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!
Congratulations, Justin! What an inspiration! Praise God for sustaining and protecting you!
Congratulations Justin! What a birthday memory and what a run. Running can be a wonderful encounter with our Creator as it seems yours was It can also be a great way to experience the limitations God places on our lives. Very humbling. Come east and can run a marathon!
Excellent choice of shoes – Nike Air Pegasus. I love those shoes…best pair of running shoes I’ve ever owned…I just purchased my second pair after wearing out my first pair recently.
Congrats. I have run 6 marathons. I haven’t run a race in the while. You inspired me.
Great Job! Food tastes so much better after a run like that eh?
Great time too. If you’re serious about doing some area races you should run the Big Sur/Monterey Bay half marathon in November. It’s a beautiful race and lots of fun. If I did one race a year, it would be that one. In fact I use one of my few vacation Sundays to do it.
congrats!! what a great way to bring in the 30′s.
Justin such an epic run! I have driven the road out to Halfmoon bay and I was thinking of that when I read your first post about this. It must have been such an awesome experience, especially swimming in the pacific at the end!
