Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Leanne Klassen is back on the show, along with her coach, the legendary Malindi Elmore, to break down Leanne’s outstanding marathon performance last month in Houston.

Malindi is a three-time Olympian and a true icon of Canadian distance running. A Stanford graduate, she first competed in the 1500 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and then made a remarkable transition to the marathon—placing 9th at the 2021 Tokyo Games and representing Canada again in Paris last summer, a full 20 years after her Olympic debut! At nearly 45 years of age and living in Kelowna, BC, with her husband, Graham, and their two young boys, Malindi continues to train and compete at the highest level while coaching athletes and winning national titles.

Leanne was first on the show in the fall of 2023, where we talked about navigating injuries with grace. As a sub-elite distance runner, she’s faced her fair share of setbacks, which led her and Malindi to take a fresh approach to her Houston Marathon buildup. Instead of prioritizing high mileage and grueling long runs, they focused on a less-is-more strategy—emphasizing smart training, recovery, and strength work. The results were nothing short of incredible. Leanne not only felt stronger than ever in training, but she also took a massive two minutes off her personal best, running 2:40:52 in tough weather conditions.

As endurance athletes, we often fall into the trap of thinking more is always better—but what if real breakthroughs happen by training smarter, not harder? Whether you’re a recreational runner or competing at an elite level, this is the kind of story that deserves more attention.

Connect with Leanne:

• Inspired Soles Interview: Navigating Injuries With Grace
• Instagram: @leanneklassen7

Connect with Malindi:

• Website: malindielmore.com
• Instagram: @malindielmore

Connect with Carolyn:

• Instagram: @inspiredsolescast or @carolyn.c.coffin

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 inspiredsolescast@gmail.com.

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

I’m joined once again by my husband, Johnny Coffin, for a lively discussion on the pros and cons of the popular running app, Strava.

Johnny is an avid Strava user—he loves leading by example, engaging with his running community, and tracking his data all in one place. I, on the other hand, am more of a Strava minimalist. My account exists solely to share training logs with my remote coach, Reid Coolsaet. With just two followers (Reid and Johnny) and only three people on my follow list, I’m technically on Strava—but I don’t take advantage of most of its features.

This episode is a somewhat public apology for not accepting friend requests. I know myself well enough to recognize that I’d likely get caught up in comparison, make questionable training decisions, and waste more time than I’d like. So, as a form of self-protection, I choose to stay disengaged.

Our goal today isn’t to persuade anyone to use—or abandon—Strava. Instead, we hope to spark a thoughtful conversation about an app that has captivated both elite athletes and recreational runners alike.

Connect with Johnny:

• Previous Inspired Soles episodes:
  • EP 211: Coffin's Chicago Marathon Recap: The Bodily Fluids Episode
  • EP 202: Paris Olympic Track & Marathon Recap
  • EP 55: Road to the 2021 Boston Marathon
  • EP 12: Slow the BLEEP Down
• Instagram: @bestjohnnyever

Connect with Carolyn:

• Instagram: @inspiredsolescast or @carolyn.c.coffin

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 inspiredsolescast@gmail.com.

Got feedback about this episode? Send Carolyn a text

Meet Rob Tétrault —a man whose passion, perseverance, and purpose redefine what it means to make a difference.

Rob’s story begins in the spring of 2021, when a pivotal moment changed his life. Following his father’s Leukemia diagnosis, Rob made a life-altering decision to prioritize his health, trading unhealthy habits for a pair of running shoes. Starting at 250 pounds and a problematic relationship with alcohol, he transformed himself one step at a time and took his final drink on July 2nd, 2022.

Rob ran his first marathon less than six months into his running journey – and he didn’t stop there. Over the past few years, he has competed in the Ironman World Championships, run the Boston Marathon, represented Canada at the Triathlon World Championships in Spain, and achieved a marathon personal best of 2:58.

When he’s not running, Rob wears many hats. He’s cohost of The Running Journey podcast with his brother Charlie, an entrepreneur and award-winning portfolio manager as the founder of Tétrault Wealth Advisory Group, a Canadian TV personality and YouTube content creator dedicated to financial literacy, founder of the Canadian CMV Foundation & CMV Canada, and a soon-to-be PhD graduate. He balances all of this while living in St. Boniface, Manitoba, with his wife Michelle and their four children.

Resources we discussed in the episode:

• Jessica Drakul's Inspired Soles's interview: From Booze to Boston
• Carolyn's interview on The Running Journey: Marathons, Coaching, and Running's Popularity
• Johnny's interview on The Running Journey: From the Air Force to Marathons

Connect with Rob:

• Instagram: @runwithrobcmv
• Podcast: The Running Journey

Connect with Carolyn:

• Instagram: @inspiredsolescast

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 inspiredsolescast@gmail.com.