Month: June 2008

Two marathons on One Day (28.06.2008)

Yeah… you read correctly… I did two of them this past Saturday. Still marathons, not bimbos 🙂

First, start in Hamburg 08.00 hours in pouring rain in the little but very cosy race “Ôjendorfer See Marathon” (www.100mc.de). As my right knee was hurting from the Double the weekend before, the soily route was perfect and gentle food for my legs and constitution… and I finished very controlled just sub-5 hours. See the pictures here.
Beautiful view at Ôjendorfer See Marathon in Hamburg, Germany

Then Anders and I drove 2 1/2 hours in car to the coastal City Bremerhaven… and were ready for the next race, Bremerhaven City Marathon, at the start 18.30 hours. The first 10 k went fine, then followed by 20 very hard kilometers for me ! On the last of the four rounds I was the last person… and was thus followed by a couple of Police motorcycles… that kinda gave me some Energy !  😉 But then at the very last kilometer… I actually passed another runner… to my amazement … and finished in just sub 5.30 hours, two minutes to midnight ! Alas, two marathons were completed this historic day, June 28 2008 !
Anders Munch Madsen and Tor Rønnow at Bremerhaven City Marathon 2008

See the pictures here … or in this gallery.

Double the Action !

Two at the same time !

“Women ?” …. no, no, no, I’m talking about two marathons in one weekend 😉 This past weekend I had the pleasure and hard work of doing two of them… marathons. First, the very tough but also very eventful “Aabenraa Bjergmarathon” in which I even ran in my Spidey-costume. You find the report here.

Tor as Spiderman at Aabenraa marathon 2008

Then, Sunday we – yes, we were actually quite a bunch doing this “double” – did Laesoe marathon, i.e. the marathon on the island Laesoe. Here the route was very flat and easy… but my legs were too sour from the day before so I could not take advantage of it and finished secondlast in a totally crap time. See the story here.

Tor is happy... at Laesoe marathon 2008

But who cares about time… when you can do two 😉 

Vanity – Blaise Pascal noch einmal

Vanity !

In our lifetime and in the context of the radio, the television and latest the Internet – in short, the era of the Media – Vanity is clearly one of the strongest drivers in the human experience and in the Quest for Happiness, for carriers, for relationships.

On the upside people set goals, they develop themselves, they are motivated. On the downside, people might become criminals, they might envy each other (or some, at least), and – worst of all – they may forget to reflect on the very Nature of being alive ! Yes, they may live in the blinfolded and totally unconstructive persuit of pleasing the surroundings to fulfill a certain ideal… for the pure reason of it’s… image. That is Vanity ! That is a waste of a Life ! Count how many you have !

Many years ago, the Philosopher Blaise Pascal realized all this. If you read his book ‘Penseés’ (anno 1670 !)(“Thoughts”) you will find hinsights that will make you think ! Think about how fragile and how insignificant our lives truly are. Just take in a few quotes:

We are so presumptuous that we should like to be known all over the world, even by people who will only come when we are no more. Such is our vanity that the good opinion of half a dozen of the people around us gives us pleasure and satisfaction.

Or how about this one:

How many Kingdoms know not of us ?

Think about these quotations for a sec. How can one really take the Vanity game of our lifetime truly seriously once realized that it’s just… abstractions. Fact is, we live and die and become dust. We disappear.

So much for Vanity !

Happiness and The Future Browser

At any given moment we construct our own Personal Reality based on our previous experiences, on our current relationships (of any kind), on our private ‘psychology’ and our projections onto our surroundings, partners, children, colleagues etc. We construct a Love & Happiness Browser linking into an enjoyable Future building pages from the Probability Spread constructed on the aforementioned parameters. We hope that our time-casted dreams will materialize. We hope.

However, sometimes the Browser goes astray… sometimes the Future pages diplayes unwanted content. Unhappiness, defeat, ruin, discontent… in one or more of the subparts of the Physical, Mental or Emotional dimensions. We identify ourselves with faliure…. and we think that our interpretation of Reality is the Reality itself. It is not.

Most Unhappiness in the Western World derives from the ‘Comparison Game’ and from time-leaping into either an idylised Past or an unrealistic forecasted Future.  We forget again and again to experience and use our Powers in the Single and Only Timepoint we really own and possess: The Moment of NOW !

I think we can increase our Happiness NOW by being flexible towards the Future, to be open to new Interpretations, to new habits, to new learnings and to the invaribale fact that everything is Changing. So… always try to understand and finetune your Future Browser. The Probability Field for Your Future is subject to change any given moment. Life may work against you, Life may work with you. You must work too !

The Art is to maintain control over the mouse and click on the Furture pages that truly reflect YOU and that support the continual human drive for fulfilling real needs, for personal development – and Love. Identify your own virtues, give your life a meaning, set goals ! Browse !

Did you click a Page you didn’t like ? Click again ! Do not think that the Probability Field is limited…. it is your own thoughts that are ! Dreamcast again ! Fight !

Click  

Stockholm marathon 2008

This past Saturday I had the extreme (hot) pleasure of running Stockholm marathon… what a great race and gee, my, gosh…. such great weather…. such nice crowds… and many sweet things to look at as well 😉

Finish line at the Olympic Stadion in Stockholm

Stockholm is just a breathtaking city which Im sure you will agree to after looking at my pictures from the race here !