Running on Faith

My name is Tisha, I’m 35, and I want to run…more info available later

Short and to the point.

We are still working on the bio for Weesie. Right now we are trying to decide if we should discuss her varied and colorful past or not. It is a touchy subject, so stay tuned.

I was never a runner.  In fact, I hated running.  In 2001, I started running because Tim was running.  And that year I did my first race ever, the “Fat Boy 5K”.  It was such a wonderful experience that I quit running after that.

It took a while, but about 5 years ago I started running again thanks to a group of women at the YMCA.  I entered a few 5K’s and actually had fun.  Of course by now, Tim had started doing triathlons and that became a possibility.

After some pestering by my friend, Susan Hayden, I signed up for the 2007 RocketChix triathlon.  I had to learn how to swim laps….a lot of laps.  And it was not pleasant at all.  I also bought I bike and discovered I love to ride.  I finished the RocketChix triathlon and wound up racing in a few more sprint triathlons.

Along the way I continued to run and ride my bike including rides up to 62 miles.  And I also supported Tim in his fundraising for his various charities.  And that is when I decided I wanted to do that.

I signed up for the 2008 St. Jude Marathon and started the team, Running on Faith, to raise money for St. Jude.  And all year long, I was quite literally running on the faith that God would get me through the training and the race.  Only a few weeks before the race, my knee began hurting.  It took a lot of prayers to finish the training and the race….and they worked.  I finished knowing that I had made a difference in a child’s life by being a Hero and raising money.

After that, I went on to complete the Half Ironman Triathlon(1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in New Orleans this past April.  This was my first open water swim and first race that long.  It was tough, but I did it!

Through all the training and racing I learned very fast that I cannot do this on my own.  God is with me every step of the way.  He has given me the strength and fight to keep moving forward with the tough training, two teenagers, a husband and a job.  He has also given the children at St. Jude the strength and fight to not give up the hope that one day they will be healed.

My name is Marci (aka Flash) and here is my story. When I first started running, my kids were too young to leave alone so Paul (Mr Xctmnt) and I ran up and down our gravel driveway. There were some evenings where we ran for almost two miles…in the driveway. My first 5K was the Mocker Beverage Run in 2003 and to this day, it has been my fastest time (I was scared to death). I’ve run dozens of 5Ks, a few 10Ks and a couple of half marathons in the years since then. My first triathlon was a Groovy Girl Tri in Alexandria and I’ve gone on to participate in a dozen sprint triathlons around the state. I’m not very good at it but I enjoy it and I do it because I can.

Why do I run? I run because my mom thinks it’s neat, my father in law always tells me how good I look when I run by their house and because I love to eat Big Macs, pizza and dark chocolate. I run because I want to set a good example for my boys and I know a lot of women my age (and younger) who think they can’t run and they won’t even try. I run because it’s something I can share with my husband and on those week-end morning runs when our paths cross on Old Settlement Road, we always meet in the middle of the road and give each other a high five.

Committing myself to training for and completing a full marathon will be my greatest personal challenge and I’ll do it the year I turn 40 (isn’t that cool?!). I chose this marathon because I’ll be running with greater purpose and because I know my Running on Faith teammates will give me encouragement I need to get through the next 7 months.

Who is Mr. Xctmnt? This is an excellent question and one I have been trying to figure out for quite a while. This is what I have gathered so for; I am a 40 year old father of two and the husband to Marci (Flash). I am the youngest son to two wonderful and supportive parents. The Lord has blessed Marci and I with two beautiful boys, now young men or so they think. Our oldest, Blake, starts high school in the fall and Camren, our youngest will be in the 7th grade. Marci is the woman of my dreams. We have been together for just over 20 years and 19 of them have been wonderful.

Now about me: I have been running on and off since high school just to stay in shape. Aside from the Great River Road runs in the early 80’s I never really considered running organized events until Marci started talking about running the Corporate Cup in 2003. That started our family running. Since that time I have run in many 5’K’s, 10K’s, and a couple of half Marathons. I have even had the pleasure of running the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans with one of my sons, my wife, my dad and my brother. It was one of my prouder moments, knowing that we were all doing it.

Over the last few years my main focus has been on Triathlons. I have mainly competed in sprint triathlons but early this year, I competed with Marci, Christine, Tim and a lot of other BRTri members in the Half-Ironman New Orleans. My finish was not what I had hoped or trained for but I had a blast. I had two goals when I started, one was not to drown and the second was just to finish. Sorry Bob. Now it is time for bigger and better things. Running for a Reason.

St Jude

After keeping up with Christine and Tim’s adventure to Memphis for the St Jude Marathon last year, I was thinking then that it would be cool if Marci and I could do something like that. So when they asked us to join their team, we jumped at the chance. Now the real work starts, trying to figure out how to run 26.2 miles and raise some money for an outstanding cause.

So back to the original question. Who is Mr. Xctmnt?

I don’t have a clue!

Where do I start? I never, ever wanted to run at football or basketball practice, let alone run a 5k or a half marathon. I can honestly say the only thing I would run for is to make it to happy hour before it was over.

About six years ago I had knee surgery and was told not to do any type of sports activity because a knee replacement was in store for me soon after. After a few months of inactivity, I decided to start walking to help get some weight off. It seemed to be working, which was more than fine with me.

Then my good friend Tim asked me to be his pit crew at the Rouge Roubaix bike race and then take a trip to see him participate in the Holy Toledo Triathlon. Watching him compete in the rain was pretty amazing but not as amazing as the leaks in our tents from the monsoon the night before the event. We all ended up sleeping in our vehicles! But even with all the craziness I had this urge to start competing again.

Little by little I began adding some running to my walking and really started to enjoy running. Then I ran the Jingle Bell Jog and the Oktoberfest 5k, which I do admit I enter only for the beer and sausage. Afterwards I told Tim I had this idea to enter a half marathon in Memphis, TN. Never mind the fact I had very little time to prepare because I had learned from Mr. Youroutofyourmind himself. So there I was in Memphis running my first half marathon and I was determined to finish. I did ok except for the cramps in my calves which hit at mile number ten. I finished thanks to a couple of other runners who helped me the last three miles.

It was during this race that I realized why Tim does all those crazy things while raising money for very worthy causes. I knew I would be back the following year and I was – as part of team Running On Faith. St Jude has found a special place in my heart and I will continue to participate and raise money for as long as possible. I am even thinking about the full marathon before I turn fifty as it will be another challenge that I know I can do.

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.