Born To Run
There are two types of people: those who love to run and those who don’t. For the latter group, reading Christopher McDougall’s new book, Born To Run, might turn you into someone who loves to run.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that I couldn’t put down. Skillfully written, Born to Run tells a fascinating story, provides a searching critique of American culture, and argues a compelling thesis: humans are designed to run.
If you already love to run, like I do, you’ll find yourself running more after jamming your way through this book.
Made It. Turning 30 Feels Good. Psalm 30.
FYI, for those of you wondering about the run, I made it and I had a blast.
THE START:
THE COURSE:
THE FINISH:
The run ended up totaling 15 miles. I handled the mileage much better than I’d anticipated. I ended up running the route much faster than I’d anticipated. celebrated by jumping into the ocean and swimming around for about 10 minutes under the full moon while I waited for Taylor to pick me up. Once she arrived we celebrated the run/my 30th with a date at Pasta Moon where I downed a whole large pizza, loads of bread, and a hot fudge sundae.
I have a hunch that this might just be the beginning for me and long distance runs/adventures. I really enjoy pushing my body like this.
The scariest moment in the run came when I had to hurdle a still-twitching dead deer in the bike lane on Hwy 92 that had been hit by a car probably no more than 5 minutes earlier. At that point, running in the nighttime dark along a busy highway with barely any shoulder, I realized that my yellow shirt didn’t do much in the dark and that I’d need to run wisely to avoid the same fate as the deer.
The best part of the run was my enjoyment of God. Praising him for 30 years of life, I spent much of the run meditating on Psalm 30, a Psalm that perfectly fits the season of life I’ve passed through these last 5 or 6 months and the place of healing and joy God has now brought me to:
Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.
30:1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
The Justin Buzzard 30th Birthday Half-Marathon
I’m eagerly anticipating my big 30th birthday run/half-marathon tomorrow evening. I’m planning on a 5:45pm start.
This is going to be fun. This is going to be memorable. This is going to hurt.
I’m curious whether or not I can run this far, especially given the steep inclines along the route (namely the pass over the Santa Cruz Mountains into Half Moon Bay), my emerging shin splints, my strained hamstring, the fact that 2/3rds of the route is road running which I never do because of my bad knees from my football playing days, and the fact that the farthest I’ve ever run before is only 8.5 miles. I think I can do it.
Here’s my game plan for tomorrow:
-Wear a bright yellow shirt to help ensure I don’t get hit by oncoming traffic (there’s a lot of traffic and virtually no shoulder on Hwy. 92)
-Carry a package of Shot Bloks in my pocket for added energy along the way
-Stash a water bottle or some Gatorade ahead of time in a bush or something halfway along the route so I can re-hydrate myself once during the run
-Enjoy my surroundings, praise God, and talk to God about turning 30 throughout the run
-Several times throughout the run pretend I’m Eric Liddell and say out loud: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.”
-Keep running, even when it hurts
I have two different locations that can serve as the “finish line” to my run:
- Option #1 is to run to the 7-Eleven in Half Moon Bay where I would buy a sports drink and collapse in the parking lot until my wife arrives to pick me up, tell me she’s proud of me, and drive me home. This would make for about 13.5 mile run.
- Option #2 is to run past the 7-Eleven, all the way to Francis Beach where I would jump in the ocean and collapse on the sand until my wife arrives to pick me up, tell me she’s proud of me, and drive me home with a sports drink from 7-Eleven waiting for me in the cup holder. This would make for about a 15 mile run.
We’ll see what I end up doing. The interactive map below will show you my route in more detail.
Something Happens to a Man When He Turns 30
Something happens to a man when he turns 30. Or at least something’s happening to me.
This Sunday, September 14th, I turn 30. I’ve been thinking about this date for months.
30…
30 sounds significant. When you say it, “30″ sounds a lot different than “29.” And when you write it, “30″ looks different–larger, more established, than the slim “29.” There’s a gravity to 30 that you don’t have with 27, 28, or 29.
