Entrepreneur, stay-at-home dad, Boston Marathoner and double digit Ironman triathlon finisher, Patrick McCrann specializes in working with individuals who refuse to sacrifice their personal or professional commitments for the sake of exercise. In Train to Live, Live to Train, McCrann leverages his nearly ten years of coaching experience to create a roadmap for endurance athletes of all ability levels to integrate their training and fitness goals. The outcome is a “fitness lifestyle,” a daily approach to training, working and living that ensures long-term success in the areas that matter the most to you — including your sport!
Welcome
1. I write. I write here, for you, and on other sites as well. Sometimes in magazines. I write to help people achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals by organizing their personal, professional, and entrepreneurial lives. I write books that teach people how to take control of their lives through the lens of fitness. I encourage these folks to then use this act as a stepping stone to building a sustainable lifestyle, a platform from which they can work to improve all aspects of their lives that have meaning.
2. I lead. I run several online communities for athletes, including Endurance Nation and Marathon Nation. I work daily to support these amazing athletes on their personal journeys to the Ironman or Marathon finish line. While I participate in both as I am an athlete myself, my primary role is as facilitator and organizer. I help foster community both online and at events, and work to ensure that our technology and coaching knowledge complement the living community that we have created. This is some of the most exciting work I have ever done, period.
3. I am a strategic, community-focused advisor. In my consults, I work one-on-one and with entrepreneurs interested in changing the world by connecting people with shared passions and interests. And when the right company comes along, I coach on how to encourage and facilitate community as a part of their core business. I also coach individuals to bring the ideals and power of endurance athletics to build a virtuous, positive, and powerful lifestyle…but these slots are limited and booked quarterly. You can inquire here.
My Past Life
My endurance career began on a local track with my mom counting laps as I panted in pathetic circles. “Isn’t that five laps,” I’d ask? “Nope,” she’d reply, checking the pile of rocks she’d been using to count as proof. “Four down, four to go.” Certainly not your average Wednesday night bonding moment between a 12 year-old and his mom, but a very telling scene. Memories like this have driven me to qualify for the Ironman World Championships (three times, PR of 10:04) and the Boston Marathon (twice, PR of 2:59).
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan where I taught English as a second language and also worked with the local teacher’s university. I left Central Asia for the Caucuses where I was the program manager of the Community Development Initiative for the International Rescue Committee in Azerbaijan. In both countries I strove to learn the local language, culture and norms. I think those four years abroad were infinitely more instructive than the time I spent at Boston University (BA, English) and Harvard (AM, Russian Studies).
Not So Long Ago…I caught the triathlon bug when my brother did his first Ironman, and my return to the US for graduate school afforded me the time to train. I quickly moved from being interested to being consumed to being a coach. I ran my own coaching company (Performance Training Systems) as a full-time job (no safety net!) until I realized that I could do more than just work with individuals…I could build movements. I partnered with Rich Strauss to create Endurance Nation, my first online community venture, around triathlon. I have since started a brand new online Marathon Training Schedule business, where runners can get faster and connect with one another online.
Recently my writing on triathlon, training and the endurance lifestyle have appeared on eTips, Xtri.com, TransitionTimes, Active.com and in Inside Tri magazine.
Contact Me
If you are looking to reach me, the best way to do so is by email: patrick.mccrann@gmail.com. You can also send me a message via Twitter (@pmccrann). While I read everything, I don’t reply to it all. I love feedback and suggestions for articles or content, like “Could you please write about racing internationally on a budget?” but I just don’t do reviews or strange requests for personal help.
Twitter + elsewhere
: Twitter. If you live online, Twitter is your pulse. Embrace it. You’re following me, right?
: Facebook. I’m there, but I never check my private Facebook messages, so via Twitter or direct email is best.
: By phone: Please email me first.
: Mail books you think I should read (I like almost all non-fiction, and any good thriller or sci-fi book will do as well) to
58 Channing Rd, Belmont, MA 02478
Please take my stuff
Please do. Link to it from Twitter. Post it on your site. Put it in your next proposal or into your next book … with credit of course. Please help spread the good word.
