Carolyn Gilpin

Age: 32

Lifestyle: Works for the Department of Health Promotion and Protection in Halifax.  A recreational runner who enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.   

Goal: To complete her first full marathon

• January 20, 2008
  My Name is Carolyn Gilpin. I am 32 years old and work for the Department of Health Promotion and Protection in Halifax. I have been a "recreational runner" for a few years now, usually spending my time running around the HRM with my jogging partner and dog, Morgan. Although I have enjoyed running on a regular basis, I had never run long distances until last year when I completed the Volkswagen Half Marathon. It was such a positive and inspiring experience that I have committed to completing the Scotiabank Full Marathon at this years event. This will be a major challenge for me and I will certainly be pushing my limits, both physically and mentally. It has been a very interesting couple of years for me and at this time in my journey called life, I couldn't think of a better challenge to take on. Wish me luck! Cheers, Carolyn
• January 25, 2008
  Tonight I start my official training schedule and unfortunately it is the middle of week 1. I have been off due to a bad head cold. It's been a bit of a set back before I even get going! I am still a bit congested, but I think I need to get to work ASAP. So here I go.......... I have met with my Personal Trainer at the YMCA, Allison Bleaker. She has incorporated weight training into my schedule. I will need to hit the weights 3 X week in order to develop my lower body strength. She also has me doing core strength training exercises with the stability ball which are KILLER! OUCH! I thought I was going to throw up! A 30 second hold feels like an hour. This weight training should help my endurance for the longer runs and help prevent injury to my joints. Right now after a couple of weight training sessions, I have mild muscle soreness in my lower body which is normal. Nothing too extreme. The only concern I have right now is shin splints. I seem to have a bit of an issue with this - even now I can feel tiny sharp pains in the front of my lower right leg, and I'm sitting at my desk. When I was running on Saturday I could feel a bit of discomfort after about 30 minutes. From what I have been told, proper stretching will help. This has been something I have been rather ignorant about and I am happy I have been given a structured stretching routine for both before and afer my workouts/runs. This is essential. I have made several adjustments to my diet, on advice from Life Style coach, Fred Alyward. I have increased my water intake and cut out the diet soda. Hey.....what's wrong with 5 cans of Diet Pepsi a day? So what if I eat 3 X what I should in sodium? LOL But seriously, Fred gave me some really good insight. I have also made other enhancements such as eating the right carbohydrates and right sizing my protein. This is great timing since I very much overindulged over Christmas and just kept on going. I didn't stop on Boxing day. I kept on going with the food party until Jan 15th. My next session with Fred will be a run where he will help me listen to what my body is telling me, and train accordingly. It's about finding balance. This will allow me to make educated training decisions as I move forward. Having such an experienced runner as a Lifestyle Coach is an extreme plus. Its only week one and I have already learned a lot.
• February 03, 2008
  This week was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The positive- my run endurance has increased. The strength training program/stretching Allison put me on has helped tremendously. I also haven't had any problems with shin splints. However, at the beginning of the week my right knee was killing me! I think it was the result of running on the treadmill on an significant incline for over an hour. I prefer outdoor running but the weather was too icy to get outside. A friend told me that it may be something called Iliotibial Band Syndrome, when the band that runs down your leg to your knee (used to stabilize ) is overworked and becomes inflamed due to rubbing on the bone. That sounds pleasant. I made sure I used lots of ice and gave it a bit of a rest. The official launch for the Bluenose Team Myles was Wednesday night at the Delta Halifax. It was a great event. ! I met some really great people and compared training stories. The food was fantastic. Chef Doucet did an excellent job. My Thursday run with Fred Alyward was very good. He put a heart monitor on me and gave an excellent lesson on efficiency and proper conditioning. I was so impressed, I went out and purchased one for myself. I used my new heart monitor on my run Sunday, about 11.5 KM, and I managed to keep better control over my heart rate, which enabled me to conserve energy and complete my route in excellent time. Last week started out with a bit of a kink, but ended on a very high note. I am so pleased! I am a bit stiff this morning, but not too bad. I think my fatigue is more a result of staying up to watch the Superbowl.
• February 10, 2008
  Week three started out well but went off the rails towards the end. Over the weekend I was feeling a bit under the weather so I could only manage to do a small run on Sunday. A good run, but a much smaller one that I was scheduled to do. There are some things essential to my training that I lost sight of so I need to get back on the horse. One big thing I am learning is that I cant over tax my body, like staying up too late for a few nights in a row, and expect to perform well out on the road. Week 4 I will make sure I am getting plenty of rest and getting enough water.
• February 14, 2008
  Its Feb 14th and we had our shoe fitting with Jeff from New Balance last night. I was fitted into a shoe one size bigger than I usually take. It feels a bit weird, but I will trust what the professionals say and give it a try. Clearly I wasn't in the right shoe - yesterday I had an appointment with my physiotherapist to help me not only with my neck resulting from a previous injury, but with some painful shin splints. He did acupuncture and it was painfully fantastic if that makes any sense. He knows what he's doing because as of yesterday....no more pain. Anyway- Happy Valentines day everyone. I think I'll celebrate by going on a super long run with my new footwear. Feb 17th - I used the new skis, I mean sneakers on my weekend run. I thought they would be way to big, but to my surprise, they were great. No pain and less strain on my legs. What a difference. Thank you Jeff from New Balance. Another bonus is I fit back into the pants I had to sadly put away during my "eat everything in sight" mood in December. Next next week I have longer distances in front of me. The challenge is trying to fit all of this in my schedule. I find if I work out after 7:00 pm, it's like someone shot me with 1000mg of caffeine. I stare at the walls all night. Work has been busy so its difficult for me to get out there during the day. I'll see if I can better manage my time next week.