There’s something about 30. At least for men. And not just this man. I’ve talked with several guy friends who’ve recently turned 30 and they all report the 30 threshold was a significant landmark for them. Based on these conversations and based on what I’ve been going through these last few months, my original theory was that 30 is the new 40–30 is the new “mid-life crisis” for men.
But then I talked with my dad who turned 30 nearly 30 years ago and he also reported that something happened to him as he approached 30. He told me that something about turning 30 forced him towards deep reflection, reformation even–a time of reflecting deeply on the man he had become and the man he still wanted to become… and then taking action accordingly.
This explains what’s been happening to me. Approaching 30 has driven me to:
- Reflect deeply on the man I’ve become
- Reflect deeply on the man I want to become, the man God calls me to become
- Take fresh action, by God’s grace, to become a better man
In a recent conversation my former pastor (a man in his fifties who also attests to the significance of the thirty threshold) told me that this season is a good time for me to say to myself:
“Hey, I’m 30 and I have most of my life/ministry ahead of me…What then shall I do and become?”
What then shall I do and become?
That’s what I’m still sorting out. Sorting out this question has led me to additional questions, questions I’ve been asking myself and asking those who I’m in community with to help me answer as I approach my 30th birthday in six days:
- How has God’s grace been at work in my life these first 30 years? What’s the story of my first 30 years of life? How has God worked on me, in me, and through me?
- How has God gifted me? How has God “wired” me? As I enter the next 30 years of my life how can I maximize how God has created and gifted me for his glory? What does it look like for me to not bury my “talents,” but use and multiply them?
- Where do I need to repent?
- What bad habits need to die?
- What new habits need to form?
- In what ways have I operated out of fear rather than faith? Where am I being called to step out in fresh faith?
- How can I put the gospel on greater display in my life?
- What do I love to do? What gives me joy? What’s important to me? What can I do to ensure that the urgent/less important doesn’t crowd out the important?
- What’s the single greatest daily change I could make that would help put to death the idols of control, certainty, and perfectionism that feature so prominently in my life?
- What’s the single greatest daily change I could make that would increase my enjoyment of God?
- What’s the single greatest daily change I could make that would express Ephesians 5:25 to my wife?
- As a corrective to legalism, a corrective to an unhealthy focus on “figuring out” God’s will, and as a tool for discovering and using one’s gifts for God’s glory, Augustine and Luther both urged: “Love God and do as you please.” What do I “please”?
Something happens to a man when he turns 30.
For me, turning 30 comes down to one word: change. I’m turning 30 and I want to change. I’m thankful that by God’s grace I’ve become the man I am today. And I’m thankful that by God’s future grace I’ll become the man I desperately want to become, the man God is calling me to become.
One of the ways I plan to celebrate my 30th this weekend is by running the 15 miles from my front door in San Carlos to the beach in Half Moon Bay.
Why?
Because it symbolizes change. It embodies what turning 30 is all about for me.
I’ve never done something like this before.
I’ve never run this far before.
I don’t know if I can make it.
The very idea of this run excites me and scares me.
I have some fat that needs to melt and some muscle that needs to be built that will only come by running into new territory.
I’m turning 30. I want to change. It all begins Sunday night when I start running West.
Turkey Trot: 61st Place
At 9am this morning some buddies and I ran the Turkey Trot 5K at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course, which is recognized as one of the most difficult cross country courses in the nation. Through the years many national cross country events have been held at this very challenging, hill-filled course which is just a few miles from my home.
My buddy Brian and I tied for 61st place, finishing our 3 hilly miles in 23:35 (there were about 180 people in the race). I’m glad I beat the handful of junior high girls who were a part of the race, as my worst fear was finishing behind one of them.
If you’re a runner and you’re interested in this difficult course, click the link above and scroll down to view a nice little video that shows the difficult terrain of this course, including the infamous “cardiac hill.”
PS. Happy Thanksgiving from Buzzard Blog
