So, you may be wondering why I am calling myself Buster Martin all of a sudden. If that's the case, I'll try to explain myself here. If I'm dead wrong, and you couldn't care less, then click here to read something that might be more interesting to you.
I first heard about the real Buster Martin back on March 5, 2008, when Yahoo! ran an article on him. The article talked about how he "aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette." It also went on to mention how he had just completed a half marathon in slightly over 5 hours. To say I was amazed by all this would be an understatement of epic proportions.
Here I sat, a 27-year-old male in average shape and of an average fitness level, who complained about having normal, small aches and pains, and staring me in the face was the story of a 101-year-old man gearing up to run a marathon. I've never ran a marathon. I've never ran a half a marathon. I'd be happy to run about 2 miles right now. I was 27 and wondering if my body would hold out long enough to do the activities that I really want to do throughout my life...and here was this man with what seemed to be super human powers.
He became my inspiration.
I love the outdoors. Anyone who knows me even somewhat should know that. To be more specific, one of my favorite things to do is hike, and more recently, backpack. When one hikes or backpacks, it's tradition to pick out a "trail name"...or a name you'll go by when out hiking. Generally speaking, those that use a trail name try to pick out something that has some significance to them.
I've been struggling with my trail name for quite some time, and I was getting discouraged because I wanted to have one picked out before my hikes in the '08 hiking season. The problem was that I couldn't come up with something with enough meaning to me personally, and I wasn't getting any closer no matter how hard I tried. Then I read that Yahoo! article, and it hit me. As a personal reminder that I should try to enjoy all my days here on earth, as an inspiration to keep going on my journeys (whether it be through life's ups and downs or just those of the hike I'm on), and as a reminder that growing old can be just a state of mind, I adopted Buster Martin as my trail name.
Now, I realize that I may not live to be 101, and I even realize that every day I wake up is a bonus day...but I decided to take on his name in the hopes that whenever I hear it I will be reminded that I should always try to live life and enjoy it - instead of constantly worrying and complaining. For many, life is too short. For me, I just hope that I've lived it as well as possible and been as nice to those people I've met along the journey as I could. I may not celebrate my endeavors with a pint of beer and a cigarette, but I will do my best to celebrate in my own way.
Be happy.