CAROLYN COFFIN: What If Your Best Running Is Still Ahead?

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve hit a plateau, haven’t nailed your race, are navigating midlife running, or are trying to figure out how to keep improving without burning yourself out, this conversation gives you the real story. I chat with Carolyn Coffin, a running coach, podcast host of *Inspired Soles*, and competitive marathoner whose story spans late-blooming success, coaching, and an ongoing quest to rediscover what running can feel like. We discuss: 🌀How injuries, DNFs, perimenopause, and motherhood have shaped Carolyn's perspective as a runner 🌀The role easy running had in her breakthrough 🌀 What it really means to play the long game and why your best running may still be ahead, even in your 40s and 50s 🌀How she is approaching coaching her husband to a 2:35 marathon at the age of 45 Carolyn also opens up why she’s now taking a scientist’s approach to her own running instead of forcing a result.  Her perspective is equal parts honest and hopeful - a reminder that a rough patch does not have to become the whole story. **TIMESTAMPS:** - **02:16** — Late-blooming runner starts in her 30s - **03:13** — Easy running breakthrough and training structure - **05:27** — Early PRs from 5K to half marathon - **06:26** — First marathon disaster and why it stuck - **08:29** — Motherhood, military life, and running community - **13:25** — Why running “sucks” at the beginning - **16:43** — Boston Marathon pacing mistake and heat - **22:51** — Extreme heat race cancellation - **30:17** — Easy runs feel worse; blood sugar and perimenopause - **40:14** — Public goals, pressure, and marathon mindset **RESOURCES:** Podcast: Inspired Soles IG: @inspiredsolescast or @carolyn.c.coffin **THANK YOU, SPONSORS!:** 💗LITTLE SPOON meal/snack delivery for kids ages 0-12! Save 30% with code MOTHERRUNNER. Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs. - www.themotherrunners.com - Instagram: @themotherrunners - YouTube: The Mother Runners - whitney@themotherrunners.com