Inspired Soles

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Jill Moreash is a 56-year old who is absolutely thriving as a postmenopausal woman. She is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor at Variety Village in Scarborough, Ontario, and she owns & operates a fitness business, Your Wellness Warrior. A lifelong athlete who takes excellent care of herself, Jill figured she would sail through perimenopause but she still experienced some of the classic symptoms in her mid-to-late forties such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, moodiness, joint pain, urge incontinence and itchy skin.

Instead of being a victim of her circumstances, Jill took it upon herself to learn about what was going on and share what she discovered with others. Jill is currently enrolled in Dr. Stacy Sims’ menopause 2.0 course and plans to create a menopause course for her own clients. Jill is a firm believer in opening up healthy dialogues about this stage of life so that women don’t have to suffer in silence the way they have in generations past.

Sponsor: Canadian Masters Athletics

• Website: canadianmasters.ca
• Join the CMA Facebook Group: @cma.vca is the best place to continue the menopause conversation!
• Instagram: @canadianmastersathletics35

Connect with Jill:

• Instagram: @Jill_Moreash
• Variety Village: https://www.varietyvillage.ca/personal-training/

Resources we discussed in this episode:

• Dr. Stacy Sims' Menopause 2.0 Course
• Dr. Peter Attia's Podcast: The Drive
  • Hormone replacement therapy and the Women's Health Initiative: re-examining the results, the link to breast cancer, and weighing the risk vs reward of HRT | JoAnn Manson, M.D.
  • Training for The Centenarian Decathlon

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Danny Morin is a 38 year old Clearance Diver with the Canadian Navy who was born in Quebec and now lives in Toronto. Accustomed to striving for high levels of fitness as part of his military training, he became curious back in 2016 to see if he could meet the standard for the Canadian Armed Forces National 5k Running competition in Ottawa. He debuted with an 18:20 5k at Around the Bay and since then has gone all-in on his running goals. November of this year even marks his one year anniversary of giving up alcohol in order to squeeze every last second out of running performance. Danny now holds personal bests of 15:45 (5k), 33:14 (10k), 1:12:24 (½ marathon), 2:45 (marathon). 

On October 29th 2023, Danny was one of four male and four female athletes who represented the Canadian military on the CISM International team at the first World Military Half Marathon Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland. They competed against 39 militaries from around the world and toed the start line with Olympic level athletes. In this conversation we learn all about these military events, which aim to promote friendship through sport, including Danny’s 1:12:50 half marathon performance at the Swiss City Half Marathon. Be sure to listen to the very end to hear an exciting goal that Danny has his sights set on over the next several years.

Resources we discussed in this episode:

• Learn more about CISM: https://www.milsport.one
• Our interview with Mike Mueller (CISM team  manager)
• Our interview with Michael Bergeron (CISM running coach + world record-holding joggler)

Connect with Danny:

• Instagram: @dannyshallrun

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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 taking you back to the Divide 200 mile race with ultra trail running best friends Jon Paradowski and Heidi Schmaltz from Saskatchewan, Alberta. The inaugural Divide 200 took place in September 2023 along the Continental Divide in southern Alberta. Jon & Heidi completed a large part of the race together and we wanted to hear about the race from their unique perspectives. They laughed a lot, ate a lot, hallucinated a lot, and supported each other through the highs and lows that a race this long inevitably brings. Jon and Heidi both speak about having gratitude for the opportunity and privilege of experiencing a race such as this, and their need to honour the time spent on the trail despite the outcome. They speak of intense appreciation for everything from great views and stunning lakes to beautiful small rocks they chose to fill their packs with and the pizza they consumed to give them the energy to carry on!  While these two are a load of laughs, they are also a team with a solid friendship that carried them for many miles.  

