Getting Around.....Sort of

Ok - I knew that IAAF would hold their half marathon World Championships in Copenhagen yesterday with 30.000+ participants, and above map had been published in a lot of places in advance so us locals knew how to come about (or not) in the city.

My area was surrounded by the route, so had mad an alternative plan including the use of the metro when going home during the race.... but the police closed the station where I had to change to the metro including a nearby temporary walking bridge due to too many people - hence me having to wait 1½ hour to get to my building even though I could see it at the route - I was just on the wrong side of the route. Good thing that sun was out all day long.

Along the Nyboder area - the runners had a scenic route in our city.

After 1½ hour and a little walk I was finally on the "right side" of the route.

Runner no. 5395 is photographer Jacob Holt who wrote American Pictures - one of the local runners who participates in a lot of runs if not out doing his lectures or on a photo assignment.

A kind of wish-it-was-me thing to watch, but sadly despite several attempts, the MS will not allow me to run longer than 5km anymore on good days, and yet happy for all the smiling runners that they could be part of that race.

Annette Fredskov

Why would somebody run 366 marathons in 365 days? I heard about the project before it took off in 2012 and was a bit awed by the idea. WHY?! would somebody ask again..... well because this Danish lady decided after down-period, that the MS diagnosis was a bump in her path that still had things to offer. Well with the support of her family she actually did it. 

The MS relates to me and I once had the dream to complete a marathon in my running shoes only to get stopped by a bad injury at a time where I could almost smell the finishing line in a marathon. Since that injury I have been an official at the Copenhagen Marathon a few times... if I can not run it, I can still be a part of it by giving a helping hand to the event.

She published a book about the challenge just 3 months after she ran the 366th marathon. I recently bought it and read it in just two days. Being an ex-runner I was so curious to find out, how she managed to have faith in her own project and accomplish her goal. Even though I knew the ending I was still fascinated by the book.

Yesterday I went to a lecture organized by the Danish MS Society. Maybe I should not have done it seen with practical eyes, as it was a little outside Copenhagen and knew I would be home late only having to get up early again this morning as work would be calling, but I am glad that I took the time to go anyway. 

She oozes with positive thinking and is  ready to find herself a new challenge - already having a long list of possible challenges that she might pursue. Her project inspired a lot of people to pursue their individual goals by participating in the marathons she hosted and it is awesome to read some of their words about the project in her book. Her project might be extreme, but the message is clear: follow your dream even though it might seem impossible. She also acknowledges that somethings might be in the way of reaching that goal besides your own will and ability so it is not all black/white. If you set a goal, divide that into sub-goals making it "closer" to you than the real goal that might seem very far away.

Some people turn to self-help books when they meet obstacles in their lives, but I believe that they should rather read a few books by people, that have done the impossible to get some positive energy and find out how they themselves could find/use their positive energy. 

Me I am just glad that I could read a book about an accomplishment like that :o)

Source of Inspiration: People Involved With Disabled Sports



When seing this sign in the the front window of the car - what are your thoughts?

• Are you wondering how severe the disability of the car driver is?
• Do you imagine, what kind of dissease/accident/disability the driver might suffer from?
• Does it make you think of a friend/relative that is disabled?
• Does it ever occur to you, that the driver is actually deeply involved with sports for the disabled?

I can relate to the first three - I was confined to a wheel chair at the time, when the doctors diagnosed me with MS. A lot of people around me (and actually also myself to a certain point) did not believe, that I would ever regain my ability to walk normal again - let alone run. The lady in the hospital bed next to me is a huge inspiration: she is confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life, and she is living her life to the fullest extend...

Her energy level seems so much higher than people without disabilities and it soon became obvious that I could learn a lot from her. When she heard, that I have run several half marathons, she just blurted out "Get yourself a race-wheel chair and start doing wheel chair racing!".... I started laughing for the first time after the grim words from the doctors. Eventually after 4 months of training, I was able to walk/run without any aid. 

Even though she said that to me, it never occured to me that the driver of a car could be into sports for disabled (some call it handicap sports)......

