Arrived in Africa

On the ground

Espn Radio Sunday morning 8:30 am to 10:10 am 104.9

I will be on Espn Radio Outdoors this morning from 8:30 am to 10:00 am to talk about the Marathon des Sables, Shelter box and Rotary International. You can listen live on their webcast at www.espnaustin.com 


Cheers Tim

Walk/Run with Tim.

I would like to thank my family, friends and sponsors for all the help you have given me over the last 5 months.  Today the scales showed 179lbs it has been a fun journey from 204.5lbs!  I feel fit and ready to go both physically and more important mentally.

I hope that I do not let my causes down and cross the finish lines with arms held up triumphantly for everyone involved!  My two causes are Rotary International and ShelterBox Usa both are great organizations that do some incredible things on a global level. 


A special thanks to my friend Robert Leonard who will be running this blog while I am out in the Saharan Desert.  He also created a Facebook fun fundraising page called "Walk with Tim" the money raised will go to the Lakeway/Lake Travis Rotary club then on to Shelterbox Usa and the Lakeway/Lake Travis Rotary Foundation. Here is the link again Walk with Tim the goal is to raise at least enough money for one shelterbox.


At a minimum I want you to "get out there".
Get/stay fit you deserve it and your children will be thankful when you live to be old.

Cheers Tim

ESPN Radio 104.9 Sunday Morning

"FIRE IN THE GUT"

Game Face

I will be on 104.9 The Horn ESPN Radio Sunday the 28th from 9am to 10am. Please listen in if you can.
http://www.espnaustin.com/ has a live webcast.

The shirt I am wearing in the photo above is made from a special Bamboo fiber and was provided for my effort along with several other shirts by one of my sponsors"Fire in the Gut" Performance Clothing.
www.fireinthegut.com

A special thanks to those that have told me they have made a donation to Shelterbox Usa through their link. It is easy way to give to folks that are in Haiti, Chile or some other area that has had people dislocated either through a natural or man made disaster.

Cheers Tim

www.shelterboxusa.org

Shelter Box Usa and Rotary International awareness are my causes.

Today I am in Dallas with Melinda at a Rotary Training Event pictured with me are Alan Monroe and Martin Postma of ShelterBox USA. Behind us is one of the kits that ShelterBox sends to disaster areas.

One of my missions on this journey through the sands of the Sahara is to raise awareness for the organization Shelter Box Usa and Rotary International.  These two great organizations often work together when disaster hits. It is my goal to help promote and work to help these two organizations to achieve some of their noble goals.

Rotary International is one of the world's largest chairtable organizations working on things ranging from ending Polio globally to providing local projects for the betterment of communities.

Shelter Box Usa responds instantly to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are in need. Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and basic supplies.

To find out more about these organizations click on the links below and please support their worthy causes.

Shelter Box USA

Rotary International

Post Race Sponsor Oyster Creek Ice House

http://www.myspace.com/oystercreekicehouse

 I am proud to announce that Oyster Creek Ice House has agreed to be a post race beer sponsor! This is a critical motivational sponsorship! There will be a time during while I am racing across the desert in 120 degree heat that I will be thinking it is 5 o'clock somewhere. I will say to myself is that a mirage or is it the Oyster Creek Ice House with a cold beer dripping sweat off of its sides; no it its just a darn camel keep moving must finish now. Run if you can, walk if you must, crawl if you have to but never quit until the cold beer is in your hand. I look forward to using this sponsorship to its fullest! THANKS TIM AND THE FINE FOLKS AT THE OYSTER CREEK ICE HOUSE!

The Heat is on 15 days to go!!

Currently up in Idaho at a not so top secret training facility. The temperature is 28 degrees but the air is thin. Basically I am just doing ski run after ski run after ski run. The legs and lungs feel great to the point I forget we are at 9000 feet. Yesterday morning there was about 10" of fresh powder. Deep enough for some chest shots but not quite face shots. I got up early and was able to get in several runs in before it got all cut up. Time to get back out and get the burn in the legs going again. Then some heat time in the sauna. Next week it will be full kit time as in with all the actual stuff I will be taking in the pack across the Sahara. That is instead of weight and stuff. I am getting very excited about facing this race head on in just a couple of weeks!

Cheers Tim

Recovery Drink Sponsorship

Today I am proud to announce that Austin's own brand new Sweet Tea infused Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka has become a sponsor. I can not wait to cross the finish line and enjoy this unbeliveably refreshing drink. I can only imagine how wonderful this is going to taste after a week of eating sand!! Thanks to Gary Crowell for providing this sponsorship.

EKG and Thanks.

"CROC"

Today was a great day as I got my EKG and physical out of the way. My heart rate this morning was 42. By the time I got to the doctor and finished doing all the other test. (NO GLOVE thank you very much) Then came the EKQ and it showed a 52 BPM the Doc's only question was is if I was taking any heart medication to make it that slow. Which I am not so that is good thing all systems go on the cardio side.

Also special thanks to Steve Dailey AKA "Croc" with http://www.primefocuscoaching.com/ and founder of http://www.achievementbridge.com/ he has been helping me with pre-race mental preparation and in-race techniques/tips. One thing the "Croc" knows for sure is how to prepare you to perform at your peak level.

Peace Out
I hope you enjoy this story as it plays out.
Marathon des Sables Diary

More prep and sand gaiters

It sounds simple just throw the pack on an run 150 miles across the Sahara desert. Only problem is there seems to be a dozen details to tend to as we have to be self sufficent for a whole week. One of the keys is a pair of Sand gaiters (sexy numbers shown above) have to be stitched on to the shoes otherwise sand gets into your shoes and after a few miles your feet are mangled. Apparently the sand heats up to 140 degrees and plus the abrasion factor of it can make for a bad thing. So I took my shoes to the Austin Shoe Hospital for the fitting. I told "Joe" the Manager my story and what needed to be done.  5 minutes latter he finally stopped laughing at me and he agreed to sew the velcro strip on to my Brooks Cascadia trail shoes. I told him these gaiters were going to be the fashion rage and people were going to be lining up in mass. He just kept laughing and told me I was crazy. I seem to get a lot of that lately. Next week I get a medical check out and EKG. Next thing I know they will be asking for blood. Oh I forgot they already did that. My diary will continue

Peace Out
 Tim