Leah Braun- Mindful of Movement

Recipe testing. Tried this one from
Anti-Inflammatory Chocolate milk. Next up: cookies!!
📸: Ellie

My little buddy greeted me at the end of my run. Life is good ❤️ I ran today and will again tomorrow. I’ll be with you and if you need a virtual running buddy reach out! I

Listening to Whitney Houston remake of Higher Love reflecting about Ahmaud Arbery. His murder has weighed heavily on my heart. Sad, brutal, horrific things occur daily. We don’t hear about them.
So how can we contribute to stopping this nonsense? We all aren’t going to be activists of change. What ACTION can we take to show we don’t stand for this? For me, this ACTION will be how I chose to show up for our daughter. Leading by example, answering hard questions, talking and listening. Instilling the importance of not judging others for their appearance while embracing others for their differences. Sometimes making a change in this world doesn’t need to be marching the streets or protesting. So today, instead of sitting in hate, fear, or blame think about you how you can take ACTION. I too am sad and hurting for a family I never met. The sleepless nights and realization that your son is never coming home. Feel it, embrace it but take action.

Just finished a 2.23 mi run in honor of Ahmaud Arbery He never finished his run but we will. Whether you call yourself a runner or not let’s do this together. 🙏

This post is inspired by a champion for using his platform to speak up to inspire so many.

“Influence needs to start with the truth. I would rather be criticized for what I truly am than celebrated for what I’m not.”

I set a goal to run a half marathon today. The thought of not doing it ran through my mind several times before leaving the house. Who can relate?
The last 6 miles or so were mind over matter. My knee was hurting and then my calf. It was ugly especially with so long to go. I tried focusing on the music, my breathing, my alignment- anything other than my darn knee! If anyone saw me on wobbling now you know why 😂 @ Murrieta, California

Smile! You woke up this morning!

Shout out to all the runners still out there with their faces covered. I’ll tell you what, it wasn’t easy. I definitely did not keep my face covered the entire 16 miles but I did work on my circular breathing that’s for sure. Doing this long run meant so much more to me than just logging miles. I’ve wanted to get to this point in training for so long. I’ve seen others post their 16 milers and thought, wow someday I’ll do that!
During this time (because I had lots of it) I didn’t have to worry about using a restroom because of the help of my pelvic floor physical therapist .pabs YES, that is a thing!! How many of you ladies out there fear having to p*e on your runs or even being unable to hold it? If you tell yourself that “just because you’ve had a baby that it’s normal” there’s help out there so you too can run 3 hours straight. @ Murrieta, California

I completed my longest run today. It was hard. I texted my husband at mile 12 that I’m over it. He said, why would you quit now? Good question. Many of us (runners or not) are no longer training for races or marathons. So what’s the point moving forward in a training program that you’ve been following? Going through this process of training for a marathon hasn’t always been easy. I don’t wake up always wanting to run on the treadmill or strength training, stretching, rolling out, eating the right foods, drinking all the water. No. I don’t always WANT to do all those things but I do them anyway. For years, I allowed excuses to dictate my actions. Perhaps that’s you right now? What’s one thing you can be consistent about daily that is healthy and moves you towards a bigger goal? @ Murrieta, California

The weekend was filled with a few of my favorite things. I got a great dose of vitamin d ☀️ baked with my girl and did some yard work with Chad. I also got a nap in on Saturday 🤫 (definitely love that). How was your weekend?

Tito clearly did not want to be in my picture today. Took the ol’ guy for a quick walk today. He doesn’t have the energy like he used to that’s for sure. I used to be able to run with him and it was nice because he would push me to go faster but not these days. We sometimes put him on the treadmill (slowly) just to get him moving, he loves it.