Inspired Soles

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Jessica Wylychenko is a Winnipeg-based Registered Dietitian who specializes in helping runners optimize their performance through her company, Speed & Savoury. With fall marathons on the horizon, Jessica shares essential strategies for marathoners to effectively manage their fueling and hydration, aiming to prevent injuries, maximize training gains, and ensure a strong performance on race day – and beyond! Her advice is practical and actionable, so you’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what to consume, as well as when and how much.

Throughout our conversation, Jessica draws on her experience as a competitive runner. After facing a series of injuries & setbacks in 2019 due to unintentional underfueling, she relied on her expertise to develop a tailored nutrition strategy along with advice from her coaches for strength and run planning. This approach paid off, allowing her to shave nearly 15 minutes off her marathon PR, achieving an impressive 2:54 at the 2024 BMO Vancouver Marathon.

Connect with Jessica:

• Instagram: @speed_and_savoury
• Website: https://www.speedandsavoury.com/
• Fueling the Fall Marathon (virtual course Sept 9th): https://www.speedandsavoury.com/product-page/fall-2024-half-full-marathon-group-coaching
• Food Tracker: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Connect with Carolyn:

• Email me with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

For anyone who may be experiencing Olympic withdrawal like I am, fear not, this episode is for you!

We get to relive many of the memorable races from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games alongside one of Canada's elite distance runners and two-time Olympian in the marathon, Reid Coolsaet.

Reid was first on the show to celebrate our 100th episode and he also happens to be my coach, so I wasn't shy about asking all of my silly questions about racing at the global level, and in particular how championship style racing differs from going for a fast time. We get into why the athletes who lead a race often don't win and, conversely, why some who hang back for most of it end up victorious.

Have you ever wondered:

• How the heats are selected
• Which lanes are the best
• The etiquette when it comes to being lapped in a race
• Whether you should say 5000 meters or 5k
• What makes a track fast, and
• What it means to "make a move" or "go through your gears"?

Reid answers all of these questions (and more!) while weaving in stories from his own career of racing at a high level. He even makes a case for why recreational distance runners might consider jumping into some 1500's on the track! 😉

Connect with Reid:

• Instagram: @reidcoolsaet & @coolsaetgo
• Coaching: https://coolsaetgo.run/

Connect with Carolyn:

• Email me with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

I don't know about you but my family has had a very exciting couple of weeks taking in all of the Olympic action from Paris, and joining me to break down our highlights and takeaways from the athletics program is my husband and two-time Inspired Soles guest, Johnny Coffin.

We don't claim to be experts but I think it's fair to say that we are track & field super fans so we had a thing or two to say about the phenomenal performances we just witnessed on and off the track. We tried to keep this episode short but were unsuccessful (not once but TWICE! 🙈) so you might want to save this one for your next long run!

Resources we discussed in the episode:

• Jakob Ingerbrigsten's song

Connect with Johnny:

• Previous Inspired Soles episodes:
  • Road to the 2021 Boston Marathon
  • Slow the BLEEP Down
• Instagram: @bestjohnnyever

Connect with Carolyn:

• Email me with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Have you ever been told that you need to “know your WHY” when it comes to running and racing? What does that even mean and how do you figure out your WHY? That’s the topic of today’s discussion and I’ve brought on a special guest to help uncover my personal reasons for racing the Chicago Marathon on October 13, 2024! 

My special guest is none other than former Inspired Soles co-host and knowing-your-WHY advocate, Kim Sankey! (I didn’t even make it one episode of solo hosting before inviting her back again :-) 

My hope with this episode is that you’ll walk away with tools to discover why you run or race. Because as Kim said in our 200th episode, knowing your WHY is … everything.

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Today we’re celebrating our 200th episode of Inspired Soles and we couldn’t think of a better guest host than fellow physio, running coach, podcaster and trusted friend of the pod, Dr. Duane Scotti from the Healthy Runner Podcast. 

Duane expertly guided this emotional rollercoaster of a conversation, which kicked off with a pretty huge announcement about what’s next for Inspired Soles. From there we laughed and cried while reminiscing about the 200 meaningful conversations we’ve been fortunate to have over the past four years. We covered:

• What we’ve learned as hosts
• Which guests surprised us most
• How the podcast has impacted our own running
• Things the listeners might not know about us (including our own fears!), and
• What we hope to be remembered for.

Resources we discussed in the episode:

• Duane's past episodes:
  • Return to Running Safely After Time Off
  • It's All About That Base (Training)
  • SPARK Your Training With Prehab
  • Why Road Runners Should Try Trails
• Duane Celebrates 200 Episodes with Carolyn Coffin
• Video of Carolyn's winning DWTS dance to "Candyman"
• Ihor Verys | Mantario Trail FKT Record Holder
• Diane Palmason | Canadian Women's Running Pioneer
• Kim & Carolyn’s Running Insecurities
• Jessica Drakul | From Booze to Boston
• Heidi Schmaltz | Exploring Your Edges

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

We’ve talked a lot about pacing strategies on the show and how to pace yourself well throughout a race. But what about the role of a pacer? What is a pacer and why would you want to ask someone to pace you? What does it take to be a good pacer and how do you go about choosing one? What are the rules and etiquette when it comes to pacers and what types of challenges do they face? We discuss these topics and more as we explore how the use of a pacer and the act of being a pacer differs between road and trail.

