Running on Faith

Yep.  This is Timbeaux….again.  I set up this website for the team.  I gave everyone a login name and password to write posts.  And I am still the only one who is writing.  Everyone hold out your hand…..SLAP!

The problem is that when something strikes me, either physically or figuratively, I usually write about it on my Timbeaux blog.  Most of the mayhem and destruction that swirls around my training and racing is over there.  So what am I going to put over here: stories of bunnies and flowers?  Not my style.  I am hoping that the rest of the team steps it up and gets things rolling over here.

And today is the perfect opportunity.  As I write, Paul, Marci and family are riding the Baton Rouge Bike Club Fall Century in St. Francisville.  Now Christine and I were supposed to ride, but we bailed because of the predicted rain and thunderstorms.  It is actually raining as I sit here.  And because we bailed, I have already been called names by not only Marci, but their two sons as well!

So Paul & Marci, here is your chance.  You can write a race report without me being able to say one thing about it (except good things).  There will be no post race after smack coming your way.  Feel free to express yourself in anyway you like.

By the way, while you are dodging lightning bolts in the rain, I am going to sit on my back porch and drink some coffee.  I hope you had a great ride!

Last year this little team of 5 misfits raised over $7000.00 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  What will our hopefully much larger team do this year?  $10,000.00?  $15,000.00?  More?  Only time will tell.

Hello All,

We are trying to get things moving with Team Running on Faith.   So far 5 of us have entered the race, and we know of at least 5 others who will.  If you have an interest in running the 5K, half-marathon or marathon in December and want to join the team then leave us a comment.

For that matter, if you have any comments on the website or ideas for the team, let us know.

We plan on making this site a focal point for our training, fundraising and of course our racing.

So check back often!

So who is Timbeaux?  For that matter, what is a Timbeaux?  In Mississippi, I think it is a restaurant.  In relation to this website, it is me.

You could probably delve deeper into my psyche by visiting my other website, www.timbeaux.com.  But for the purposes of this “Bio”, I will give you the Cliff notes version.

I was a runner for most of my childhood (after a 4 year motorcycle racing career).  I loved to run.  I ran everything from the 400 hurdles to a marathon when I was 15 years old.  It was great…..until my senior year of track when I got burnt out running in circles.  So I quit running after high school.

Fast forward 15 or so years and now I was married with children (much better looking wife and kids than the sitcom).  The first time I played with my kids in the back yard I realized I was out of shape.  And that was not good.  I tried to take up running, but I found myself comparing everything to my teenage years.  Quite frankly, my 30 something body was not living up to my 17 year old recollections.

It became a pattern of run for a while, get disgusted and quit, and then try again later.  In 2003, I tried a different tactic by venturing off into the world of triathlons.  Because I had zero experience in this area, I could not compare it to my youth.  It was virgin territory!  Every race I entered and finished was something new.

In November of 2004, I got up in the wave of enthusiasm known as the Baton Rouge Triathlon Club and entered the Ironman Florida Triathlon.  For those who don’t know, this was a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full 26.2 mile marathon….all in less than 17 hours.  I decided the only way I would do this is if I could raise money for a charity at the same time.

And that got me started with fundraising and races.  Since that time, I have completed 2 Half-Ironman races, 2 Full Ironman races, 2 marathons, a 50K (31 mile run), a 50 mile run, Rouge Roubaix (100 mile brutal bike race), and many, many shorter triathlons.  And most of them I did while raising money.

But now we have come full circle to my childhood.  In 1981, a few days after my 15th birthday, I ran the Baton Rouge Marathon in 3 hours and 26 minutes.  At the St. Jude Marathon in December, I plan on attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon which requires a time of 3 hours and 20 minutes or better.  To meet my goal of this year will mean to confront my teenage self and kick its butt.  At 43 years old, that is a daunting task.

So that is me, and this is I: husband, father, son, fundraiser, dreamer, ironman, ultramarathoner, and butt kicker of 28 year old demons.

Uh-oh!  Registration for the St. Jude Marathon is officially open.  Now I have to get this website up and running.