As years go, it’s been a good one. But not without its challenges. I’ll come back to that. Most people might argue that turning 60 would automatically render the year a lesser good one. I must disagree with this notion. For reasons I also might come back to.
Writing this, I’ve come down with severe man cold. A habit of mine that coincides with the holiday season. Lex “time to wind down and let the body catch up”?
With growing age, the memory of things passed becomes less sharp. Using the abundance of pics stored on DropBox (for once, sic…) to reminisce helps. So here goes. Some highlights and a few low points from the year in pics.
January
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The storm Alfrida caused havoc in the Stockholm Archipelago
Around the New Year, the winter storm Alfrida hit the Stockholm Archipelago. Loaded with a rented chain saw, we went up to what we expected to be a plethora of fallen trees over our summer home. Luckily enough we saw no damages (but the surrounding area was full of fallen trees and the power outage lasted for several weeks).
In January our grand child Nancy was baptized. Her God-mother Erika performed a song written especially for Nancy. Very beautiful and touching.
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Nancy’s baptism at the Huddinge church – with Erika and god-father Alexander.
In January, my side gig as announcer was complemented by yet another profession – gun slinger. Unfortunately (or perhaps luckily enough), few opps to execute this profession exist here in Sweden (although in some areas the # of gun slingers seem to be on the rise, sigh…).
Loaded guns…
February
Not too much going on in February. But due to the climate chance I got an unexpected but welcomed break from my normal winter commute as we experienced a couple of days of spring like conditions. Happy camper.
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MC commuting mid-February on my faithful Triumph Tiger800 – a rare but appreciated treat
The mild weather in February offered chances to go trail running in the nearby forests. After some K’s from our house, I ran into (literally) these horses running around without any riders. I finally managed to get hold of the police. It turned out that all (!!!) riders had been thrown off while riding in the forest. For me, this was a first (and probably a last as well).
Doesn’t happen on every run. To say the least…
March
The month you just want to end in order to get to spring…Monica spent some time and effort on going Marie Kondo on us – a system that has quite a few advantages (especially the space saving aspect).
Reorganized pile of undies and socks (etc.) courtesy of Marie Kondo’s ingenious but simple organization system. Side note: some 50% of my underwear has since been stolen by John (yes, having kids living nearby and with free access to our house comes with some disadvantages).
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Above – Nancy’s rapidly adding centimeters and kilos to herself. Otto came of for a short spring break visit and onward journey to Estonia for the deaf World Championships indoors in Tallinn. A trip that unfortunately didn’t go well due to injury, jet lag and bad form. Still. Seeing Tallinn was nice.
Turning 60. Didn’t get a day off. Then again. I wasn’t asking for one. Put on my new favorite pimp robe and did my best to keep appearances up, in spite of my now alarmingly advanced age. Was treated to a superb night out at Pinchos with the family. Couldn’t ask for more!
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The 60 year-old one is celebrating at Pinchos with a shuffleboard session and da family. John proves that cold weather is only a state of mind…(doing track work more or less naked in March). Then again, looking at the pic to the right of my own scrawny legs, it can’t have been too cold.
On March 28th it was time for yet another catheter ablation. The fifth one for me. The problems with arrythmia came back early fall 2018 and accelerated during the winter. With some hesitation, I was planned for what probably (and hopefully) will be my last heart procedure. The procedure itself turned out to be difficult, most likely due to the previous heart surgery (Maze -99) and ablations (four in 2010) my poor heart’s been subjected to. When asking about the probable outcome, the surgeon responded with a less than hopeful forecast…Feeling despondent and mildly depressed I concluded that running freely will be a thing of the past. As it turns out, this bleak prognosis turned out to be partly wrong, at least in the short term.
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I’ve looked better…The pics from the Huddinge Hospital are purposely presented in black & white to reinforce the far from inspiring hospital setting. You need to be well in order to cope with a hospital stay.
April
On April the 6th, we witnessed the first of two world records being broken 2019 by our pretty awesome boys. First one out was John with Nancy in the baby stroller during a 10 K race in Örebro, covering the 10 K on a tricky and far from easy course in amazing 32.20 at Startmilen. Adding to the achievement is the fact that John is struggling with allergies and the relatively warm conditions made for non-optimal conditions. Nancy seemed to be pretty unimpressed by the whole thing. John and Nancy received some well deserved press. Here’s a link to an article: https://mitti.se/nyheter/john-kringstedt-varldsrekord-dottern-barnvagnen/?omrade=huddinge.
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The world record holders getting some well-deserved attention, from e g Runner’s World
Some more links following the WR race:
https://runnersworld.se/runners-world-moter-john-kingstedt-i-samarbete-med-saucony/
The Easter holiday came and went. Monica scared a new generation of pre-school kid as the Easter bunny. Many are the kids that have been properly traumatized by Monica. Reminds you of the bunny related horror scenes from Donnie Darko doesn’t it?
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Which one scares you the most?
During one of my /now super slow/ jogs in the forest, I ran into one of many – as it turned out to be – illegal dump sites. I’ve been trying to raise awareness of this growing problem and made reports on dumping sites on numerous occasions.
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Later in August after several reports to the municipality and after having received some media attention (paper and TV) I finally managed to get the municipality to act on the dump sites. Climate issues can be local and picking up litter is one of many things you can do to contribute to a better environment (#pretentious). Our beautiful forest, pic from lake Gömmaren, is worth preserving and keeping clean.
