinking, I didn’t even run today. How come I’m so hungry?

’cause hunger doesn’t know that like it is supposed to reset every 24 hours. You’re not on some. 24 hour clock, where at midnight every night, your hunger goes back to zero. Your body’s responding to yesterday’s training, to cumulative stress, to incomplete recovery. If you under fuel on training days, hunger’s probably gonna show up later.

It might be tonight, it might be tomorrow. And there’s nothing wrong with you here. There’s not a lack of discipline. It’s just, you know, delayed demand for fuel. Alright, so the goal here is really not about being perfect or anything like that. It’s about stability. Okay? Here’s what runners should be aiming for when it comes to nutrition.

These are the things we’re looking for. We’re looking for stable energy, like steady energy throughout the day, stable appetite. We don’t want your appetite to be going through the roof and then down to nothing and, and. Keep repeating that cycle. We want predictable recovery, so we want your recovery to feel like it’s manageable and something that you know, that when you fuel fuel this way, you’re gonna be able to, uh, recover faster and you’re going to, you’re gonna be able to, you know, train well tomorrow.

Okay? You want consistent training quality. That means that your runs are consistent or improving. You know, we don’t wanna see your training quality diminishing, and we want there to be less noise around food. We don’t want you to be thinking about this all the time. You know, and that’s one of the things that a lot of people don’t understand, is that when you’re constantly obsessed with food, there’s a, there’s something wrong there, there’s some dysfunction happening there.

Okay. But here’s a few things that are not on that list. Uh, eating perfectly all the time or being super skinny all the time, or never eating pizza or ice cream or pasta ever again. That’s not what this is about. Okay? It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being consistent and consistent. Consistency always beats perfection.

So what does it look like to actually eat like a runner? So eating like a runner means you should be eating enough, not undereating, not overeating, but just eating enough to fuel your particular, uh, training load. Eating regularly. That means that we’re not, you know, going two days without food because we’re trying some crazy intermittent fasting, um, regimen, some crazy fasting regimen.

I’m a fan of intermittent fasting, honestly, and I eat typically about twice a day. Uh, but that works really well for me. You know, I am very. Efficient at utilizing that schedule for my training load. Um, most people do really well on two or three meals a day. That does not mean you should be eating 12 times a day, though.

It doesn’t mean you should be eating once a day either. I think eating two or three meals a day is perfect, but we want to keep our eating, uh, schedule regular. Okay. Um, it eating like a runner means eating to recover. Right. So getting enough protein, making sure that, uh, the food that you’re taking in the electrolytes and things like that is actually helping you to recover from the training load.

Um, and then of course eating to support your training, making sure you’re getting the right combination of foods. You want healthy fats, you want quality protein, and you want some, some good quality carbs in there too to support your trading And listen. This kind of looks boring sometimes. You know, you’re eating regular meals, you’re eating protein at every meal.

You’re eating some carbs that match your training demand. Um, you’re eating some fat for satiety and for those good hormones. Uh, you’re not skipping meals to make up for overeating. Um, you’re kind of being boring. But guess what? Boring works. Boring is very sustainable. Okay. Meals and food doesn’t have to be like an entertainment extravaganza every time you sit down to eat.

And I think that’s one message that we’re given. You know, if you just scroll through Instagram and, and start looking at all the food, uh, videos and stuff that people post, it’s like, oh my God, why does everything have to be so over the top? Can’t things just be pretty boring? Sometimes and the answer is yes, they can be.

Alright, I wanna have a little conversation about carbs, uh, without drama here. Okay? Carbs are not bad, okay? But they’re also not magic. Carbs are fuel. The problem is not carbs. Okay? The problem is the context. Alright? So hard training days. Carbs are going to matter more. Okay? Carbs are going to have a more of an impact on your training and your recovery.

On easy days or off days, carbs are going to matter less. You do not need as many carbs on easy days or on days where you’re not. You just don’t need as much, um, extreme approaches on either end of that where you’re eating all the carbs all the time, or zero carbs because you’ve been told that you know, you, you gotta like just cut out all the carbs.

Neither of these is really ideal for endurance athletes. Okay? So we, we wanna stay away from the extreme approaches. Um, extreme approaches create extreme reactions in your body. Okay? We don’t want that. We want things to be. Stable. Remember, blood sugar, stable appetite, stable, um, eating patterns regular.

Okay. I’m gonna give you a simple nutrition foundation that doesn’t require tracking, doesn’t require counting macros, and it doesn’t require stress. This is very simple, but I want you to just pay attention and try to commit to these three. Non-negotiables. Okay? Number one is to eat real food, right? Eat protein, eat fruits, eat vegetables.

When you’re going to eat some carbs. Make sure they are whole food sources of carbs. What do I mean by that? Stuff like sweet potatoes or beets or some oats or rice or beans. So those are all whole foods, sources of carbohydrates. Um, and then healthy fats, so protein, veggies, fruit, whole food, carbs. Healthy fats just stick to real food.

It should still look like food. I’m not talking about overly processed bars and powders and um, you know, things like that, or meal replacement shakes or whatever. Just eat whole food, right? That right there is going to solve. A lot of your problems. Okay? Number two, make sure you’re getting protein at every meal.

This one thing alone is going to help you recover better. It’s gonna improve your muscle retention. Remember, running is catabolic, it breaks down muscle tissue. We wanna replace that muscle tissue. We gotta be building muscle back up. That’s why I stress strength training so much. That’s why I stress eating protein, it’s very, very important.

Okay. Getting enough protein means that you’re probably going to be 80% of the way there, right? It’s gonna solve a lot of your protein, of your, uh, nutrition issues. Just getting enough protein. It helps you to stay satiated. It’s nutrient dense, meaning you’re getting a ton of nutrition from eating, you know, protein.

And this can be, uh, uh, animal-based proteins or plant-based proteins. Just make sure if it’s plant-based proteins that you’re getting complete proteins. Um, so eat real food protein at every meal. That’s a non-negotiable. The third non-negotiable is sit down and eat meals. Don’t just be snacking all the time.

When you eat regular meals, and again, I said two, three times a day, perfect. We’re, we’re not grazing all day long. We’re not carrying around, you know, bags of chips and nuts and things like that to eat in the car all the time. Um, this is going to help you to, number one, eat the right amount of food for you.

We should eat our meals and, and feel satiated when, when we eat our meals, we’re eating a couple times a day. We’re not constantly. Ramping up our blood sugar, ramping up our hunger signals. The more you eat, the more hungry you are, the more calories you’re taking in. Um, you know, the, the more your appetite goes up, the more your cravings for carbs goes up.

Like all these things happen when you’re eating constantly. So just. Try to be a little more chill with that. And listen, most snacking is, is not a need for fuel. It’s not a need for nutrition. It’s an emotional eating situation. You’re bored, so you go in the pantry, you’re tired, you’re stressed out. You just want something to feel good and listen.

When you do that, you’re not usually making choices like, oh, I’m gonna eat some of this leftover broccoli that’s in the fridge, like you’re eating chips or nuts, or whatever. So eat meals, not snacks. This is gonna really help to regulate your appetite, um, and, and still make sure that you’re getting, uh, food, uh, that supports your running and your training.

So eat real food, protein in every meal. Eat meals, not snacks. What this is gonna do for you, it’s gonna help reduce cravings. Improve your recovery, stabilize your energy, and make fat loss possible. Again, if you’ve been kind of stuck and you, you just can’t get the scale moving and you know you’ve got 15, 20 pounds to lose, whatever, then we gotta get fat loss happening.

We gotta turn on fat burning and this. Little three non-negotiable formula I just put out there. That’s what’s gonna do it for you, right? That’s definitely gonna at least get things moving in the right direction for you. And again, I mentioned this at the beginning of talking about these three non-negotiables, is that this is simple.

It doesn’t require writing things down and using an app to track all your macros and inputting all your food. It doesn’t have to be stressful. It can be that simple. Okay? And simple beats perfect every single time. Now, here’s the truth that most runners miss. Training alone is not going to fix everything for you.

Nutrition alone isn’t going to fix everything for you, and your mindset alone isn’t going to fix everything for you. You have to have a whole. System, essentially, right? When training, nutrition and recovery align, your body feels safer, your adaptation improves, fat loss becomes easier, consistency becomes much easier and more natural.

And this is what I’m calling the leaner, stronger runner framework. All right? Now, even when runners train smarter, eat better, and fuel properly. There’s still one thing that can kind of derail everything, and that’s consistency or lack of consistency. So next week in part number three of this series, we’re gonna talk about why motivation fails for runners and what actually creates long-term consistency.

Because once that piece clicks into place, everything else falls into place perfectly. Okay, so if you’ve been listening to this episode and you’re thinking, Patrick, this is awesome. This makes sense, but I’m not sure how to actually apply all this stuff. I want you to hear this very clearly. Most runners I work with, they’re pretty consistent.

They train hard, they care about their health. They generally wanna feel better in their bodies, and they want to enjoy running again. They want running to feel easier again. But despite all the effort. They still feel stuck. Their energy is inconsistent. Recovery takes longer than it should. Running fields feels harder than it used to, and no matter how much they try to clean things up, their body just doesn’t respond the way that it used to or the way that it should.

