No Off-Season Episode 8 | Blake Leeper | Running For His Life

TRAINED

Nike

Sleep, Mental Health, Training, Diet, Nike Podcast, Movement, Workout, Nutrition, Exercise, Recovery, By Nike, Running, Health & Fitness, Trained, Health, Fitness, Eating, Nike

4.7 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sprinter and two-time Paralympic medalist, Blake Leeper shares a story of perseverance, survival, and speed as he learns to navigate a life without legs, a bout with substance abuse and a legal battle that would force him to learn to run all over again. As Blake prepares to return to the world stage, he explains why his mental health toolkit, painstakingly developed over a number of years, is more important to him than ever.

Transcript

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0:00.0	That's a black man in East Tennessee.
0:12.6	You don't go to therapy.
0:13.8	You don't talk about your feelings.
0:15.3	You try to hide that and you gotta be strong.
0:18.9	But the moment when I realize it's being strong, it's being vulnerable.
0:23.6	Right?
0:24.6	Being strong is showing your emotions.
0:26.8	Being strong is sitting in the session and crying and getting all those emotions out.
0:31.8	Once I started doing that and started diving into the roots, that's when I truly started
0:36.7	loving myself.
0:40.0	That is Blake Leeper, a sprinter and two-time prayer-lumping medalist.
0:44.3	I'm Natalia Diane.
0:46.3	From birth, Blake Leeper has been battling and overcoming one obstacle after the next.
0:51.9	He was born with febular hemomilia, meaning his legs did not develop in the womb.
0:56.5	Doctors told his parents he will never be able to walk.
0:59.8	But Blake had other plans, pursuing sport, first to fit in and eventually to stand in the
1:05.1	spotlight.
1:06.1	While I'm a quest to become one of the fastest men in the world, Blake's struggle with
1:10.6	a pressure and turned to substance abuse.
1:13.6	As a result, he endured a two-year suspension from competing.
1:18.0	When Blake returned to competition, racing against able-bodied athletes, he was told his
1:22.9	running blades gave him a competitive advantage.
	...

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