Connect with Jon & Heidi:

• Instagram: 
  • Jon: @dirtbagultrarunner
  • Heidi: @hIschmaltz
• Facebook:
  • Heidi:
  • Jon: 

Previous episodes on Inspired Soles:

• Jon: There's No Big Rush
• Heidi: Exploring Your Edges

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Instead of our regular “Couple of the Quarter” episode, we are bringing to you a “Duo of the Quarter.” On Sat, Oct 21 at 7am local time, the individual world championships of backyard ultra running commenced in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The format sees racers run a 4.17-mile loop, called a “yard” in backyard ultrarunning, within a one-hour time limit, after which all finishers within the allotted time are tied for first place, and must present on the start line on the hour to go again. This continues until there is only one runner left standing, who must complete a solo yard to be awarded the win.  After completing 107 yards & hours and covering 446 miles/718km, Ukrainian-Canadian and past guest Ihor Verys was the last person to DNF, assisting Harvey Lewis to a world record win.  Racers were allowed only one person to crew and support them for the duration of the race, and he entrusted 52 year old friend and fellow ultrarunner Marina Striker with that task.  To say she delivered is an understatement, and during this conversation you will hear how instrumental Marina’s experience and support was in Ihor’s success.  You will also be treated with a few stories of things Ihor does not remember during the 5 days of running and you will get a glimpse into the militaristic discipline and mindset required by both crew and runner to keep moving for 107 hours straight. Dubbed “The Dream Team” on social media, these two athletes reveal what an unlimited mindset and unwavering belief can achieve.

Connect with Ihor & Marina:

• Ihor's Instagram: @ihorverys
• Marina's Instagram: @marinas_trailrunning_quests

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Ana Laura Fray is a 46 year old who lives North of Toronto now but was born in Mexico and spent the first 23 years of her life there. She also happens to be an exceptional marathon runner and earlier this month on Oct 1st, 2023 she broke her first tape by winning the P’tit Train du Nord Marathon in a blazing time of 2:47:41! P’tit Train is a breathtaking point-to-point course along a bicycle path starting in Val-David, Quebec, and finishing in Saint-Jérôme. 

In this episode Ana tells us: 

• Why she decided to return to this race for the 4th time
• How her training cycle went with new coach Marc Senneville
• The importance of believing in herself, and 
• What she and her partner Luke did to celebrate. 

Ana ran her first marathon at the age of 35, broke 3-hours for the first time at age 41, ran her PB of 2:46:40 (PTDN 2021, 4th place) at age 44, and is running as strong as ever at age 46. We had a fascinating discussion about elite standards in Canada (A, B, masters) as well as the pros & cons of some of the programs and championships aimed at age-groupers and sub-elites  (Athlete Foundation Program, American Development program, AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group Championships).

Connect with Ana:

• Instagram: @analau_77

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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 noticed that runners have their own special language?  If you've been running a long time you may not even realize it, but if you are new to the sport or this podcast you know exactly what we mean.  You hear people speaking of workouts and zones, hitting the wall and negative splits.  Just when you think you’ve got the basic running terms figured out, you go on a trail run and discover you have no idea what anyone is saying when they talk about yoyos, FKTs, VKs and muling. There is another whole lexicon out there to learn! 

True to our mission of bringing road and trail runners together, we decided to discuss and hopefully decode some of the things runners say.  While we are no means experts, we have been around a while and may just save you from having to google something you hear either on the show or out on a run.  We had fun with this episode and we hope you do too!

Resources we discussed in this episode:

• Our episode with Ihor Verys (who did a "yoyo" of the Mantario Trail)
• Our episode on the Healthy Runner podcast with Duane Scotti (where Kim talked about "buffed-out single-track")
• Website to ratify an FKT
• Origin of the Borg RPE Scale (6-20)

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Scott Cooper is an ultra-trail runner from Toronto although he’s been living in Calgary for the last five years.  Prior to moving to Calgary, Scott had an accomplished triathlon career and even spent a year racing professionally.  Only three weeks after he moved west, Scott found himself on a Sinister 7 relay team and as he says, “the rest is history.”   He found himself both loving trail running and excelling in really long ultramarathons.  Scott has earned top podium spots in almost every race he has done including Sinister 7 100 Solo, Fat Dog 120,  Black Spur Ultra 108K, Rivers Edge Ultra 100k, and the Calgary Marathon 50K. 

Most recently Scott won the inaugural Sinister Sports Divide 200 mile race in southern Alberta, Canada’s first event of its kind. The 201 mile (324k) course runs along parts of the Great Divide Trail, climbing 12,335m in elevation with a time limit of 100 hours.  By crossing the finish line in first place, he established a new course record of 49h47m59s  - one that will be hard to beat.  In this episode we learn about Scott and his running background, but spend most of our time discussing everything to do with the Divide 200.  He talks about his preparation and strategy leading into the race, how he managed his nutrition, hydration, sleep and feet, and we finish up with some great advice for anyone thinking of tackling a 200 miler next year.

