Note from the Badass CEO: Today let's give a Hooah! and a fist bump to Badass Turner, our guest blogger who just finished his first 5k in years as part of his goal of being more Badass than ever when his 30th birthday rolls around next year. I'll let him tell you all about it, and check out his challenge to all of you below:
No matter how high you aim, two things will guarantee success: Friends and family.
When I embarked on this "360 to 30" journey almost two months ago, I knew I wasn’t going to be going it alone. I knew that my friends and family were going to be by my side - pushing me, pulling me, supporting me along the way. Last month I posted my seven goals for the 360 days leading up to my 30th birthday, and the wave of support from everyone was great.
This month I want to give a shout-out to one person who has helped me with Goal 6 (Shut up and Run). When my friend Jessica read the blog, she immediately sent me a message that boiled down to “I am running a 5k on this day; you are running it as well. Period.”
No excuses, right? The hard part was figuring out how to transition from not running at all for the past four-plus years, to running 3 miles with the goal of not stopping. Fortunately, the Internet really is a wonderful thing. For those out there trying to get back into shape with a solid plan, there is a world of knowledge out there (that is, if you can’t get a hold of the Badass CEO to give you information). I was able to find a good running plan and was able to “somewhat” stick with it, along with a mix of cross training. I went in with a goal of staying under 8 minutes per mile.
The result was a completed 5K in 24:44 which translates to 7 minutes and 55 second per mile. Goal ACCOMPLISHED!
As I was getting my body used to running again, I remembered what I had missed about it: Running was my therapy. Some people do yoga, some people read, I used to run. Even my wife reminded me of the days when I would leave the house just to go run and clear my mind. No distance goal, no time goal. I ran to clear my mind.
So immediately after I finished the 5k with Jessica, I did the only logical thing: I went online and looked for a marathon. I have said that I will do the Marine Corps next year, and that’s still going to happen. But why wait? Jacksonville, I will see you in December and my goal is to beat Will Ferrell!
Earlier this month, I also got to join 17 others to become a Certified Real Ryder Instructor. I was very nervous, just ask the Badass CEO! You have no idea how many times I messaged her asking “Do you think I am ready for this?” My fear was that not only would I not be able to make it through the training, but that when it came to it, I wouldn’t be able to actually teach. She assured me that I was ready, and of course, she was right. A few weeks later, I must say that NOTHING beats the feeling of developing a class plan, executing it perfectly, seeing a class full of hard-working students sweating it out with a look that says: That was Badass!
I am used to coaching, teaching and training people. I have been doing it since I was 14 years old coaching Little League basketball in high school. But wiht cycling, the feedback is different. These people paid to take a class, paid for a workout, and I gave it to them and they were happy. It reminded me of the importance of people like Shannon and Kim at Sweat Therapy. They aren’t there for themselves: they are there for us, for their students.
I think sometimes we forget that, and while I may joke about needing to call in an exorcist for Shannon and her Bosu Madness sometimes, I still come back for more - along with many other students.
So with this week’s blog, I encourage you all to find that happy place. Not every activity is going to be for you. That's OK. If you aren’t enjoying it, look for something different. Fitness is supposed to be fun. When you are done with a workout, you should feel refreshed -- like you can take on anything and anyone.