It’s not because you’re doing something wrong, it’s because you’re just never been given like a complete system, and that’s why I created the Leaner Stronger Runner project. Inside this program, I help runners stop guessing and start training with confidence. You’re gonna learn how to train in a way that actually supports progress instead of wearing you down.

All right? You’re gonna learn how to eat in a way that stabilizes energy. Your appetite and your recovery without tracking, obsessing or starting over every single Monday, you’re gonna build the mindset and the structure that makes consistency feel natural, not forced. This is the full framework training, nutrition, mindset, all working together the way they’re supposed to.

If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start feeling stronger. Wider and more confident as a runner. Head over to running lean coaching.com/ready to learn more. Cool. Alright, that’s all I got for you today. Love you all. Keep on running lean and I will talk to you soon.

314. The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework Part 1: Why Running More Isn’t the Answer

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If you’re a runner who feels like you’re doing everything “right” but still not getting the results you want, this episode is for you. This is The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework – Part 1: Why …

Continue Reading about 314. The Leaner, Stronger Runner Framework Part 1: Why Running More Isn’t the Answer →

Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner, sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach for runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there, and welcome to episode 314 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners, and today the leaner, stronger Runner framework, part one. Why running more isn’t the answer. So if you’re a runner who feels like you’re doing everything right, but still not getting the results that you want, this episode is for you.

Today we’re gonna take a hard look at one of the biggest mistakes that runners make when they’re trying to lose weight and improve performance. That is just doing more miles and hoping that it eventually works because for most runners running more often, longer or harder, it doesn’t really fix the problem.

It actually makes things worse. So in this episode, I’m going to explain what’s really happening inside your body, why effort doesn’t always equal progress, and what you should focus on instead, if you want to feel lighter. Stronger and make running feel easier again. So this is part one of a short, powerful series designed to give you clarity, quick wins, and a simple framework that you can start using right away without burning yourself out.

So if running feels harder than it should, if you’re training consistently, but your body doesn’t seem to change, and if you’ve tried adding more miles, more intensity, more discipline, and somehow you’re still stuck. This episode is going to feel like a breath of fresh air. All right, so let’s start here.

Most runners believe that if they are not seeing results, the answer has to be more, more miles, more intensity, more effort, and that belief makes total sense. Running is the thing that you do, so of course, doing more of it should help. But this is where things start to go sideways for a lot of runners because effort.

And results are not the same thing. And when it comes to running, doing more of the wrong thing just gets you better at being tired, sore, and frustrated. To understand why running more isn’t the answer. We have to talk about what running actually does to your body, not emotionally, not mentally, but physiologically.

So running is a stress, don’t get me wrong. It’s a good kind of stress. It’s the kind of stress that makes you fitter, stronger and more resilient, but only when it’s applied correctly. Because listen, stress is stress. Every time you go for a run, your body has to absorb impact with every foot strike, repair, muscle tissue, replenish, glycogen, and energy stores regulate hormones like.

Cortisol and insulin calm your nervous system afterward. That’s a lot of work, and when that stress is followed by enough recovery, so proper fueling rest, strength training, sleep, your body adapts. You become more efficient, your running economy improves. You feel stronger and more capable. But when stress keeps stacking without enough recovery.

Your body doesn’t adapt. Instead it protects. This is where a lot of runners get confused ’cause they think, Hey, I’m training consistently. Why isn’t my body responding? And the answer is often that your body isn’t responding because it’s, it’s surviving. Okay. It’s not adapting you, you’ve just gone into survival mode.

Okay. So what does this look like? Well, when your body senses constant stress without enough recovery, it shifts into conservation mode. Okay. So this is like protection mode. Okay? And that protection shows up. In subtle, but pretty frustrating ways. You start holding onto body fat, you have increased hunger and cravings.

You feel sluggish. Um, your runs start feeling really heavy. Your sleep is poor. Your, you have lingering soreness, um, you have plateaus that last months or years. This is when runners say things like. I barely eat, but nothing changes. Or I feel like my body is fighting against me, or I used to feel faster with less training, or I’m doing everything right.

What am I still missing? What you’re missing isn’t effort. It’s stress management. Okay, and here’s the part that most runners don’t want to hear. The solution is not more discipline. Let’s be honest. When things aren’t working, most runners don’t think, Hmm, maybe I need to recover more. They think I need to tighten things up.

I need to push harder. I need to stop being so soft. And that mindset is praised in running culture, you know, grinding it out, pushing through, ignoring discomfort. But just because something is normalized doesn’t mean it’s effective or good for you. Running more feels productive, running more. Feels like commitment.

Running more feels like control, but your body doesn’t reward effort. It rewards intelligent stress applied at the right time, and this is why runners often get stuck in this loop. They train hard, they feel worn down. So what do they do? They add more running and then they feel worse, and then they lose confidence.

They try even harder, and it just keeps spiraling kind of outta control. Okay. That’s not growth. You’re basically just breaking yourself down. It’s erosion. Okay, so. Here’s the cruel irony about all this. The runners who struggle the most are often the most disciplined ones. They don’t skip workouts, they show up even when they feel tired.

They push through soreness. They pride themselves on their consistency. And this is all awesome. And that mindset probably has helped, um, you succeed in a lot of places in your life. But endurance training plays by a whole different set of rules here, okay? In running discipline without direction just leads to burnout.

Okay? The goal isn’t to see how much discomfort you can tolerate. The goal is to apply just enough stress to create an adaptation and then get outta the way so your body can do its job, right? That’s what smart training actually looks like. So recovery is not something that you, you need to earn. Okay?

This is a massive mindset shift for runners. Most runners treat recco recovery like a reward. I’ll rest when I’ve earned it. I’ll recover, you know, after this race. I’ll back off once things begin to improve. But recovery isn’t a reward. It’s actually a requirement. Okay? Adaptation happens after stress, not during it.

So if you’re always training tired and always sore, always feeling behind on your recovery, your body never gets the signal to improve. It just learns how to tolerate stress and tolerance is not progress. Okay, so running is not a good weight loss tool, okay? This is where a lot of runners get tripped up because running is a performance skill, not a weight loss tool.

Yes, running does burn calories, but calorie burn is not the same thing as fat loss, okay? When you rely on running to fix your body composition, you end up over training. Under recovering, under fueling, and then just fighting against your own physiology. The leanest, strongest runners don’t train to just punish their bodies.

They train to teach their bodies how to move efficiently, how to recover quickly, and how to adapt properly, and that requires strategic intensity. Adequate recovery strength training to support running mechanics, fueling the supports, adaptation instead of defense. And when all these pieces are working together, running starts to feel easier again, not because you’re doing less, but because you’re doing the right things.

Okay. So lemme give you a quick little self check here. Okay. So think about this. If most of your runs feel kind of the same, if most of your runs are done at a moderately hard effort, if they leave you tired. But you’re not improving, like, you’re not getting better. Uh, they require willpower to complete.

That’s a sign that your training lacks a structure. Okay? It’s not about effort. It’s about structure. And structure is what creates results. And structure is exactly what most runners never really learn. There’s another major reason why running more doesn’t work, and it has nothing to do with mileage at all.

It has everything to do with how runners eat. Okay, so in part two of this series, we’re gonna talk about how runners should actually eat if they wanna burn fat, recover faster. And stop feeling like food is a constant mental tug of war. Okay? Because training is only one piece of the framework, right? So if any part of this episode felt uncomfortably familiar, I want you to hear this clearly.

You are not broken, you’re not failing. What’s been missing is not effort. It’s a system, and most runners I work with are incredibly consistent. They train hard, they care deeply about their health, and they genuinely wanna feel better in their bodies, and they wanna enjoy running again. But without the right framework, all that effort just turns into frustration.

And that’s exactly why I created the Leaner, stronger Runner Project. This isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what actually works. So inside the program, I help runners. Train in a way that supports progress instead of wearing them down. Um, I help runners build real functional strength that makes running feel easier.

I help runners fuel their bodies without tracking, obsessing or starting over constantly. And I help runners develop the mindset and the structure that makes consistency feel natural. This is the full system behind. Everything you’re learning in this series laid out step by step with guidance, coaching, and support, so you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

Okay. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start training with confidence, head over to running lean coaching.com/ready to learn more about the Leaner, stronger Runner Project. Okay, that’s all I got for you today. Love you all. Keep on running Lean, and I will talk to you soon.

313. What This Year Taught You (If You’re Willing to Look)

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This episode is called “What This Year Taught You (If You’re Willing to Look)”, and it’s probably one of the most important conversations we can have right now. Before you rush into setting new …

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Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach. For runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought. Possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there, and welcome to episode 313 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners. And today, what this year taught you. If you’re willing to look. So this is gonna be one of the most important conversations that we can have right now before you rush into setting new goals, new races, or another plan that promises everything will be different next year.

I just want you to pause, ’cause if you don’t take the time to reflect on what this year actually showed you about your habits. Your mindset, your training, and your relationship with your body, you’re likely to repeat the same patterns all over again. So today we’re not talking about success or failure, we’re talking about lessons.

Honest lessons, the kind that lead to real change if you’re willing to look at them. This is a reflective, slightly uncomfortable, but incredibly powerful year end reset. That can really change how you show up for yourself next year, not just as a runner, but as a human being. And listen, if this episode hits a little close to home for you, that’s not an accident.