Two hundred miles is still a distance that is largely a mystery to most runners, however more and more people are becoming tempted to take on the challenge.  If you are curious to learn more about what this new level of craziness is all about and what it takes to excel in multi day continuous races, keep listening!

Resources we discussed in this episode:

• Our episode with Reinier Paauwe (Scott's pacer)
  • Ren's Toes Instagram: @rens.toes

Connect with Scott:

• Instagram: @scottcooperultra

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Brittany Moran is a Toronto-based chiropractor with The Runner’s Academy, a 2:33 marathoner, and the founder of StrideWise Running, a coaching service for runners of all levels. While undergoing a recent rebrand of The Runner’s Academy, Brittany and her team were asked to reflect on what was important to them and it kept coming back to community & running for joy. From there they created Tracktastic, a fun, family-friendly track meet where the winners of each event aren’t necessarily those who come across the line in first place. The winner of The Prediction Mile, for example, is the one closest to their estimated finish time without any feedback from a watch or clock. The winner of The Slowest 100m is the last person across the line! Their inaugural Tracktastic in June 2023 was a big success, but what Brittany and her team did not foresee was the desire for Tracktastic to be replicated by others outside of Toronto. 

From the moment Carolyn saw the advertising for Tracktastic she knew it was something that could fly in Winnipeg. Brittany was more than happy to pass along her notes & lessons learned to support Carolyn, the Manitoba Runners’ Association and Athletics Manitoba in hosting a similar event in August. Judging by the smiles on their participants' faces, we can safely say that Brittany and The Runner’s Academy team are fulfilling their mission of spreading the running joy.

At the time of this recording, Brittany was almost 20-weeks pregnant with her first child who is due in February 2024.

Connect with Brittany:

• Brittany's Instagram: @torunningchiro
• StrideWise Running Instagram: @stridewiserunning
• StrideWise Running Website
• The Runner's Academy Instagram: @therunnersacademy
• The Runner's Academy Website

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

Ethan Peters is a 25 year old software developer currently living in Fernie, BC.  He started his running career at the age of 19 by completing his first official race - that just happened to be a 100 miler! Since then he has excelled in mountain ultramarathons, earning multiple podium finishes amongst elite fields on some very tough courses.  Most recently Ethan was the first Canadian runner to cross the finish line at the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in Chamonix, France. Although the race didn’t go exactly as he had hoped, he finished strong and learned a lot, coming home with some great stories to share.  Ethan’s introduction to trail running is rather unique and his success at such a young age isn’t something you commonly see amongst ultrarunners.  He is passionate, self aware, and refreshingly relaxed in his approach to the sport.

Connect with Ethan:

• Instagram: @run_ethan

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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

If you’ve been running for any length of time, we’re going to guess that you’ve dealt with an injury or two along the way and if so, then you’re going to love what today’s guest has to share. Leanne Klassen is a 36 year old runner from Calgary AB, a coach with Skyline Run Coaching, and a 2:42 marathoner, yet at the time of this recording she was walk-running her way back to health from tendinosis of her quadriceps and patellar tendons. This is an important reminder that even those with high levels of knowledge and an excellent support team can still wind up on the sidelines from time to time, but there is hope! 

In this episode Leanne shares how she’s navigated this particular injury. We talked about the Lever running device which attaches to her home treadmill and can offload up to 45-pounds of body weight. We talked about the role that cross training can play, trusting her coach (Malindi Elmore) and physiotherapist (and actually doing what they recommend!), and leaning on her incredible support team more than ever before. We talked about being a role model for her own clients, exercising patience, and respecting the rehab process to best ensure that she has the longest career possible in the sport that she loves so much.

Leanne comes from a team sport background and quickly found success in running after taking it up in 2016. Competitive by nature and someone to never shy away from a good challenge, Leanne qualified for Boston on her very first try and found herself on elite start lines shortly thereafter.

Resources with discussed in the episode:

• Lever Device: https://believeintherun.com/gear-reviews/lever-review/
• Skyline Run Coaching: https://www.runcoach.org
  • Our episode with Skyline's founder, Lynsey Romano

Connect with Leanne:

• Instagram: @leanneklassen7 

Connect with Carolyn & Kim:

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

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].