13 Questions With.....

As you know, its age groupers that make up the vast majority of athletes that participate in sports so, I wanted to start something of my own called "13 Questions With....." that I'll plan to do from time to time. We can step into the life of various athletes who balance work, life, study, around training.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you 13 Questions With.....

Tim Ford!!

Tim with his very supportive wife Dez

Some of you reading this may know Tim's story however, I have been mates with this guy for quite some time now. Officially we met for the first time in June 2013 at IRONMAN Cairns 70.3 and we hit it off right away and since then have battled head to head at 3 other races; Sunshine Coast, Western Sydney and Taupo 70.3'.

We both share a very similar story; Tim lost 50 kg' though triathlon and like me once he sets his mind to something he dedicates his life to it 110%, this is proven from not only his physical change but also results with multiple podiums in the last 6-8 months his hard work is paying off.

His story is a very interesting one to follow, with his build up to the 2016 70.3 World Championships we all watch with interest after some great results the last 6 months, and with his long term goal being to hit 4:05 for a 70.3 which is the same time it took him to complete his first Olympic Distance Triathlon it is no doubt achievable with his commitment.

One thing you probably don't know about this Aussie bloke is how supportive Tim is to those who reach out to him for help/advise, as long as you are willing to put in the time then he will do the same. This is the same as a mate, as long as you are willing to show him the respect and time of day he will do anything in his power to support you when you need it the most.

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  1. So Timbo, For those who do not know how did you get started in triathlons?
"One of my good friends who had entered this crazy event called an Iron Man asked me if I would be interested in doing a triathlon. I thought yeah, why not? I want to lost weight and maybe training for an event will get me going. So he signed me up for my first triathlon, the Byron Bay Tri as my 24th birthday present."
 
2. What is it that you enjoy most about our sport?
"100% the people. I have met some absolutely amazing people and have made genuine friends who I talk to everyday now. I have met pro athletes who are more than happy to have a chat or give you a hand. I have met people who are training for their first triathlon. It is an incredibly positive sport and that is why I love it. I don’t mind the post race drinks either…"
 
3. I agree with you 100% there, it is the athletes/supporters that make it infectious huh, who or what in triathlon inspires you? "Man there are so many things about this sport that inspire me. I think it is the people who just give it a go. Triathlon is an odd sport that can suck you in. I know I am guilty of this a bit. But I love the people who aren’t racing for the podium or for a certain time. They are simply racing because they love triathlon. I was recently at Ironman Australia and when I was at the finish line I had Goosebumps watching people cross that finish line. I am also inspired by those people who do amazing things. Some of the top pros are amazeballs. Gomez, Frodo, even Cam Brown. It blows me away what they are able to do."
 
4. I am deff inspired by Frodo' attitude there are some pretty down to earth pros but. 
I know you are “nerding out” studying law and one day you will no doubt get me out of strife ;). I have never studied before so, take me into the life of a uni student. How much time is spent in lectures, studying etc. and how do you balance training/life/wifey time around it? "So I am kind of cheating a little bit by only studying 3 subjects a semester. I made this decision when I started with the knowledge that a law degree is full on. So I have 2 days a week currently where I am at uni and I spend about 12 hours a week in actual class. The biggest issue with law is the amount of reading you need to do. It is completely normal to have to do 2-4 hours of reading for each class. This can take the reading time alone into the area of about 20 hours. It is why I get a bit annoyed when people talk about all my free time. How I manage to fit everything in is by setting myself strict rules about when I do what. I try and utilise my travel time for reading. I also like to get up early but don’t like training early so I am happy to get to uni very early and spend 3 hours reading before my classes begin at 9am. I don’t do uni work on weekends and I also try and do my training while Dez is at work so we have time together. It does get a little bit hectic sometimes but with a bit of effort I make it work."
 
5. Sounds like you have a good balance and I know how supportive Dez and your family is to you so you are super lucky. Now, I read your article “Stop Calling me Skinny” I personally can relate to what you are facing and I probably didn't click until reading it that I started going to the gym so I’d "beef up". What’s your advice for anyone facing being told they are too big or too skinny? "In reality I would love to say that you should not let it bother you but I know it isn’t that easy. Instead what I try and do is not lie to myself. When I was big I was in denial. I told myself I was well built. But I knew I was overweight. Similarly now I know that I am not too skinny or too big and while it is hard. I try and tell myself that too. Another thing people can do is choose who they surround themselves with. I am a very positive person about most things and I really struggle to be around people who are very negative. The people who always have an excuse or are ready to tell you that there is something wrong with you. I have noticed that I start to distance myself from those sort of people these days. I am not saying I cut them off or anything. But I certainly make more of an effort to spend time with like-minded positive people. Choose those people you want to keep close to you. If people are too negative ask yourself whether you need that sort of person around you. But having said that make sure the people you surround yourself with are honest as well. If you are too big or too skinny to the point they are worried about you. They need to be the sort of people who would ask if you are OK."
 