Okay? Most runners I talk to, they’re not lazy, they’re not unmotivated, they’re not broken. They’re just tired of working hard without seeing the payoff. Running feels harder than it should. Strength feels like something they should be doing, but can’t quite stick with it. Nutrition feels like a constant mental tug of war, and deep down there’s this quiet frustration.

Why am I putting in so much effort and still not getting where I want to go? That’s exactly why I created my brand new membership program, the Leaner, stronger Runner Project. So runners finally have a simple, sustainable system instead of guessing and then starting over. This isn’t another random plan or quick fix.

It’s a complete system that helps you connect the dots between strength training running. Fueling recovery and mindset so you’re no longer guessing or starting over inside the project. You’re gonna learn how to train in a way that actually supports your running. You’re gonna learn how to fuel your body so energy becomes steady instead of unpredictable, and you’re gonna learn how to build habits that don’t fall apart.

When life gets busy, this is for runners who are ready to stop spinning their wheels and start seeing real lasting progress physically and mentally. If you’re ready to take what this year has taught you and turn it into real change, go to running lean coaching.com/ready. And join us. You can also go to my website running lean coaching.com and click on start here.

This can be the year that you stop repeating the same patterns and finally move forward with confidence. Alright, let’s get into this topic. What this year taught you? If you’re willing to look, so what if this year wasn’t something that just happened to you? What if it was actually trying to teach you something and what if.

Right now before the calendar flips, before you rush into new goals, new plans, and another version of this time, things are gonna be different. You slow down just enough to take a listen, because here’s the truth, most people don’t want to hear. If you don’t intentionally extract the lessons from this year, you’re almost guaranteed to repeat it.

Same struggles. Same frustration, same cycle of starting strong and then slowly drifting back to where you started. So today I want to help you do something that most runners never do. I want you to look back, honestly, without judgment, without beating yourself up and ask a better question than did I succeed or fail?

Because. That question is useless. The better question is this. What did this year teach you if you’re willing to look? So most runners are obsessed with forward motion, new training plans, new races, new nutrition strategies, new goals. And don’t get me wrong, I love goals. I love ambition. I love runners who want more for themselves.

But here’s the problem, if you don’t pause to reflect, your goals are built on. Unexamined patterns, right? You’re not designing a better future. You’re just repeating the past with new dates on the calendar. Reflection isn’t about dwelling, it’s about extracting data and your life, your training, your health, your habits, all of that.

They are all giving you feedback all the time, but most people just, they don’t listen at all. Okay. So I’ve got seven lessons that I wanna share with you, um, as we look back through the years. So be thinking about your past year as we’re going through this. Okay. Lesson number one, effort without alignment just leads to burnout.

So let’s start here. If this year felt exhausting to you and if you were doing like all the things, but still felt stuck if you’re trying harder but not getting the return that you expected, then this year was probably. It’s probably taught you that effort alone isn’t the answer, right? Running more miles, trying to eat better during the week, doing random strength workouts.

You know, maybe whenever you had time starting over every Monday. That’s all effort. It’s like you’re just constantly efforting your way through all this, okay? But this is effort without alignment and effort, without alignment just leads to frustration and burnout. Okay. Alignment means your training supports your body instead of fighting it.

Your nutrition works with your physiology instead of working against it. Alignment means your habits are sustainable instead of reactive. Okay? So this year may have shown you that grinding harder isn’t the same as moving forward. That’s not failure, that’s just feedback. And I want you to look at. All of these lessons as just feedback, just data.

Okay. Lesson number two. Consistency beats intensity every single time. So be honest with yourself. This year, this past year, did you struggle more with starting or with. Staying consistent. Most runners don’t fail because they lack motivation, right? They fail because they rely on motivation. Big bursts of intensity, all in plans, aggressive goals.

So they’re great at starting stuff. Okay? And then life shows up. You got stress and travel and busy schedules and kids in school and low energy and missed workouts and comfort, food and guilt. And this year may have taught you. That intensity is easy, but consistency, that is the real skill you need to develop.

And consistency doesn’t come from motivation. It doesn’t come from willpower. It comes from having systems in place, you know, having, uh, a plan in place if your habits only work. When life is perfect, they don’t work because guess what? Life is not perfect. Most of the time it is not. Okay. So lesson number two, consistency is gonna beat intensity every single time.

Um, and we wanna work on that, staying consistent as opposed to just starting new stuff. Lesson number three, your body is always telling the truth. So here’s a tough one. Your body never lies If running felt harder than it should have, or maybe recovery took longer. Um, if ache and pains just, you know, lingered or your energy felt unpredictable, your body was communicating something to you, not punishing you, not betraying you, but just communicating.

Okay? So this year may have taught you that ignoring those signals doesn’t make them go away. It just makes them louder. And the runners who thrive long term, they learn how to listen instead of just ignoring or overriding the signals. And I know the answer for most runners, as soon as they get any kind of ache and pain, they’re dealing with any kind of injury is just to run through it.

You know, oh, take a couple days off and run through it. But you gotta pay attention. Your body is communicating to you and it’s always telling you the truth. So maybe that was a lesson that you need to learn from this past year. Okay. Lesson number four that you may or may not need to learn from this past year.

Your identity drives your behavior. This is a big one. We’re talking about this, uh, last night in our group coaching call. This one changes everything. So if you keep saying things like, you know, I’m just not good at strength training, or I always fall off the track, or This is just who I am, or, you know, I’ve already tried everything.

These aren’t facts, they’re statements about your identity. And when you make statements about your identity, your identity always wins. Your identity is like the foundation of who you are at your core. And if you say, Hey, this is just who I am, guess what that is Just who you are. Okay? So this year. May have shown you that, you know, no plan will ever outperform the story that you’re telling yourself about who you are, about your identity.

Okay? So we wanna work on changing that identity because when we change our identity. The actions that you take, the behaviors, the habits that you start to develop that stuff follows identity. Okay? People do this backwards though. They do it backwards all the time. They try to change the behavior. They try to change their actions without changing their identity.

And you know what? That leads to frustration. Okay? So if you get this part right, if you start working on the identity, that’s where real transformation begins. Okay, so that was lesson number four. Your identity drives your behavior. Lesson number five, you can’t outsmart biology. Okay, let’s talk about food for a second here.

If weight felt stubborn this year. You know, if losing weight just felt like it was not happening, if, you know, hunger felt intense, if cravings felt relentless, if eating, felt like a constant negotiation with yourself this year may have taught you something critical. You can’t outwork or out discipline a misaligned fueling strategy.

Okay? White knuckling it, restricting food, you know, trying to be good all week and then just overdoing it on the weekend. You know, that’s not a personal flaw. That’s biology doing what biology does. Okay? When you work with your physiology, with your bi biology, instead of fighting against it, everything gets easier.

Okay? So when you eat the right kinds of foods that support a healthy body, uh, a, a good digestive system, uh, good fuel levels, you know, good performance for running, uh, fat burning, weight loss. Everything just feels easier. Okay. But so many people are fighting against their own biology. Okay? So lesson number five that you may have experienced this year.

Can’t outsmart your own biology. Number six, avoidance is the real problem. So this one might sting a little bit if something stayed stuck all year for you, like maybe it was your weight or your strength gains, or maybe it was your confidence, it probably wasn’t because you didn’t know what to do. It’s probably because you avoided.

Doing something uncomfortable. You avoided slowing down or lifting heavy or eating enough protein, or you avoided saying no to something, or you avoided committing fully to something like to plan, or you avoided asking for help avoidance, it feels safe, okay? But. It’s a little tricky because it keeps you exactly where you are when you avoid doing things because maybe you’re afraid to fail.

You’re afraid to get uncomfortable, you don’t get anywhere, right? You don’t grow when you stay inside your comfort zone. Okay? So this year may have taught you that growth always, always requires discomfort first, right? So discomfort is the price you pay in order to grow. It just is. I’m, I’m, I hate that it works that way, but that’s the way it works.

So that’s number six. Avoidance is the real problem for a lot of people. Lesson number seven, you don’t need more information. Let’s be clear. You don’t need another podcast. You don’t need another YouTube video or another free play or another Instagram tip. You already know enough to be dangerous, okay?

What you need is integration. You need a system that connects strength and running and nutrition, and recovery, and mindset, all that stuff, okay? This year may have taught you that trying to piece all this stuff together on your own creates confusion. Not clarity, okay? And we’re always looking for that new podcast episode or that one interview, or this one book, um, or this one video.

And I have to just tell you that you have so much information, okay? But you need something to just, you know, put, put all this stuff together. You just need a good, solid system, a good solid plan, okay? So you don’t necessarily need more information. Now the most important question I want you to ask yourself is this.

So before you set a single goal for next year, ask yourself this question. What patterns do I want to stop repeating? And be honest with yourself, okay? Not what, what do I wanna achieve? You know, what big things do I wanna accomplish? Um, you know what, you’re done, what are you, what are you done tolerating?

Right? Because the same struggles next year. They could be waiting for you, or they could be optional, right? But you have to be willing to look at this stuff and learn from these, you know, lessons from this past year. Okay? Like I said, some of this stuff is a little uncomfortable. It may have hit a little close to home.

