168. Grace Gonzales of Angel City Elite On Running As Moving Meditation, Culture and Career

Grace Gonzales is a professional distance runner, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials finisher, and member of Angel City Elite, the women's distance running team based out of Los Angeles, on a mission to increase BIPOC representation in the running community. Angel City Elite was officially founded in 2021 in affiliation with Brooks Running.  Having run her first marathon in fourth grade, Grace is truly an expert at the sport. On this episode of Marni on the Move, Grace and I chat about growing up in a family passionate about running, the importance of the running in her culture as an indigenous person, and how she uses the sport as a moving meditation. We also sync up about her quick pivot, transitioning her training from marathons to track events during the COVID-19 pandemic, what it’s like working with Angel City Elite, and how she’s inspiring more people from diverse backgrounds to embrace running and fitness. We also connect about our shared passion for yoga, and sync up about the similarities between running and yoga. Grace talks about how she uses the mindfulness practices she teaches as a yoga instructor to improve her mental game on the run.