Resources we discussed in the episode:

• Kevin Beatty | Pacer for Carolyn's Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll 10K Win

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

• Email us with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram
• Kim's Instagram
• Kim's Facebook
• Carolyn's Facebook

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Adam Neiles is a 27-year-old former football player who now works as a Strength & Conditioning Specialist at Testify Performance in Winnipeg. We first spoke to Adam just a few short months ago (Ep 187) as he was beginning the buildup to his very first marathon…the Manitoba Marathon. At that point he was following a solid plan, spirits were high, and he’d set the goal of finishing in under 4-hours. We thought it would be fitting to have him back to hear how the rest of his training went, and what race day was like. With his signature sense of humour, Adam recounts how he came excruciatingly close to achieving his sub-4 goal, clocking in at 4:02:45. 

As a goal-oriented person, Adam talks about what it was like to navigate his feelings of failure but we  want to publicly state just how proud we are of him. It’s super gutsy to set a challenging goal and go after it, so whether you knock it out of the park or come up short, there is always something to learn for next time. And it sounds like there will be a next time for Adam!

Connect with Adam:

• Adam's Instagram: @adamneiles
• Adam's previous interview: Football Player Trains for First Marathon

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

• Email us with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram
• Kim's Instagram
• Kim's Facebook
• Carolyn's Facebook

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Miriam Betzner fell in love with trail running while living in South Africa. Born on the other side of the world, she grew up on three continents before her family settled in Manitoba. After nine years abroad, she moved back to Manitoba in 2014 and got involved in the local trail running community by volunteering at several local races that first year and has been part of the community since. When she’s not running trails, you might find her on her road or gravel bikes, or dabbling in triathlon.

Miriam’s involvement in her local sporting community includes being a part of the Manitoba Association of Trail Runners organizer. In this episode we talk about what it is like to run in South Africa, why running community is important, ways one can get involved in their running community and what makes Miriam feel inspired as her best self.  

Connect with Miriam:

• Instagram: @miriam_does_sports
• Manitoba Association of Trail Runners (MATR): www.matr.ca

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

• Email us with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram
• Kim's Instagram
• Kim's Facebook
• Carolyn's Facebook

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Hailing from Calgary AB, Polly Moody is a 40-year old mom-of-two, a full-time teacher, and 2:46 marathoner. What makes her story so compelling is just how much adversity she’s had to  overcome. After breaking the elusive 3-hour barrier (2:58:38) at the 2015 Boston Marathon without much dedicated training, Polly tried multiple times to go sub-2:55 and came up just a bit short each time. Instead of giving up, she kept mining for lessons and trying again until it eventually happened at CIM in 2018 where she ran 2:53:07. She followed that up with a 2:48:02 in Chicago 2019, but then early in the pandemic she suffered a serious ACL/meniscus injury that required surgery and a lengthy rehab. As her 30s came to a close, Polly figured her best running days were likely behind her but at the Chicago marathon in 2023 – at the age of 40! – she ran the race of her life in 2:46:34, which included a quick porta potty stop and a 90-second negative split! Under the guidance of a new coach, she’s excited to return to Chicago in 2024 with hopes of cracking 2:45.

A lifelong athlete, Polly only began taking running seriously after her kids were born but she’s gained a ton of wisdom alongside her speedy times. We especially loved hearing how she uses trail running and 10k races to enhance her marathon training.  

Connect with Polly:

• Instagram: @mommytosubthree

Polly's Podcast Appearances:

• Rambling Runner with Matt Chittim: Massive Knee Injury to a 2:46 at Chicago
• Run Chats with @RonRunsNYC: Focusing on Joy & the Process to Find Her Best

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

• Email us with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram
• Kim's Instagram
• Kim's Facebook
• Carolyn's Facebook

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected]. 

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Chantelle Erickson, known as "the mother runner," has enjoyed running for 15 years. Originally from the Greater Toronto Area, she moved west, living in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Her running journey spans obstacle races, marathons, ultras, and multi-stage races, all initially in the pursuit of health and wellness. Starting on a treadmill, she soon embraced the outdoors, running on Saskatchewan's gravel roads. Running became crucial for her mental well-being, offering a positive self-image and goal-setting opportunities.

Chantelle's structured approach has kept her consistent for over a decade. After her son's birth, she completed her first half-marathon within eight months, living by her mantra, "If you can believe it, you can achieve it." She has raced in numerous Canadian cities and achieved a podium finish in Fernie in 2016. Her passion for mountains was ignited after a challenging 70-mile backpacking trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

She entered ultra marathons in 2017, completing her first 50k at the Lost Soul Ultra. With podium finishes in subsequent races, Chantelle realized the importance of consistent training and coaching. Despite facing injuries and harsh conditions, she remains resilient, using running to overcome life's setbacks. Chantelle coaches for Personal Peak and writes for Canadian Running magazine. Outside running, Chantelle runs a pre and postnatal fitness business called Be Well Chantelle, advises on financial fitness, and enjoys various outdoor activities.

Connect with Chantelle:

• Instagram: @runningmama85
• Website: bewellchantelle.com
• Personal Peak Run Coaching
• Facebook: chantelle.erickson

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

• Email us with guest ideas: [email protected]
• Inspired Soles Instagram
• Kim's Instagram
• Kim's Facebook
• Carolyn's Facebook

You can help spread the running love! The best way to SUPPORT Inspired Soles is to share your favourite episode(s) with friends, subscribe, or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Connect on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to [email protected].