That’s on purpose. You know, I want you to look at yourself honestly and look at this past year, honestly, and see if there’s anywhere where you can make. Some changes, uh, going into this next year before you set any big goals, before you decide what races you’re gonna do before you decide on big health and fitness goals, okay?

Learn your lessons. Okay? So here’s the truth, this year wasn’t wasted. Even the hard parts, especially the hard parts. Okay, but lessons only count if you apply them. Okay? So don’t rush past this moment, right? Sit with it, reflect, be honest with yourself, and just get curious because the runner that you become next year depends on what you’re willing to see.

And change right now. Okay. That’s all I got for you today. I hope you all have an amazing, healthy, strong, and happy 2026. Love you all. Keep on running lean and I will talk to you soon. I.

312. Why Starting Over Every January Never Works (And What Actually Does)

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Every January, runners do the same thing. They get fired up, set big goals, promise themselves this year will be different… and a few weeks later, they’re right back where they started. That’s why …

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Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach. For runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought. Possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there and welcome to episode 312 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners. And today, why Starting over every January never works. And what actually does every January runners do the same thing? They get fired up, set big goals, promise themselves that this year is going to be different.

And then a few weeks later, they’re right back where they started. That’s why today’s episode is called Why Starting Over Every January Never works. In this episode, I’m breaking down the real reason January. Motivation fades so fast. Why relying on willpower is a losing strategy and how the motivation.

Burnout, quitting cycle keeps runners stuck year after year. More importantly, I’ll show you what actually works. If you wanna get leaner, get stronger, and make running feel easier, not just in January, but all year long. This episode also connects directly to something I’ve been building for a long time because so many of you have been asking for a better way.

So if you’re done starting over and ready to do this differently, you’re going to want to listen all the way. Through. But first, if you’ve been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, you probably already know this, that you don’t need more motivation. You don’t need another random plan, and you definitely don’t need to keep starting over every January.

What you need is a clear proven system that actually works for runners. One that brings together training, strength, nutrition, and mindset in a way that’s realistic, sustainable. And built for real life because when everything feels hard, when your body doesn’t respond the way you think it should when you’re putting in the miles, but not seeing the results that you want, that’s not a failure on your part.

That’s a missing structure problem. So I built the Leaner Stronger Runner project for runners who are done guessing and ready to do this the right way. It’s not about perfection, it’s about consistency, confidence, and finally having a plan that makes sense. So if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start moving forward with intention, here’s what to do next.

Go to running lean coaching.com/ready to learn more and get started today. Take a look, see what it’s all about. And if you feel like. The the right next step is for you to jump in, do so, because this year doesn’t need to be another reset. It can be the year where everything finally clicks. All right.

Today I am talking about something that comes up every single year around this time. It’s January. It’s a new year, new motivation, new goals, new promises to yourself. And yet, for a lot of runners, January turns into the same old story because if you’re tired of repeating that same cycle year after year where you get fired up, you go all in, and then you burn out.

Slowly quit. This one’s for you, and I’m gonna tell you right up front, this episode ties directly into something big I’ve been working on for a long time. I’m gonna share more about that later. But first, let’s talk about why this keeps happening and what actually works instead. So here’s the January cycle.

We all know about this, but let me paint this picture for you here. So January 1st, rolls around. You’re feeling motivated. Hopeful determined, and you tell yourself things like, this is my year. I’m finally going to get serious. I’m not messing around anymore. You clean out the pantry, you plan a perfect training schedule.

You swear off alcohol and sugar and junk food and rest days you go from zero to everything overnight. And for a few weeks, it’s fine. It works. You can be pretty consistent. You’re disciplined, you’re feeling proud of yourself. But then, you know, life happens. You might miss a workout, you overeat one night.

Uh, you drink too much, you start to get tired, and then your motivation kind of slowly dips, right? And instead of adjusting. You just spiral. So suddenly you’re, you’re off the plan and then you get frustrated, and then you’re telling yourself what is wrong with me? And then by February or maybe even sooner, you’re exhausted, you’re discouraged and quietly backing away from the very goals that you were so excited about just a few weeks prior.

If this sounds familiar. Listen, it doesn’t mean you’re lazy. It’s, it’s not because you lack discipline. It’s definitely not because you don’t want it badly enough. It’s because the way most people approach January is just fundamentally broken. So here’s some uncomfortable truth. Motivation is unreliable.

Motivation is emotional. It’s fleeting, and it disappears. The second that things get uncomfortable, and yet most runners rely on motivation as their primary strategy. They think, you know, when I feel motivated, I’m going to train. Consistently when I, when I finally get motivated, I’m going to eat better.

When I feel motivated, I’m going to stay on track, but motivation is like a spark. It can start a fire, but it can’t keep one going. So eventually. Motivation is going to fade again. It’s a fleeting, it’s a feeling and feelings don’t last very long. And when it does start to fade, if you don’t have something else in place, everything is just gonna kind of slowly fall apart.

Okay? This is why January never works. So many people, they make these resolutions in January and they can’t stick with them ’cause they’re feeling super motivated on January one. But then by January 29th, they’re just like. Done with it. Okay. January is typically built on emotion, right? There’s no structure, there’s no infrastructure in place.

So there’s also something called the willpower trap. So let’s talk about willpower for a second. Willpower is what most runners lean on when motivation starts to fade. So they think, oh, I just need to be a little bit stronger. I just need a little more discipline. I just need to push a little harder.

Here’s the problem with that. Willpower is a limited. Resource. Okay. And you use it up all day long. Think about willpower as a gas tank, okay? And at the beginning of the day, it’s full, but you use it as the day goes on. And by the end of the day, you know it’s, it can be empty. So you use it at work, you use it with your family, use it to manage stress.

You use it to make decisions, to deal with life. And then by the end of the day, you’re tired, you’re hungry, you’re stressed, you’re overwhelmed. And willpower, that tank is empty. Okay? When your entire plan. Depends on willpower. You don’t have a plan. The plan is going to collapse basically every day. This is why white knuckling your way through January isn’t a good long-term strategy.

You’re trying to overpower your human biology with sheer, sheer force, you know, with sheer willpower, and this is not something that is sustainable. Okay. So there’s this cycle that I keep seeing over and over again with runners, and the cycle looks like this motivation. So you got new year, uh, new energy, you got big goals, you got this all or nothing thinking you’re, you’re motivated, right?

And then we see. O over commitment. So too much training, uh, too much, uh, uh, not enough flexibility. Too many rules. Okay. And then that leads to burnout. So you, you get fatigued, you start having cravings, you start missing workouts, you feel guilty and then quitting. I’m gonna start again later. This just isn’t a thing for me.

I’m gonna start at square one. So, motivation, overcommitment burnout, quitting, and then the cycle repeats. Next January, not because you failed, but because you don’t have a system in place. Okay. So starting over is the wrong way to think about all this. Okay. This is another big mistake that I see so many runners make.

They believe that every January requires a reset. They think they need to start over, fix everything, and become a completely new person overnight. Like somehow something magical happens between December 31st and January 1st, and you become a whole different person. The truth is, though. You’re not a new person and you don’t need to start over.

What you need is to build forward. Okay? Starting over assumes that you failed, that you lost progress, that you’re back at zero, and that mindset alone can be kind of demoralizing, right? Instead, what if January was about refining, strengthening, simplifying, and adding structure? What if it wasn’t about doing more but doing things better?

So what actually works is having a system in place, not willpower, right? This is the part that most people just skip over, right? Successful runners don’t rely on motivation or willpower. They rely on systems. A system is something you can follow even when you don’t feel like it. Systems remove decision fatigue systems create consistency.

Systems support you when motivation is gone. Think about it this way. Motivation says, I’ll do it when I feel like it. A system says this is just what I do. Big difference. So some examples of real systems. I wanna make this as practical as possible for you. So a system might look like this, knowing exactly how many days per week you train and why.

So maybe you have certain days that you run and, um, uh, train and, and you know exactly what those days are, and you have a goal for each of those sessions. Um, having a simple strength routine that actually supports your running. So something in place that is, uh, going to give you the results that you want.

It’s gonna improve your running, improve your endurance, improve your speed, your power, eating in a way that supports fat loss without constant restriction because that is unsustainable. Some restriction is okay, but constant restriction can be. Um, very unsustainable for a lot of people. Another system might be having some default meals instead of trying to make decisions every single day or planning ahead for travel, for stress, for holidays, uh, for busy weeks.

This is having a system in place that will help you to plan for those things. Knowing how to adjust instead of just quitting when things get a little sideways. ’cause you know what? Things are always gonna get a little sideways. None of this requires superhuman discipline or motivation or willpower. It requires having systems in place.

It requires some clarity. It just requires some structure. So one big reason why, uh, runners struggle specifically is because, well, first of all, runners are very unique, right? We’re disciplined consistent. You’re used to doing hard things, but most runners were taught that more mileage equals better results.

Uh, less food equals better body composition. Suffering equals success. And you know what? For a little while, that might work okay, but at some point that is unsustainable, right? ’cause it leads to overtraining under fueling injuries, stalled fat loss, mental burnout. So runners double down. They just do way more miles, you know, way less food.

They’re just trying to, you know, throw, throw more discipline at the problem. Okay. And that’s when everything tends to break. Uh, what runners actually need is a balanced, integrated approach, not. More punishing yourself. Okay? Runners are very good at punishing yourself, right? But this is why I built the Leaner, stronger Runner project, right?

