WEBVTT

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Um .

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I grew up in rural Wisconsin like , you

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know , when you're growing up and you

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can just tell that you're you're just a

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little bit different from everybody I

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started running mostly in college ,

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mostly as like a coping thing when I

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would run for stress relief or when I

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was upset about something , I didn't

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have a watch on . I would just go and I

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would try to clear my mind . I

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sometimes have headphones in and just

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listen to like just whatever was

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fitting the mood at the time . Time and

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I would just go and when I was in like

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one of my more advanced chemistry

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courses I met someone who was going

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through the ROTC program and she just

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told me to check it out and I was kind

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of hooked ever since I started with the

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National Guard mostly so I could finish

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my degree . I loved being part of the

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National Guard like I really liked my

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unit there . I really liked the people ,

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but like my civilian . Job it was it

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wasn't the same kind of people it was

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it was very much like going through

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school again where it just like I don't

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quite fit in . I decided to make the

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switch to go active duty . The army was

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an instant family for me . I started

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running a lot more starting in 2020 .

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It started to become more something

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that I just really loved and enjoyed .

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The army has always been like very

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supportive of me . Wanting to achieve

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like higher fitness goals , the thing

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I'm most grateful for is just everyone

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that's believed in me and supported me .

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The people are everything . The people

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really make this job . I've been doing

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this for 12 years and I've never once

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felt like I didn't have people that I

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could depend on or people that wouldn't

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support me . Hold on to the things that

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give you any small amount of joy and

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pursue those things .