Tor Rønnow

6 Star Finisher 7 Continents Finisher 75 Marathon countries Author of best-seller running book Mountain hiker Off-piste alpine skier Chess player

LGT Alpin Marathon 2011

This past Saturday 11th of June 2011 I completed the LGT Alpin Marathon in Liechtenstein, thereby adding both another mountain marathon to my list as well as a “new country”. The “LGT Alpin” was a huge experience and a great challenge and it was just bad luck that the weather really sucked: rainy, foggy, and low-hanging clouds the entire day.

Despite 1870 heightmeters up and 720 down I managed quite well, I think, in this my marathon #200 running with a camera ! Too bad that the full scenic potential of this race didn’t sparkle that day. I need to come back !

Read all about my day at LGT Alpin Marathon 2011 here.

Frameworks

So these days I’m reading up for my 70-536 certification on the .NET Framework. It is quite frustrating to experience that stuff you thought you knew a bit about is just magnitudes of order larger and more complex than imagined. On the other hand, that’s what makes it fun and challenging. The important thing is to get avoid being intimidated and just read on. Just read the fricking book, absorb the concepts, the specific words, the key examples.

Actually, that’s the way one pick up all kinds of Frameworks/Universes. I have been in a few during the times, my favorites ones being Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Carbohydrate Chemistry, Biochemistry etc. and in IT basically the .NET and other OO-stuff. It’s all just a matter of reading and understanding. However, the key is not to absorb, the key is to produce yourself. Producing is the difficult part: as a researcher to figure out new stuff, as a programmer to be efficient and creative, as an author to be imaginative, as a sportsman to be stronger and more visionary and so on. Producing equals success and success equals happiness. Isn’t that what we are all indoctrinated to believe in ?

On a larger and perhaps more important scale we all choose Frameworks for our Personal, Spiritual and Religeous Beliefs. That’s how I see it, anyways. One could argue that the different Religions are “just” Frameworks, each with a certain set of characteristics and expected behaviours. Same goes for the different Cultures around the World. Same goes for the different Civilizations throughout the span of Time. Same goes for the different Trades you can be in, the paths you can choose for your career: do you plug in to be a Programmer, a Medical Doctor, a Lawyer, a Craftsman etc. It’s all just a Framework thing ! And Frameworks can be shifted.

So ?

The important thing is to choose, really. Most importantly: in your private life. Choose the things that work for you, interests, partners, beliefs, places, feelings. We all plug in every day, into our Personal Framework, so it should be rather obvious that it is of some importance that we understand what is going on. Thus, Know Thyself ! Know the Framework !

Copenhagen Marathon 2011 in Pictures

So Sunday 22th of May was indeed the very day for this years’ Copenhagen Marathon in, well, Copenhagen, Denmark. It turned out to be a great experience with tons of spectators in the streets and a cheerful and quite international atmosphere around the Capital. I had the honor of being a VIP runner once again and ran with a live-tracker device. Thus, you can replay my performance on www.copenhagenmarathon.dk, it’s funny to see the dots move about in different speeds.

Anyways, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the other invited runners, the young American woman Scout Bassett, a charming woman taking a big applause for  her efforts, truly an inspiration for us all ! Nice meeting you, Scout !

The Marathon itself was in the secure hands of SPARTA headed by the perhaps 2012 Olympian runner Dorte Vibjerg, you all did a great job to pull off this fantastic event for all us participants out here. Thanks !

The weather started out almost too hot and humid but after a short but intense shower the air cleared up and it all ended to our delight: sunshine and blue sky. I’ll be back to Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon next year for sure !

You find the pictures from the entire route here.

Historic Day at Scenic Vancouver Marathon 2011

Sunday 1th of May 2011 is a historic day !

For Vancouver Marathon, the race celebrated its 40th year anniversary. For me personally because I finally broke the sub-4 hours in a marathon. It only took me 218 attemps, kind of a Chaplin approach to that 3.xx.xx feat. Historic for the World because this was the day that Osama Bin Laden was killed – EKIA – on the orders given by President Obama of the USA thus hopefully putting an end of the terrorism by the Al-Qaeda (sooner rather than later).

Anyways, back to beautiful and stunning Vancouver Marathon where I had the pleasure of chatting with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to participate and complete the legendaric Boston Marathon (as written also in “ELSK AT LØBE”).

Lets use the words with prudence: Vancouver Marathon 2011 was FANTASTIC ! It was an extremely scenic route with superb views on the City skyline, the distant mountains, the blooming fruit trees and passing the proud Stadion for the Vancouver Canucks, the city’s ishockey team still playing for the Stanley Cup here in 2011. I took so many nice pictures thus it is difficult to single out a few… but take a look at this one:

and this one:

… the latter giving credit to my running mate Vagn Kirkelund for acting as my personal pace setter this day, indeed an invaluable part of the outcome for my part. Vagn is a very strong runner with several sub-3 hours (!) marathons, +210 km in 24 h races and a completed Spartathlon, so thanks, Vagn, for slowing down and running Vancouver together !

You find the complete picture and photo story from Vancouver Marathon 2011 here, including footage from the Capilano Suspension Bridge and skiing at Grouse Mountain. What’s not to like ?

Flux of Life

What immense power of imagination and vanity to think that anything will be remembered.

What incredible force to put meaning and purpose into the small doings we have.

What blindness to forget the span of Time and the forces of Nature, the powers of tens that outnumber all Human creation and leaves but historic relics to witness the moments of yesterday. Our attempts to manifest are desperate, yet pleasing, are in vain, yet our destiny.

The Flux of Life is brutal and seperate from our Thoughts about it. Life is short, yet each moment eternal and accessible.