This is where everything kind of comes together. For years, runners have been asking me, Patrick, how do I put all this stuff together? How do I stop starting over every January? How do I lose weight, get stronger and run better without burning myself out? And honestly, this podcast has been my way of answering those questions piece by piece, you know, but I knew something was missing, so I spent a long time building this, and it’s called the Lean Stronger Runner Project.

It’s not a quick fix, not a challenge, not a temporary plan. It’s a complete system for runners who are done. Messing around inside the project. Everything I teach here is organized, structured, and supported. You’re gonna learn metabolism and fat loss, strength training for runners, smart running strategies, mindset and consistency, habits that actually stick.

This is what actually works because it’s built on systems, not relying on willpower or motivation. So here’s the, the key difference this year and this why is why January can be different for you, right? You don’t need to wait for motivation. You don’t need to overhaul your entire life. You don’t need to start over.

You need a clear plan, the right structure, ongoing support and accountability. And with the new year, literally days away now, now is the time to choose a different path. Not February, not after this busy season, not once things calm down. The time to start is now. All right, so imagine that you could approach January differently.

It’s not about punishing yourself, it’s about alignment. It’s not about chasing perfection, it’s about building momentum. What if January wasn’t about relying on hype and hope, but instead following a proven system? You know, it’s not about doing it alone. It’s, it’s having support all, you know, every step of the way.

That’s how real change actually happens. So if you’ve been nodding along to any of this stuff today, if you’re tired of repeating the same January cycle. If you’re ready to stop all the starting over, just learn more about the The Leader Stronger Runner project. Just go to my website running lean coaching.com/ready.

Take a look, see if it feels right. No pressure, but if you’re ready to do this differently in 2026, this is your moment. Okay? That’s all I got for you today. Love you all. Keep on running lean and I’ll talk to you soon.

311. The Holiday Survival Plan for Runners: Stay Lean, Stay Strong, Stay Sane

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The holidays can feel like a minefield for runners—parties, travel, family dynamics, big emotions, endless food, disrupted routines… it’s a lot. That’s why in this week’s episode, “The Holiday …

Continue Reading about 311. The Holiday Survival Plan for Runners: Stay Lean, Stay Strong, Stay Sane →

Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach. For runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought. Possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there, and welcome to episode 311 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners, and today the holiday survival plan for runners. Stay lean, stay strong, stay sane. So the holidays can feel like a minefield for a lot of people, especially runners. We got parties and travel and family dynamics and big emotions and endless food and disrupted routines.

It’s a lot. It really is a lot. That’s why in this week’s episode called the holiday survival plan for runners, I’m giving you some simple. Realistic, no nonsense plans, tips, strategies to help you navigate this season with some confidence. Listen, this is not going to be another Avoid the cookies conversation.

This is about staying mentally grounded, honoring your goals, staying consistent with your training, and actually enjoying the holidays without, without feeling like you’re constantly battling temptation or starting over in January, don’t want to do that. You’re gonna learn how to handle parties and food pressure, and travel and stress and emotional eating and schedule chaos.

Without losing momentum and without feeling deprived. So if you want this holiday season to feel easier, calmer, and more intentional, you’re absolutely going to want to listen to this one. But first, listen, if you’re feeling stuck at all right now, if running feels harder than it should, if you’re constantly trying to get back on track, if you’re tired of doing this on your own and not seeing the results that you want, this is your moment.

Most runners think they just need a better plan. More motivation, more willpower. But what they really need is a proven system, real accountability. Someone who actually understands the unique challenges that runners face with things like fueling and training and mindset and body composition. And that’s exactly what you get when you work with me.

My coaching program is designed to make running feel easier, uh, make your body feel stronger, make your mind feel clear, and your results finally feel predictable. You get one-on-one guidance, personalized nutrition, structured strength training, mindset work, and a coach who is fully invested in your success.

If you’re ready for running to feel fun again, who isn’t, and to become the strongest, leanest, most confident version of yourself, now is the time to take action. Just head over to running lean coaching.com and click on work with me. Let’s do this. All right, let’s get into this topic, the Holiday Survival Plan for runners, how to stay lean, stay strong, and stay sane.

First of all, let’s start here. Why do the holidays feel so hard? Um, if you’ve struggled with staying consistent during the holidays in the past, welcome to the club. Uh, I’ve done that many, many years. Every runner I coach deals with this. Every coach I know deals with this. You’re not lacking willpower.

You’re not lazy. There’s nothing wrong with you. The holiday season is like the perfect storm for losing progress. Here’s some reasons why your routine gets disrupted. Kids are off school travel ramps up, work deadlines pile up. Social events explode, your stress goes up. Stuff like family dynamics, financial pressure, emotional triggers, expectations, your operate operating under more low than normal.

Uh, food is everywhere and not just any food. Hyper palatable, nostalgic, emotional food, comfort food. Sugar. Alcohol consumption increases even if you’re usually pretty moderate. A lot of people tend to drink more this time of the year. Sleep takes a hit, late nights parties travel, stress. It all adds up to reduce the quality of your sleep.

Weather sucks for many people, which means running gets harder to commit to and then daylight decreases, which affects your mood, your motivation, your energy. And on top of all of this, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s this pressure internal and ex external pressure to quote unquote, like enjoy the holidays, which often people will just translate to.

I’m just gonna give up for now and get back to things on January. In January. But those weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, they add up. A few pounds of fat, uh, a few weeks of lost fitness, and suddenly February rolls around and you’re asking yourself, why do I feel so behind? So, the goal of this episode is pretty simple.

I wanna help you to enjoy the holidays and keep your health and fitness goals on track. Without feeling deprived or stressed out, not one or the other. You get to have both. So let’s build a plan. First of all, you gotta get your mindset dialed in before the holidays start. So right now is the time to get started with this.

If you want to go into the holidays with, you know, no plan, no boundaries, no intentions, you’re gonna default into whatever’s easiest and that, and what’s easiest usually is not what you want. Okay? So number one, step number one here is to decide right now. Who you are going to be this holiday season, you can choose to be the runner who spirals outta control every December, or the runner who becomes a stronger, more resilient version of themselves because of the TA challenges they’re facing, not in spite of them.

So just make this decision now. Seriously, stop what you’re doing and decide who are you going to be this holiday season. Say it out loud if you need to. If you’re driving in the car, if you’re by yourself, if you’re with other people, it, it would be weird, but I think you should do it anyway. Nobody’s gonna judge you.

Well, people might judge you. I’m not gonna judge you. So that’s step number one. Decide right. Step number two, choose your non-negotiables. You don’t need 30 rules. You need like two to four things that are non-negotiables for you. So some examples might be, I’m gonna run four days a week no matter what, or I’m gonna strength train twice a week.

I’m gonna eat real food. 90% of the time I’m gonna drink water before I have any alcohol. I’m gonna get at least seven hours of sleep most nights. I’m not gonna skip my morning routine. These are non-negotiables that act like guardrails ’cause, so they help you from veering off the cliff. Okay? So just pick a couple of these, pick two or three, write them down and just own them.

Step number three is to expect obstacles. So you gotta decide ahead of time how you’re going to handle these obstacles, but you have to expect them. If you think there’s not gonna be obstacles, you’re gonna be in for a, a, a sad surprise, most people get derailed because something unexpected happens. But guess what?

None of the obstacles during the holidays. Are actually unexpected. You know, there will be parties, you know, there will be family stress. You know, people will pressure you to eat and drink. You know, you’ll be tired some days. So instead of, whoa, where did all this come from? Ask yourself, how do I want to respond when this thing happens?

Because it will happen. So create responses ahead of time. This is one of the most powerful mindset tools that you can use. Okay, so next part here is how to handle holiday parties like a pro. Holiday parties aren’t the problem, it’s how people think about them. Most runners go in with a very vague plan, like, I’m gonna try to be good.

That is not a plan, that is a wish. So here’s how to navigate parties without feeling deprived or obsessed. So strategy number one. Eat like a normal person earlier in the day. Don’t starve yourself to save calories for later. That’s the fastest path to overeating. Bingeing drinking too much, feeling outta control.

I know a lot of people that do this are like, I’m just not gonna eat anything that way. You know, I’ll when I eat at this party or whatever. Um, it won’t be too bad, but the problem is you’re just, it can lead to some really outta control behavior. So eat some food, eat real food, eat protein, eat fats, eat veggies, drink lots of water, go into the party, feeling satisfied, not starving.

This is a huge strategy and this works for any kind of social event. Uh, doesn’t have to be just around the holidays. Uh, strategy number two, decide ahead of time what your 24 hour plan is. So. Ask yourself, will I drink tomorrow night? If yes, how much will I have dessert at this party? Yes. Okay. How much, um, what’s my food plan gonna be at this party?

Plates of snacks or one intentional meal? Decide ahead of time. ’cause when you do that, you’re using that prefrontal cortex, you’re. Uh, your, your thinking part of your brain when you decide in the moment you’re using that, uh, primitive brain, your amygdala, and we don’t wanna be relying on that to make decisions for us.

