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Xtri Chats With Torbjorn Sindballe
By Betsy Delcour
2/10/2010 |
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Always known for his killer bike splits, Torbjorn Sindballe has many titles under his belt including two ITU Long Course World Championships. But it was his dogged determination to dial in his performance in Kona that resulted in the image we all see when we think of Torbjorn - the big Dane dressed head to toe in white - and his breakthrough 3rd place there in 2007. Unfortunately, in 2009, it was discovered that a known heart condition was worse than he thought, and he has since retired from racing as a result. That doesn't mean Torbjorn's out of the triathlon scene; he recently announced upcoming tri camps with legendary coach Marc Evans, with more on the horizon. We recently caught up with Torbjorn to talk about his heart condition, what people can expect at his camps, lessons learned from his year as a pro, and what his plans are for the future...
Hi Torbjorn, thanks for chatting with us! 2009 had to be a difficult year for you with the discovery of your heart condition and subsequent retirement from racing as a professional. Can you tell us what you’ve been up to the past several months? Are you still able to train at some capacity?
After the announcement of my retirement we discovered that my left ventricle had grown 10 mm in three months which is very extreme and completely red light for any strenuous training or competition. So the summer was quite rough because I feared for my health, but already at the first check up in August the heart was decreasing in size again and I could start to relax. It was not until then I realized how scared I had been about the whole thing. Going from world class athlete to almost heart patient is somewhat of a drastic journey.
Since August my health has been good and I enjoy only light exercise and yoga. I can’t do anything intense or compete anymore, but I enjoy just trotting along at an easy pace breathing in the smells of nature and the fresh air. It is a completely different state of mind. I have also enjoyed having so much more time with my family and for the first time in many, many years I have been home for more than 6 months in a row, which has given me time to connect on a deeper level.
Before Wildflower, had you ever noticed any issues with power or heart rate, or was this the first race? What were your symptoms?
This is difficult to answer. My symptoms have been quite diffuse and while the doctors know a lot about bringing people back from severe illness to a normal state they know very little about the areas form normal function to athletic performance. There are only a few top athletes with this disease and there is very little science on how it affects you under extreme stress. My measurements at rest were within the acceptable limits in February 09, but I felt similar but not as severe symptoms to what I did in wildflower in Kona 08 and my own gut feeling, which has been an important indicator in this process, tells me that my body has tried to tell me about this developing for some time.
Tell us about the upcoming training camps you are hosting! What level of involvement will you have with the athletes?
I will be there 100% together with Marc. The mission is to share what we know and give people the opportunity to experience world class coaching and workouts in one of the most beautiful places. I will be primarily a coach and will run people trough some of my favorite sessions, but I hope to join in on some of the riding and running albeit not the full program.
Co-hosting with you is world-renowned coach Marc Evans. How did you two first meet? Was he your coach when you had your breakthrough performance in Kona 2007?
Marc and I got together at the end of 2008 with the purpose of working on my body function and running biomechanics. Marc is world class in that area so we clicked from the onset and did a lot of great work in the winter and spring of 2009 together with my new coaches in Denmark Ricky Jorgensen and Wieke Hogzaad (former European short course champ). For years I had struggled with injuries and serious misalignments in my body, so we had a body first, movement centered approach which evolved among the four of us. The results were amazing and despite taking lots of time off to cure my injuries and doing less than half of the training I usually did I was setting PRs on my swims and rides just before Wildflower as a testament to the importance of optimal body function on real world performance . The running was coming along good but steady, as it is the discipline which takes the longest to rebuild. I was coached by another tremendous coaching capacity the Danish national coach, Michael Kruger, from 2003-2008.
Are your camps limited to a certain type of athlete – are there swim/bike/run time requirements that athletes must meet? Or are all levels accepted?
I would say that our camps are focused on experienced athletes from mid age group to pro level. There are no specific criteria, but the schedule is quite demanding and ironman focused so proper preparation and some training background are needed. Also the content of the sessions and the knowledge presented will be focused on athletes with the basics covered so to speak. Interested beginners are however welcome to email Marc for further info and we will probably be able to figure something out for them as well. We will do some bodyfunction and technique focused camps next year that would be great for beginners also.
On your blog you mention two exciting things you’re doing – going back to university and writing a book! What are you studying, and what is the topic of your book?
I am going back to my sports studies to finish my degree in the direction of Sports or rather Performance Psychology as this has been one of the cornerstones in my own work as an athlete and one of the areas where there is still endless opportunity to make a difference in both the sports and corporate world. The book is about my career added with my mental tools and science on performance. I hope it can inspire athletes, coaches, executives and others that work with human performance. It will come out in Danish though, but I guess a book in English will come along as well in a year or two.
You’re also writing for Inside Triathlon this year. Can you tell us about your column? How did you get involved with the magazine?
TJ Murphy approached me after the summer as he felt I would be a great match to the inside tri profile. We exchanged some ideas for possible themes and developed a plan. For now I write mostly on some of my personal experiences with heat, body function, training etc. But other pieces on for example the mental battle will come as well.
Looking back on your career, what are some of the most important life lessons that triathlon has taught you?
I have called my career life university, so it is a lot. Number one is my selfawareness. I simply know my strengths and weaknesses inside out, like very few people, because I have worked so much under pressure and overcome many obstacles in my way. Second must be the skill of balancing life. To hit that point where work, sports, family flows is crucial, but difficult, for most. With high achievers It is often more important to hold back and focus than to motivate. Third is that your heart must be in what you do – life is too short for anything else and you will never succeed or make a difference if it is not.
A big part of the reason you’re co-hosting the camps is that you want to share the knowledge for training and racing that you gained over your 20 years as a triathlete. What are the top 3 tips that you would pass on to an average age group triathlete?
Your life balance comes first in everything you do. You might be able to pull off a big schedule for a year or three but when the divorce is looming and your body is overworked you will never get to where you want. Second is that your body function goes before your training level. Work on getting the optimal motor control and flexibility before you reach for the next level in training. Third is to always enjoy your life. It is a huge privilege to devote a bigger portion of your life to self realization.
For the multisport community, it’s exciting that you’ve decided to keep contributing to our sport! Where will we see you in 10 years?
This is the big one as I have many opportunities and passions to explore. I will be involved in the sport for the coming years as I have a lot to give, but I also have an urge to move into other areas of performance, like high end business at some point. There is so much unrealized potential and demotivating institutions out there that I would like to change.
Thanks Torbjorn, and best wishes for all of your endeavors!
You can read more about Triathlon Performance camps click here.
Photo #4 courtesy of John Segesta |
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