Another lady just made me think about it. I talk to her everyday on the phone when working, and the other day was the first time I met her face to face. She is dependant on crutches and in some occations a wheel chair - and she has participated in several international competitions including even the paralympics. She has a full time job and in her spare time, every hour is spent with her horse and family - WOW!!

We never knew, that we have something in common - besides being in the same business - an illness that can result in severe disability... She was apparently very happy about my way of initiating a conversation at the meeting with blurting out "Were you not able to stand on your two feet, so you ended up falling?" My colleagues were shocked and one said to me, that I was being rude. But it was obvious, that it was so much more than an accident, that caused the need for crutches (you could tell by the way she moved, that this was no new injury after an accident). Her laughter said everything about her reaction and she said "No somebody thought it was fun to connect my legs the wrong way" - then my colleagues went so quiet for a few minutes when the both of us laughed hard.

Later she asked me, if I know anybody else, that is disabled? She is used to people just staring at her, as if she was from another planet, and my bluntness really surprised her and made her happy at the same time. When I told her, that I suffer from MS and had trained myself out of a wheel chair, we seemed to connect on a higher level with an unspoken mutual understanding: both of us aware how lucky we are to be able to have a full time job and live as normal a life as possible. None of our colleagues truly understand what happened, but they realised that we connected at a mutual level.

I just passed a car with the disability-sign and immediately started wondering, which type of sports the driver could be into.... Then I started thinking about which sports, that could be "my thing" if I ever end up in a wheel chair - and my initial thought still makes me laugh: bowling. 

Longer post, than I expected to write, but her ability to embrace a sport (despite being diabled) is truly inspiring....

October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Everywhere you go this month, you will see the pink ribbon in various shapes - all of them signalling the same thing: breast cancer awareness month.

Usually, when I blog, I write about MS - but sadly breast cancer has affected my family. My mum survived breast cancer a few years back, which scared a lot of us. Luckily she did not have chemotheraphy, but had radiation treatments instead.....

A few years later, I discovered 5K-run Race For Life 2007 in London organized by Cancer Research UK, and I knew, that I had to spend one day of my vacation participating. I travelled with one of my friends, and it was no trouble persuading her to join this race as well - cancer has also affected her family. Somebody may find it odd to do such a thing while on vacation - but I got to see the lovely Hampstead Heath, where a lot of scenes in UK movies are filmed.

Some of you may even remember, that I supported Silver Strands giving hope to her mum, when she pledged for help to make a thousand paper cranes. Yes it was a challenge for me - but since cancer has been paying my family a visit, I could not resist to send some hope from my location.

My pledge to all of you - support the research/fight against breast cancer! I am sure that you can find a local initiative, that will support the cause. If not and you live in the US - there are a lot of suggestions in October issue of O Magazine.....

I myself have purchased a bracelet from a local campaign this year - The pink ribbon in top picture was a purchase the same year, that my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Gorillaz On The Run

Litterally on the run :o)

When you see a couple of running gorillas with run racenumbers in fronts you think that someone lost a bet or a weird sense of humor at a bachelor party. Then you see a couple more... and another one... and another one.... what the heck is going on? Have the Londoners gone totally gaga?

I found out that I was witnessing the yearly event The Great Gorilla Run - and soo glad I brought the camera that day... it is one of those moments you have a hard time telling other people about without the support of pictures :o)

Every time, I am in New York City, I have to go to the Top of the Empire State Building - and when I spot King Kong, I have the biggest smile on my face remembering my very first visit to the Observatory Deck: I was enjoying the view, when somebody (or should I say something) laid a hand on my shoulder.... a black hairy hand... I flew several feet backwards as I was spooked... and when I saw KingKong, I started laughing so much that tears ran out of my eyes. The guy in the custome apologized but I could tell hime with the greatest smile, that would be an experience that I would never forget....

Speaking of gorillas or should I say Gorillaz - watch this video, and I hope it will generate a smile on your face - I really enjoy their cartoon videos :o)