So one of these, uh, one of these wants long-term success. The other just wants to eat a bunch of cookies right now. Okay? So use that prefrontal cortex, decide ahead of time. Strategy number three for handling holiday parties like a pro is one plate and one dessert. So it’s a simple rule, but it works beautifully.

Just make one plate of food. Sit. Eat it slowly, enjoy the hell out of it. If you want dessert, just pick one thing and enjoy that one thing, and then you’re done. No grazing. No, going back four fourths, no mindless snacking because someone left a tray of brownies next to you. Um, uh, another thing I would say is don’t hang out by the desserts.

Don’t hang out in the kitchen where all the food is, or on the table. Uh, a lot of people like to just hang out and graze. Um, so just stay away from the food, but one plate and one dessert. Equals freedom Strategy number four. If you do drink alcohol, not a problem, but just be intentional about it. Alcohol isn’t evil, but alcohol plus no plan equals a mess.

You know, it’s just a disaster waiting to happen. So use the one for one rule, one alcoholic drink. And one glass of water. Set a limit before you walk in and stick to it. So if you decide you’re gonna have one glass of wine, and no, we’re not talking about one of those two liter glasses, okay? Just have one normal glass of wine and then be done, and then have a glass of water to go along with it.

Okay? But definitely set your intention. Ahead of time. We’re talking about the difference between being in intentional and acting with no purpose whatsoever. We’re talking about the difference between being mindless and mindful. We wanna be mindful about what we’re eating and how much we’re drinking.

And then strategy number five, leave when you need to leave. You don’t owe anyone. Anything. You don’t owe anyone your health especially. So if people are, are drinking too much or overeating or just pressuring you, you don’t have to stick around. You can just simply leave. You’re an adult. Uh, you can do the um, Irish goodbye where you just sneak outta there, ghost, you know, we call it whatever.

Um, just walk out the front door at any time. Um, I did this at a party recently. And my fiance and I were, were like, okay, ’cause we don’t drink and stuff. And there was a lot of people drinking and we were like, I think it’s time to go. And so we, we just quietly snuck out and somebody’s like, oh, I see you guys are doing the Irish goodbye.

And I’m like, oh yeah, definitely. Um, I’m not afraid to do that at all. And these people are still our friends. They don’t, they don’t care. Okay. Next section here is how to navigate family, food, pressure, and holiday triggers. Okay, this is a big one, right? Family. Let’s get into this part. Nobody can push your buttons like the people who installed them.

I wrote that and I thought it was very funny, so just don’t mind me. Common triggers for runners during the holidays can be things like people pushing food on you. Come on, it’s the holidays. Just have a little, live a little bit. Let your hair down. People treating your running or eating habits like they’re weird.

Hyper emotional food. Oh, but grandma made this just for you. Come on with the guilt trips, right? Old family dynamics that bring up stress. Being around people who don’t support your goals. Guilt, shame, obligation. People pleasing. Oh my gosh. Family. There’s nothing like family at the holidays. Right. Let’s reframe all this.

So here’s a few more strategies for you here. Um, strategy number one, food pressure is all about them. It’s not about you. So when someone says, why aren’t you eating that? Uh, why are you being so strict? Why don’t you just relax? That isn’t about you, it’s about them. They feel uncomfortable with their own choices.

Um, people want company in their indulgence when you say no, they feel judged even though you’re not judging them. So just remind yourself, this isn’t personal. This is about them, not about me. Strategy number two for handling the family. A simple phrase that solves 95% of food pressure. Um, just say No thank you.

I’m good. You don’t need to explain, you don’t need to justify, you don’t need to defend. Just say it with a smile and repeat as necessary. No, thank you. I’m good. Practice it. Seriously. Say it out loud. You’re gonna use this a lot. No, thank you. I’m good. No, thank you. I’m. Strategy number three, allow yourself to enjoy special food intentionally, just, just like alcohol, okay?

This isn’t about avoiding everything bad, this is about choosing on purpose and being intentional. So some examples here is I’m gonna have one slice of mom’s Christmas pie because I truly love it. Or I’m skipping the store-bought cookies because they don’t do anything for me. Or I’m gonna have a glass of wine with dinner, not five.

Again, we’re being intentional. An intentional indulgence is actually very empowering. It’s very different from mindless overeating, which is not empowering at all. You get to choose. So be intentional about these choices. And then strategy number four is to shake off guilt like it’s glitter. You’re not a failure.

If you eat something off plan, you’re human guilt is just a wasted emotion. It doesn’t help you make better decisions ever. You don’t need to punish yourself with extra miles. You don’t need to be super restrictive the next day. You don’t need to repent like you’ve committed. Of mortal sin, just make the decision, uh, the next decision, uh, something that you feel proud of.

Okay, so the next meal, the next, you know, decision you need to make, whether it’s to not have a drink or something like that. Make that one something that you feel proud of. Okay? So just shake off that guilt and be done with it. Okay? Next, how to stay consistent with your running during the holidays. So consistency is gonna be your superpower, uh, during the holidays, okay?

Not perfection, consistency. So let’s make this incredibly simple here. Strategy number one, schedule your runs, like your doctor’s appointments. Put them in the calendar, put them on the family calendar. Put them in your phone. When it’s scheduled, it happens when it’s vague, when it’s just some idea floating around in your head, it doesn’t happen.

Okay? So make it real. Put it in the calendar. Pretend like it’s a doctor’s appointment. You’re not gonna not go. Strategy number two. If you’re traveling, scout the routes in advance. Use Strava, all trails, MapMyRun, local running groups on Facebook, running stores in the area. Do this before you travel so you know where you’re going to run.

I do this all the time. I look up, you know, what’s a good route around here and I’ll go on, um, Strava or Garmin or all Trails or something like that, and I’ll see where people, uh, have run in that area. Map my run has a lot of those. That feature too. Um. So know where you’re going to run, pack what you need, gloves, lights, different layers.

Running shoes that aren’t 10 years old. Your fuel, your, your watch, and your charger, all that stuff. Um, ’cause when you remove the friction, running becomes easy. Just make it so that it’s like a, a no brainer. And then number three, let’s see. Short runs still count. Do not fall into, into the all or nothing trap.

Like a 20 minute run is still a run. A 30 minute run still builds fitness. A 10 minute run just keeps your habit going. Consistency beats, you know, the length of your run every single time. So just do what you can. Strategy number four, uh, for sticking to your runs, uh, and running consistently during the holidays is plan for the weather.

Uh, not, not some idea that you have about the weather should be right. Winter running takes preparation where layers bring gloves even when you think you won’t need them. Wear a hat or a buff. Use hand warmers if you need to. You’re not weak. If you hate the cold, you’re human. I hate the cold. I really do.

Um, cold weather running is uncomfortable at first, but after five or 10 minutes, you warm up, you’ll be fine. The hardest part is just getting out the door and getting started, honestly. And then strategy number five, use this time to build your aerobic engine. If you’re not in race training mode, that is perfectly fine.

This is base building season. So base building means low stress, low pressure. Your job here is to just keep your habit alive, keep your body moving, maintain your fitness, maintain your metabolic flexibility. Stay mentally grounded, you’re setting yourself up for uh, uh, a year of running success. Right.

You’re, you’re not going to make or break a whole lot during this kind of off season. So you don’t have to go all out. Um, you know you’re gonna be working towards something that is months ahead of you. Um, and so just take it easy, but enjoy the running, it’s low pressure, uh, and just keep your body moving and maintain that cardiovascular fitness during the holidays.

Okay, next. How to crush a holiday travel without losing your mind or your fitness. So travel’s one of the biggest disruptors that I, uh, experience with my coaching clients, not because of. Not just because the logistics are complicated, it’s because you’re changing environments, you’re changing habits. Um, so in, in, in this case, you really need a plan.

Um, and when you do, traveling becomes a non-issue. Okay? So strategy number one here control what you can control. You don’t have control over the food that’s being served or the schedule or the temperature, the flight delays. The in-laws, but you can control what time you wake up, how much water you drink, whether or not you get a quick run in, whether you walk after meals.

Um, you have control over how much alcohol you consume, how much you sleep, what you put on your plate, uh, your attitude. So focus on these things that you can control and it lowers stress instantly. Strategy number two for traveling. Pack your runner’s emergency kit. This is one of my favorite things here.

Just make sure you have all this stuff in your car, in your, in your luggage, whatever, electrolytes, protein, power, nuts, jerky, uh, one or two meals that you can rely on. Running shoes, running clothes, resistance bands, a water bottle, headlamp if you run in the dark. If you got the basics, you’re never gonna feel stuck.

You’re gonna have what you need. Next strategy. Build in movement every single day. No gym, don’t worry about it. Body weight workouts are great. No time, not a problem. 10 minute runs exist. Uh, if there’s snow on the roads, okay, you can walk or maybe find a treadmill. You’re never stuck. There’s always something you can do.

Movement keeps you grounded. Movement keeps cravings down, movement reduces stress and helps improve sleep. This one thing alone, if you can just build in movement every day will make your holiday season so much easier. Alright, dealing with stress, emotional eating, and just overall mental overload. So this is the part most runners ignore and it’s the reason most runners struggle to be honest with you.

When stress goes up, the primitive brain takes over and the primitive brain, that amygdala it wants comfort, pleasure, quick energy, safety, familiarity, and guess what? Checks all those boxes. Carbs, sugar, alcohol, skipping workout, saying, screw it. So we need tools, real tools. Strategy number one here for dealing with stress.

