I ran a 5k!!

So the title basically gives away the topic of this blog. haha

Seriously though. When I started at the gym they had me list three goals I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year. 

#1: Weigh 135lbs by December. 

#2: Leg Press 300 lbs. 

#3: Run a 5K. 

About a month after I made those goals, I accomplished #2. I actually far surpassed it: I leg pressed 360lbs! And not just once, but 20 times! Yay, go me! 

Then it was time to really start training for a 5K. I am working with a trainer at least once a week to have my rear end handed to me. Then I take what he gives me and combine it with the machines or weight routines I already know, and do those for the next week. The next Monday, we start all over again! He has me doing this thing called Tabata Training. It's where you go as hard as you can for 20 seconds, as light as you can for 10 seconds, repeat as many times as you can. This is great for lots of reasons. One is because it breaks up your cardio into manageable increments--and it seems like the time you spent flew by! 

The other is because it seriously works! haha Basically what happens is your muscles work as hard as they can for 20 seconds. Then they think they are getting a break so they rest. Then they're shocked into working super hard again. This helps build your muscles a lot faster.

I've been doing this for over 2 months now. And about a month before my 5K, I did a "practice" one on the treadmill. I was really proud that I completed it in: 45:46. Considering I had never run more than a mile before, that was awesome for me. I was also about 12lbs heavier than I am now.

So Saturday morning is the day of my race. I woke up early. Ate some oatmeal. Checked my playlist. And went. I didn't have a time I "had to finish the race by." I didn't see the point in trying to break two goals. (Goal #1 being me actually running the race.) I had an hour's worth of music on my playlist, so I guess I was hoping to finish before the playlist repeated itself. 

Well I did. I finished it in 38:10!! Talk about excited! I beat my time by 7 minutes and 36 seconds! That's incredible to me! And to think I was just ecstatic about my 45:46. haha That's when I had the brief moment of feeling a little down. I started thinking about just how out of shape I was (aka how fat I was) and how far I let myself go. It was a dark cloud.

But then I stopped myself. I wasn't going to let the past ruin my present or future. Because, if you think about it: You have to come from somewhere. You have to work for these moments of accomplishments. The saying is "Accomplish Greatness" because accomplishments can only be attained when there was a lower point from which you began. Instead of being upset at where I was, I am taking pride in where I am. I am also striving to better myself even more.

Which is why I'm wrapping this up now and heading to the gym. :)

Just Because

Remember when you were a kid and would ask your parents a question: Why can't I have another ice cream? Why do I have to go to bed NOW? Why is the sky blue?... And every time you got the same response: "Because." Ugh that was the worst. I hated that response. I was the kid who had to have all the answers all the time. (Looking back, I can see that it was probably pretty annoying. lol)

But now, I'm grown up (well, growing up at least) and I am beginning to see the reasoning behind it. 

Is "Because" ever enough of a reason to do something? Yes. Yes it is. I have a very personal case in point. I recently decided to pursue a career with the US Air Force. I have a lot of reasons why it is a good idea--which I'll explain in a bit--but it basically boils down to: Because.

Tonight I broke the news to my mom. And she cried, of course. But she also asked me what my reasons were for considering this. I had a whole list of them. They were:

1. Travel: I am finding out more and more that being stationary with no hope of ever moving forward or around is not something I am very good at. I have to know I will be visiting different areas, seeing different sights, learning different things. I have to know where I am now is not where I will be in 5, 10, 15 years down the road. I grew up complaining about how many times I moved around...but the truth is that's the life I know. That's the life I'm comfortable with. That's the life that makes sense to me. The life that makes me feel EVERYTHING! I need that future to be full of sights and sounds, tastes and textures I haven't already experienced.
2. Financials: There are a few things I have learned in all the research I have done relating to the financial aspect. The Air Force will help me with my student loans. They will offer me a place to live where-ever I'm stationed. There's not a need for a huge wardrobe. The pay is more than I am making now...and more than I can hope to make at the office I'm in now. Financially speaking this would be great opportunity for me.
3. Career path: Where I work now... I just can't see myself still there in 5 years. Not because it's a bad place or anything like that. It's more like there's no where else for me to go with the company. It's a dental office and I have no dreams of becoming a dentist or a dental hygienist or even a more expansive assistant. I do ortho assisting 1 and 1/2 days a week. The other days I am calling insurance companies, sending claims, closing insurance payments, scheduling... When I think about it, I know how lucky I am to be able to do so much. But this is all there is for me there. With the Air Force I can be proud of the work that I will be doing. It will be for a cause greater than the almighty dollar. There are opportunities to use my degree(s) again which will be nice.
4. Speaking of pride...I need something about myself to be proud of. I know the person I am now is not all I can be. I know there's something more, bigger, greater which I am supposed to look for, to do. 
5. And finally--Family Tradition. My family is very military proud. My Uncle Bill was in the ARMY. My Uncle Tom was a Marine. I just found out my Uncle Punkin was Air Force (I thought he was ARMY). My Uncle Timmy was injured during basic and so he never fulfilled his dream but he tried. My mom, my dad, and my Uncle Sam were all ARMY too. When I was in college I took Military Leadership courses, studied MWR... I knew I wanted to be involved with the military, but I assumed it would be more in the civilian aspects. Now though, I know that wouldn't be enough for me. I NEED to serve my country. I NEED to continue the family tradition of being in the military and do it in my own way. 

My baby sister made an excellent  point tonight: I was groomed to be in the military. Every choice I've made has led me to this point. Being in the military will be a lot like being a referee. The uniform. The camaraderie. The singular focus of accomplishing one goal. The brotherhood which forms when you go through those experiences together...things no one will ever understand because they weren't there. My relationships with the guys I reffed football with are some of my strongest bonds. I know being Air Force will allow me to create more bonds just as strong. I'm looking forward to it.

When anyone in the future asks me why I think it's a good idea to join, I'll have the above list to make my case. But in the end it boils down to one reason, one word: BECAUSE.

The faith I have in the military, in my potential role in it, is something that can't be explained or justified. It's like believing in God. There are definitely sound reasons to believe, there's even proof should you need it. But ultimately, there's only one word that will encompass everything you're feeling and thinking and wanting and doing. One word will let everyone know this is your choice and no one else's. One word will define all the moments in your life leading up to this better than a Faulkner novel.

BECAUSE!