6. I love it, I am a advocate to surround your self with people who bring you up rather than bring you down. Now let's pretend triathlon never existed, what would you see yourself doing to fill in the time? "Hard to say I suppose. I would like to think I would still be very active. I really like cooking and I dare say I would probably put even more time into my study and eventual job. I also really like helping people lose weight so maybe I would spend more time with that part of my life too. I have plenty of hobbies to be honest. I think there is also a big chance that I would spend all my time playing Playstation and reading comics. But only if I wasn’t exercising. Who knows Robo, I may have even gotten stuck into crossfit…"
 
7. Aha, I think I will never have you guys stop giving me a hard time for buying crossfit shoes! You have had some amazing results the last 6 months, what do you feel has contributed to that? "Yeah it has blown me away a bit to be honest. I really think the biggest change I have made has been consistency. I really try and complete my program 100% every week. I am not perfect but I do the best I can to get everything done. I think after a few years at this now I am starting to develop a good endurance base, which is allowing me to spend more time tapping speed. I am excited to see what the next 6 months have in store for me too."
 
8. Mate we are excited as well to see you continuously improve! For those who don't know are you coached or self-coached?  and how did you land on going that particular route? "I am coached by Ben Hammond. I was ‘self-coached’ for the first few years I did this but it was too easy to avoid working on my weaknesses. Looking back I know I trained plenty but a lot of it was junk. I decided to go with a coach because I wanted to maximise the time I spent training. To get the best bang for my buck. I am a big picture guy which means I can struggle to focus on the small details. Having a coach means that part of the training is done for me. I am also held to account. If I don’t do a session there is a question asked why not. I also like racing trying to make my coach proud. It might sound weird but I am excited to tell my coach when I have had a good race."
 
9. I can relate to that mate. You have been to Thanyapura a few times now, what do you like most about the place? "Mate! What’s not to love? The facility is amazing. The pool is the best I have ever swum in and the riding in Thailand is surprisingly good. I was really nervous riding in Thailand the first time but I love riding there. The heat also makes you really feel the training. Beers cost $1 too…"
 
10. I am going to have to take you up on a trip over there at some stage to witness it. What accomplishment would you say you are most proud of so far? "Going under 4:30 for a 70.3. I know it is isn’t crazy fast but this took me a lot longer to accomplish than I expected. I came frustratingly close on several occasions and when I finally did it I was elated for days! Next stop sub 4:20…"
 
11. You bet me there, we both had that goal and I can remember both of us always chasing that sub 4.30 so I was stoked for you! What are your goals for the rest of this season?  What does the rest of your race schedule look like? "This year is a bit weird for me. I am racing the 70.3 world championship, which is without doubt my big race for the year but I kind of feel like qualifying for it was the hard part. I am going to go out there and give it 100%. But it isn’t like I expect to win or anything. I am curious to see how I will go against the fastest in the world. I would like to get a good time at one of my races this year and hey, if I get on the podium again I wont complain. For me my biggest goal is to work towards that 4:05 time for a 70.3. I really want to do this. The idea of doing a 70.3 in the same time it took me to do that first OD is probably what drives me the most to train so much day in day out. It is all about me racing myself."
 
13. It is another busy season then, we all wish you luck for Norway and Sunshine coast, you will smoke it no doubt! So lucky last what question did you hope that I’d ask you, but haven’t?  And what is the answer to that question?
"My Best Robo memory maybe?"
There are literally so many to choose from but I would have to say finishing Sunny Coast right after you in 2014 was amazing. I was so happy that day and having a great mate there at the finish line was just brilliant. I look forward to many more in the future!"

That was an epic race mate I was chasing you the whole day and to turn around and have you right on my tail and celebrate together was epic!

Tim & I right after the finish at Sunshine Coast 70.3, I was chasing him the whole day!

I'll give you a bonus question since "You are my first" and I feel it is important to mention thanks to those who are always there for us. Would you like to give thanks to anyone and how can people follow your journey? "I always have to thank my amazing Dez. She is the reason I am able to do this sport. She is so supportive and understands what this sport means to me. I like to thank my coach Ben who has helped me to exceed my own goals and am sure will get me to my 4:05 result. I like to thank the companies who support me to chase my dreams including Thanyapura, Mizuno, Giant Sydney, Pioneer, True Amino and Suplest. I also like to thank all the people who follow my journey. I love getting emails from people and meeting beginner triathletes. They keep me motivated. If people want to follow my journey they check out my website oztriathlete.com or follow me on the gram @tford14"

I want to say a huge thanks to Tim for taking the time to answer my questions. Please take the opportunity to check out his links mentioned above and if you or you know anyone that I should throw 13 questions at please contact me or comment below.

Robo