Emotional eating and mental overload. Build a daily emotional buffer. So an emotional buffer is something that keeps your stress level manageable. So some examples might be a morning routine or journaling, or meditation or walking. Intentional breathing, sitting in silence, listening to music, prayer, gratitude, practice reading, strength training, stretching.

Pick one of these things. Do it every single day. This is the foundation of staying sane during the holidays. Strategy Number two, use the pause and ask technique before eating. So before you grab something to eat, pause for three seconds and just ask yourself in your mind, why am I eating this? If the answer is I’m bored, I’m stressed, I’m anxious, I’m overwhelmed, I’m sad, I feel awkward.

Everyone else is eating. That is emotional eating. Okay? If the answer is, God, I’m, I’m very hungry, or This is part of my plan, or, I really want this and I’m choosing it intentionally, that is aligned. Eating right? No judgment, just awareness. So awareness creates control. So do the pause and ask, why am I eating this?

And then, um, if the answer is, you know, Hey, this is part of my plan, or I really want this, I’m being intentional, go for it. Strategy. Number three, stress and overeating don’t solve each other. This is the big lie that keeps a lot of people stuck. I’m stressed so food or alcohol is gonna help. Here’s the truth.

Food doesn’t reduce stress. Alcohol doesn’t reduce stress. Sugar doesn’t reduce stress. They numb you temporarily, and when the numbness wears off, the stress is still there. Plus now you feel physically worse mentally or disappointed and emotionally drained. So ask yourself instead, what do I actually need right now?

That food cannot give me. Rest, connection, breathing, movement, a conversation, maybe some boundaries, especially with family members, right? This is how you break emotional eating cycles by meeting your actual needs. Okay. All right. We’re into, we’re almost done here. Okay. I got a lot of stuff to cover here, so I hope you’re taking notes.

There’s a lot of good strategies here. So we’re getting into this section of how to enjoy the holidays without feeling like you totally went off the off the rails. So we wanna be able to enjoy ourselves, right? You’re allowed to enjoy the holidays and still kind of stay on track. This is not a season of restriction.

It’s a season of intention. So I wanna rewrite some holiday narratives. Okay. And some sort of myths that people have. So myth number one is that the holidays are a six week free for all. The reality is the holidays are a handful of special meals surrounded by thousands of regular moments where you can make great choices.

Okay? It’s a couple of days. We’re talking about like Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, new Year’s Eve, new Year’s, day, four days, something like that. Right. It’s not, uh, it’s not, uh, six whole weeks of just being crazy. Myth number two, if I eat something off plan, I blew it. The reality is one choice does not de derail you.

Only the story you tell yourself afterwards derails you. Myth number three. January 1st is when I’m gonna get serious again. Oh God. How many people do this? The reality is that most successful runners stay consistent year round. They don’t sprint January through March, and then crash November and uh, November and December.

Okay. And then myth number four, I can’t trust myself around holiday food. The reality is you can trust yourself if you have a plan and you honor your commitments that you make to yourself, which you now do. Okay? You’ve got a plan. So your simple doable holiday survival plan, I’m just gonna wrap everything up here into a.

Very clear, step-by-step plan that you can follow. So if you’ve been following along, um, and taking some notes, I’m gonna kind of recap everything right here. Uh, number one, set your identity. I’m a runner who stays consistent during the holidays. Number two, choose three to four non-negotiables. Some examples, I run four days a week.

I lift twice a week. I drink water, first one plate and one dessert rule. Seven hours of sleep. Choose three to four non-negotiables. Number three, plan each day, 24 hours in advance, food, alcohol, movement, and yes, even sleep, uh, strategy or, or step number four here, eat before parties, protein and veggies and healthy fats.

That way you’re not going in starving. Number five, navigate parties with intention. One plate. One dessert. One for one. Alcohol to water. Boom. Good to go. Number six, handle food pressure with calm confidence. Remember the phrase, no. Thank you. I’m good. Number seven, stay consistent with your running. Schedule it travel, proof it, modify it when needed.

Number eight, manage stress deliberately. Daily emotional buffer practice. What is that? Journaling A little music, a little, you know, quiet time. A little yoga. What does that look like for you? Number nine, use the pause and ask technique. Why am I eating this? Really be honest with yourself too. And then number 10, celebrate wins every single day.

Your brain needs that reinforcement. Progress piles up. So celebrate the little things, um, every single day. Okay. The holidays don’t have to be something you just survive. They can be something you enjoy, actually really enjoy while staying aligned with your health, your weight, your running, and your mental wellbeing.

This is the first year that you’re gonna walk into this season with intention and clarity and confidence, and a plan. Okay? So if you want help with. Implementing any of this stuff too. Just remember, you know, reach out to me. This is what I do every single day. Go to my website running lean coaching.com, click on work with me and we can get started right away.

All right? That’s all I got for you today. Love you all. Keep on running Lean and I will talk to you soon.

309. Functional Strength for Aging Runners: Stay Powerful for Life

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In this week’s episode of the Running Lean podcast, I’m diving into a topic that becomes absolutely essential as we get older—Functional Strength for Aging Runners: Stay Powerful for Life. If …

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Podcast Transcript

My name is Patrick McGilvray, and I’m an experienced marathoner, ultra runner sports nutritionist, master life coach, and weight loss coach. For runners, I’ve dedicated my life to helping runners just like you, properly fuel your body and your mind so you can get leaner, get stronger, run faster, and run longer than you ever thought. Possible. This is running Lean.

Hey there, and welcome to episode 309 of Running Lean. My name is Patrick McGilvray, the weight loss coach for runners and today Functional strength for aging runners. Stay powerful for life. So today I’m diving into a topic that becomes absolutely essential as we get older, functional strength for the aging runner.

So if you’re a runner in your forties, fifties, sixties, or beyond, you already know that things start to feel a little different as the years go by. Maybe your pace slows down, maybe recovery takes a little bit longer. Maybe those annoying aches and pains pop up more often. But here’s the truth. None of this has to mean decline.

You can stay strong, fast, confident, and powerful for decades if you’re training the right way. So functional strength is your secret weapon. It keeps you moving well, running efficiently, and feeling capable both. On the run and in your everyday life, if you wanna run strong for life, this episode is going to be your blueprint.

So let’s keep you performing at your best for many years to come. But first, if you’re listening to this episode and you’re thinking, man, I’m doing the best I can, but running just feels harder than it used to. I want you to know something. You are not broken, you are not. Past your prime. Nothing about where you are right now is permanent.

What most runners don’t realize is that they’re running on a foundation that just isn’t strong enough to support the goals that they have. Their energy dips, their motivation fades. The scale doesn’t move. The miles feel heavy and everything just seems harder. Well, this is exactly why I created my coaching program.

You don’t need another random plan from the internet. You don’t need more miles. You need a comprehensive, personalized system that addresses your running. Your strength, your nutrition, and most importantly, your mindset. ’cause when you put all these pieces together, the way I teach inside my program, everything changes.

Running gets easier, your body feels lighter, you feel stronger, more capable, and more in control. So if you’re ready to become the strongest, leanest, and most powerful runner you’ve ever been, then now is the time to take action. Just go to running lean coaching.com, click on work with me. Let’s get you there.

Okay, so here’s why I wanted to talk about functional strength for aging runners today. So I coach a lot of runners who are in their forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond. And the biggest complaint I hear is something like, you know, I’m getting slower. I don’t recover like I used to. I keep getting these little aches and pains running just feels harder.

And listen, there’s a reason that this happens and age changes the game, but. Hear me on this. It does not have to mean that you decline, okay? If you train right, if you prioritize the right things, you can maintain muscle power, speed, and performance for decades, and functional strength is one of the most.

Powerful tools we have to make that happen. So today, I’m gonna break this all down. I’m gonna talk about why functional strength matters so much, especially as we get older, how it keeps you running at a high level, how it prevents injuries and the exact types of movements that you should be doing if you want to run strong for life.

So let’s talk about the aging runner, uh, reality and opportunity. So first we gotta talk about what’s actually happening as we get older. Around your mid thirties. Um, most people start losing muscle mass at the rate of about 1% per year. So after 60, that number can jump up to around 3%. Per year, this muscle loss, it’s called sarcopenia.

It’s one of the biggest causes of slower paces, lower power output, more injuries, and reduced endurance as runners age. But here’s the beautiful part about all of this strength training is the antidote. Not only can you prevent muscle loss, you can actually build muscle in your forties, fifties, sixties, and even seventies and eighties and beyond.

I have clients in their sixties who have put on significant lean mass. Um, I’m in my fifties. I’ve put on more muscle in my fifties than any other point. In my life. Um, and, and I have people who are in their fifties, sixties, seventies, who are running faster than they did when they were in their thirties.

Okay? So age isn’t the limiting factor here. It’s the right training that really unlocks the potential that you have. And functional strength. I’m gonna tell you right now. Is the key to all of this. So what exactly is functional strength? Well, it’s not bodybuilding, right? It’s not, you know, bicep curls in front of the mirror.

It’s not endless, you know, machines or isolated muscle work. Functional strength means we’re training movements, not just muscles. Movements that you actually use while running and just like living your day-to-day life. Okay? Things, stuff like picking things up off the ground, pushing exercises, pulling, rotating, stabilizing, balancing, driving force through the ground, controlling your body in space.