• February 24, 2008
  I had a pretty good training week but I am out of commission today. I tried to go on my scheduled 9 mile run and I ended up having to stop due to severe pain in my hip. It felt like a nerve was being pinched. I hobbled to the nearest store and had to get picked up. I hope it gets better soon. I am disappointed that I couldnt do my run today.
• March 01, 2008
  I wish they would change my profile picture. I look like I'm about to pass out. Actually, I think I WAS about to pass out when that was taken.....during my fight with the flu. I was hoping for minimal setbacks due to the slow start but unfortunately, I had to take most of this week off. Turns out I had injured my lower back/hip joint. It felt like my nerve was being pinched off when I took a step. My physiotherapist did wonders- he gave it a good snap and it has been getting better ever since. I believe it was the result on an extended run on the treadmill the previous Friday. Those machines really dont work well for me and I have vowed to only use them for 3 miles or less. Rain, sleet, snow - I have to get outside. On Friday I managed to get out for a 5 mile run and today I did 6.5. A bit shorter that what I had scheduled, but I have to scale back while I try and heal this thing. The run today was brutal! Snow slamming into my face with extremely high winds practically knocking me over. But it was worth it. Chow for now. C
• March 09, 2008
  I would like to start off this weeks blog with a big thank you to the person who sent through the very kind and encouraging email. It really gave me that extra push I needed on Saturday to complete my 20KM run. As I looked out my window that rainy cool morning, it couldnt have come at a better time. Your support is much appreciated. So this week I was still dealing with pain in my lower back/hip but slowly it is getting better, which is a big relief. On Friday my physiotherapist caught me off guard and gave it a good pop which scared the heck out of me (it was an audible cracking sound). I think I in turn gave him a bit of a scare when I grabbed him as a result. But we had a good laugh about it (its a good thing he is so good natured) and it completely fixed me up. Today I feel only mild stiffness, which is to be expected after yesterday. I am pleased.
• March 16, 2008
  5 things I learned this week: #5 Always bring water with you. It is never nice to knock on a random strangers door and ask for a glass of water. #4 Do not wear cotton clothing on a run when it is raining. #3 Do remember that in Halifax the temp can change from +5 to -10 in a matter of min. Not fun when you are 1 hour into your run wearing wet cotton clothing. #2 Always run facing traffic or you may end up in a ditch. Some drivers think it is humorous to drive 100KM/HR an inch away from you. Oh you jokers! #1 You may get an excellent run in but you also may end up in the fetal position for a few days with an acute respiratory infection. I'm back on the horse again. My hip/back is pain free and I feel pretty good. I went out and purchased rain gear and a water belt. I am ready for another week of training. May 18th is getting closer........
• March 31, 2008
  The past two weeks have been great. I have had very little trouble with my injuries so I am hoping that these issues are gone for good. The week I was sick threw my training off quite a bit, but I worked hard and I am back on track. Yesterday I did my 21.5 KM run and it went very well, other than the weather that is- it started off as a slight flurry and turned into hard pellets coupled with very strong winds blowing into me, which was difficult. I think at times I was running and not actually going anywhere. But I powered through and completed the route in good time. This morning I am very pleased to say that I am not sore at all. This is a major milestone for me. My knees are a bit stiff when I go down stairs, but other than that I feel just fine. The only issue I wonder about is the night after a long run -I have trouble sleeping? Is it just me? I toss and turn quite a bit and my room feels like its 100 degrees. I always complete my longer runs mid afternoon so it?s pretty early in the day to be disturbing my rest, or so I thought. Someone wished my luck today. Actually they said??good luck and I hope you make it out alive!? Hey, me too LOL!
• April 07, 2008
  I completed my 26.5 KM run on Saturday. For the first 18KM I felt great. After about 20KM I hit the ?wall? and everything started to hurt. It took every bit of mental strength to get me through that last 6 K. As I rounded the corner to my destination, I thought to myself ?how the BLEEP am I going to do 42.2?!!!? Today I am sore. My quadriceps feel like steel plates in my leg, which made walking down the long steeped hill to work this morning a challenge. Getting off the bus was a challenge. Sitting is a challenge. Oh boy. But I am happy with my progress so far.
• April 21, 2008
  I cant believe how fast time is passing. Less than one month. I completed my 29.5 KM run on Saturday. It was very tough, but I can see how I am stronger and my recovery time is much less. Today I am not stiff or sore at all. Not to say the run wasn't extremely hard. It was. At about the 25th KM, I started to feel the pain. My body was screaming NO!!!!!STOP!!!!!! But I did it and survived another long journey. HOWEVER, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around completing 42 KM! Maybe I just wont think about that......today.
• May 19, 2008
  I finished! In 4 hours and 57 min. Everything went well except for the fact that 10 min into the run I realized that I forgot my computer chip intended to record me along the way. But I just kept going anyway. Not trying to break any records- just finish standing strong. My last two weeks of training were a bit off so I was very worried??...which resulted in 1 hour of sleep the night before. But I got my butt out there and did it. This marathon was the most challenging thing I have ever done and also the most rewarding. I am so happy to have done this. When I saw the faces of my family and friends at the finish line, all the blood (yes, I injured my foot along the way), sweat and tears were worth it. Since it was such a great experience , I have signed up for another Marathon in the Fall. I think I am addicted now! Thank you to everyone who encouraged and supported me along the way. I couldn?t have done it without you. I feel like a bag of hammers so I?m going to go lay down. See ya next year! Cheers Carolyn