So this is all movement based, right? Not just muscle based, because running is essentially one big coordinated symphony of movement, right? So single leg strength, hip stability. Power transfer, core stiffness, posture, balance, all these things are happening with every single stride when you’re running and if you’re only training certain muscles, like, oh, I’m just gonna work on my quadriceps, and that’s it.

You’re kind of missing the bigger picture here. So functional strength trains you to become a better mover in general, which translates directly into better running. So why is functional strength so important after 40? So there’s three huge reasons that aging runners need functional strength more than ever.

And the first is injury prevention. So most running injuries come from weak glutes, weak hips, poor core stability, poor balance, limited mobility, loss of power, and functional strength fixes, all of that. When your muscles fire the way they’re supposed to, when your joints move well, when your body can handle the impact and the force of running.

Things stop breaking down. Okay, so injury prevention is huge. Number two is power production. So you lose power faster than you lose endurance. You can maintain endurance for quite some time, but you have to keep working to maintain power. Power is what allows you to push off the ground. It’s what gives you speed and efficiency, and it’s what keeps your stride from becoming, you know, just like a shuffle.

So functional movements, things like squats, lunges, step ups, jumps, kettlebell swings, help you to maintain explosive strength so you stay quick and light on your feet. Okay? And then the. Third, big reason why functional strength matters, especially as we get older, is longevity and independence. So let’s kind of pull back a little bit and look at the bigger picture.

Functional strength also helps you to get up off the ground easily, carry heavy groceries, climb stairs, move furniture around. Stay balanced, stay upright, stay confident. This is about staying powerful as a runner and. Just becoming more capable as a human being. Okay. So you’re not just training, you know, for that next race, you’re training for the next 40 or 50 years.

Alright. Alright, so I wanna talk about the five big pillars of functional strength for aging runners. So if you wanna build. True functional strength, the kind that keeps you running strong for life. These are your five non-negotiables. Okay. So pillar number one is single leg strength because running is a single leg sport.

When you run, you’re always on one leg or the other walking you, you know, your two feet are on the ground at the same time while you’re walking, running. There’s always gonna be just one foot on the ground. Um, movements that you want to include to build single leg strength are lunges. Step ups, split squats, uh, single leg deadlifts, skater squats.

If you only change one thing about your training, focus on this. Make it single leg strength. Okay. Pillar number two is hip strength and stability, so your hips are the powerhouse of your stride. Examples are lateral band walks, clam shells, glute bridges. Hip thrust cable, hip abduction, and abduction.

Stronger hips means fewer injuries, better form, and overall just better power as a runner. Pillar number three is core stability, and we’re not talking about six pack abs here. We’re talking about functional stability. And examples here, excuse me, are things like planks, dead bugs, pal off presses, bird dogs, farmer’s, caries your core, transfers every bit of force from your legs into forward motion.

And if your core is weak, all your energy just leaks out, okay? So you’re not using the amount of force that you could have if you had a stronger core. So core stability is huge. Number four is power. And plyometrics. This is essential for aging runners because your power does decline faster with age. Um, so examples of things you want to do to bring this back are box step ups, you know, with some power drive, you know, through that, that top of that movement.

Um, low level. Plyometric skips, hops, bounding, kettlebell swings, uh, medicine ball throws. So we start small. We build safely with these things, but don’t skip power. Um, power is one of those things that you have to build a solid foundation of strength and, and, and proper form first before you start doing.

Powerful movements because some people that just jump right in to start with power, um, can hurt themselves. So just make sure you, you feel like you have a solid foundation, you’re very, um, uh, stabilized before you start moving into power. And then pillar number five is mobility and range of motion. And I’m not just talking about stretching here, I’m talking about real mobility.

So joint movement, strength through range of, of motion control through all of this. So things like. Hip mobility flows, um, cars controlled articular rotations, ankle dorsiflexion work, thoracic spine mobility, dynamic warmups. If you can’t move, you’re not going to be able to run efficiently. So mobility and range of motion is super important.

All right, so how often should aging runners aim to do functional strength? And the sweet spot seems to be two to three sessions per week, 20 to 40 minutes each session. So it doesn’t have to mean you gotta spend three hours at the gym six days a week or something like that. If you’re training properly.

And if you’ve got a good plan in place and you’re hitting all the major muscle groups, um, you’re hitting those five pillars, it should only take you, you know, 30 minutes, two, three times a week essentially. So consistency is much more important than intensity. Okay. So be very consistent with your strength training.

This is one of the things I still work very hard to convey to every single person that I work with. How important strength training is. Runners are just like. Notoriously bad at being consistent with strength training. Let’s be honest. Okay? And if you’re sitting there going, shaking your head going, yeah, that’s me, then we need to change that.

Okay? Um, if you’re busy, you can combine movement patterns, you can do circuits, you can do push, pull, hinge squat, carry rotation. That could be a whole workout right there. Uh, should only take you 20, 25 minutes to do something like that, and then boom, you’re done. Uh, again. I’m trying to remove the excuses that we have for doing strength training.

Um, but it is very, very important, especially if you’re, you know, 40 or beyond. Okay. What about heavy lifting? You might be wondering, all right, Patrick, this is great, but what about lifting heavy? I know you talk about that a lot. Should I be lifting heavy? Does that even matter? And yes, absolutely. It matters.

Heavy lifting, and we’re talking about the three to five range, you know, four to six rep range, something like that. It helps to build stronger muscles. It increases, strengthen your tendons and ligaments that boost bone density. It improves your power output increases testosterone speeds, metabolism. But here’s the thing, when we talk about heavy lifting, heavy lifting can be functional lifting when it is done properly.

So a deadlift. Is a functional movement. A squat is functional, a weighted step up is functional, a loaded carry. So when you’re, you know, carrying very heavy, uh, kettlebells, you know, like a farmer’s carry, that’s a functional movement. Just make sure that your form is solid and that your movement patterns are, are clean.

Okay? So form is very important when it comes to heavy lifting as well. Now we have to talk about this mindset shift because as we get older, there’s this mindset shift that aging runners have to make, and this is very huge. Many runners think, you know, I just need to run more. If I slow down, I need more miles in order to, to get faster.

If I get injured, I just need to, you know, ease back into running again. And the answer to all that is just no. If you wanna stay powerful as you age, you must shift from miles focused thinking to strength focused thinking. Because Miles break you down, strength builds you up. Running stresses your tissues.

Strength training, fortifies your tissues. Running makes you tired. Strength training makes you durable. When you prioritize strength, everything in your running gets better. Speed. Endurance, efficiency, recovery, confidence. Longevity, strength isn’t optional for aging runners. Okay. It’s it’s imperative. It’s like oxygen.

You have to have it. Okay. I hope you’re understanding the importance of this at this point. So, how to start today? Here’s a simple framework that you can start using, uh, today. This doesn’t have to be anything super complicated. I’ll walk through this, this quick little framework. Um, number one. Just move.

Well first, if the movement looks bad, fix it before you load it. Okay? Before you add a bunch of weight to your movement, make sure you’re moving well first. So you can start with body weight squats, body weight, lunges, things like that. Okay. Number two, start light. Perfect your form. Add some weight, and then you can start building heavier from there.

But always start with lighter weight before you start lifting. Super heavy. Number three, progress slowly, add weight or difficulty every few weeks, right? Don’t try to progress, you know, oh, I need to, to have a deadlift PR every time I lift. Like, don’t do that, that you’re gonna get hurt doing that, okay?

Your body will adapt and get stronger, but it does take time. So allow yourself a few weeks, two to three weeks. To, um, uh, adapt to the uh, uh, changes that you’re giving, the load that you’re providing, and then your body will adapt. You’ll get stronger, and then you can go up. Okay, number four, mix movement patterns.

So things like squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, carry, rotate. We want to do all of these things. You don’t have to do all of these at every single workout, but just make sure you’re hitting all of these a couple times a week. Never skip. You’ve heard this term, like never skip leg day. I’m gonna say never skip single leg day.

Okay. This is your golden ticket right here. So single leg work is gonna be probably the most important stuff that you need to be doing as a runner, especially as you’re getting older. So never skip single leg work. And then number six, and the most important one of all of these is stay. Consistent. Two to three days a week is all you need, but you gotta keep doing it.

If you don’t use it, you lose it. Two to three days a week is all you need, but you need to do this forever. I hate to say that, but strength training is one of those things that you can’t neglect. It just has to be part of your life. Forever. Okay. That’s not bad news. I know. It sounds like, oh my God.

Seriously? Yeah, seriously. You gotta do this forever. Okay. Do this, and I promise you, you’ll become one of those runners in their sixties or seventies or beyond who are still out there crushing it, having fun, smiling, loving, running, and wondering while everyone else is, you know, quitting, running, or giving up.

Okay. So that’s all I got for you today. If you’re an aging runner and you want help with any of this stuff, if you want help of building a strength plan that fits with your training, your schedule, and your particular goals, this is literally what I do all day long with my clients. Just go to running lean coaching.com, click on work with me, and I will help you to become the strongest, fittest, most powerful version of yourself.

That’s all I got. Love you all. Keep on running lean, and I will talk to you soon.