Here’re some links:
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/naturreservat-har-blivit-olaglig-soptipp
May
Following the worst logistic planning ever, I found myself going to Rome with my colleagues at Mjukvarukraft for a one night stay (!) as we had to rebook our tickets from Sweden to the US due to the ongoing strike at SAS. We however ended up with a pretty sweet deal, securing a flight to take us to our first planned destination, Philadelphia, directly from London without having to travel from DC to Philly as was originally planned.
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Rome in May – the Vatican with colleagues and Colosseum in the far distance
After a quick stop in Stockholm to repack and regroup, Monica and I took off to Philadelphia for our onward journey to Rochester, NY and Otto’s graduation from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In Philly we met up with John, Dagny and Nancy who had been traveling on the east coast for a couple of weeks. In Philly we met with Paul and Janice. Paul spend an entire day with us, guiding us around Philly in a truly professional and super interesting fashion. Paul’s got his fall back career secured as a Philly know-it-all guide!
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Glimpses from Philly
After a few days in Philly we began our road trip through Pennsylvania up to Rochester, stopping by at some exotic locations such as Intercourse in the middle of the Amish country.
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Procuring an Intercourse cap was a given for someone as childish as I. Monica is doing intervals around the Rochester reservoir which resembles the one in Central Park (only shorter, the lap is .69 miles)
We spent a week in Rochester attending Otto’s graduation from RIT following four years of studies in the US for Otto (two years in DC and two years in Rochester). Otto graduated Magna Cum Laude in Graphic Design. Besides the graduation we also had time to visit Niagara Falls and do some fun sightseeing in and around Rochester, joined by Otto’s friends Fredrik and Lisa who also came over for the graduation.
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Otto getting ready for graduation. Niagara Falls. Otto receiving his diploma from NTID’s president Gerard Buckley. Proud parents. Celebrating the graduation at Red Fern, Otto’s favorite Vegan restaurant in Rochester. Beer tasting at the Genesee beer company (highly recommended!). Dagny squeezing in a 5 K road race (resulting in a PB). Our stately home-away-from-home that actually looked a lot better from the outside; usually Airbnb stays offer great deals. This one not so much…
Following Otto’s graduation, we said goodbye to Fredrik and Lisa and drove down to beautiful but the fairly unknown wine district of Finger Lakes (https://www.fingerlakes.org/). Finger Lakes comprises a number of stretched out lakes and rolling hills which makes the climate temperate enough for successful wine making. Using Ithaca (the home of Cornel University) as our base, we were able to do almost 10 wine tastings at different Vineyards in two days. Having a designated driver (aka John) was very helpful. We also visited the stunning gore and waterfalls at Watkin’s Glenn, another local attraction well visiting.
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Monica and Dagny displaying wine bargains. Nancy at Watkin’s Glen. Wine tasting. More Watkin’s Glen. S’more wine tasting. A poster that says it all.
After our wine excursion in and around Ithaca we took off for our final destination, Boston. We went there to help Otto settle in for his summer internship (as part of RIT’s graphic design program) at the Archdiocese of Boston in Braintree (south of Boston). In terms of living arrangements, leaving things late (as usual) Otto had to settle for shabby room in an OK but far from upscale area south of Boston, sharing the kitchen and only bathroom with a Chinese family. Chasing rats (true story) was part of Otto’s chores as a tenant during his stay…Otto managed to combine a tough running regime (constituting a 190-220 K weekly dosage) with full days at the Archdiocese and a tricky commute. Impressive.
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John secured this gem during our last-minute shopping spree in Boston. And I got half my lunch off – yay!
A highlight in May was the participation at Göran Greider-loppet instigated by friends of the well-known media and political figure Göran Greider. Göran was appropriately impressed by John’s victory.
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John with Dagny and her family before the start of the Göran Greider race – notice the stylish t-shirts that came with the registration fee. The message on the front reads “sitting still feeds bourgeoise thoughts” (not a 100% sure I got the translation right here though).
The next trip the last week of May took us with friends Hans, Peter, Monica and Lena to Amsterdam, where we spent a fun extended weekend running, visiting the Heineken Experience center, dining and simply having fun.
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Basking in the unexpectedly warm Dutch sun. Geese (Dutch as far as we could tell). Winning the Champions League came as a surprise to us, hence Monica’s crazy happy look. Taking advantage of being relatively tall.
June
Our home has been used as the training base for world athletes in the past. This year Kirubel Erassa followed in the footsteps of Leo /Manzano/ Olympic silver medalist (London 2012 at 1500 meters) when he stayed with us for a couple of weeks following the GP race in Stockholm. The proximity to the forest, illuminated trails and of course one of Sweden’s best track facilities makes for a good stay. Luckily enough, Kirubel also managed to qualify for the US national team following a PB run in the Netherlands.
Seeing Kirubel do his track workouts was really a humbling experience.
A highlight in June was the inaugural “Små Tanters Runda” run-to-pubs run. With 3 stops at local pubs and appr. 7 K’s the legs were unusually tired when we finally got back to our house for a closing sun deck al fresco dinner.
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First stop. Second stop. And final – Prosecco infused – stop at the Huddinge-Bunker.
For Midsummer festivities we joined our friends in Växjö for the traditional bike around Växjö (42 K) bonanza, featuring the obligatory schnapps stop at one of the Lakes we passed during our bike ride.
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Mona and old running friend Pajje (who’s still a really good runner BTW). Yours truly enjoying the sights. Fun and games at Ehn’s. Monica’s trying out her shooting skills (that turned out to be sub par…).
End of June, I did yet another side gig as “expert evaluator” for the EU commission’s agency INEA, spending three days in a super hot Brussels; the stay coincided with a heat wave that hit most of Europe in June, with temps in 35-40 Celsius range. A malfunctioning A/C unit at INEA’s offices didn’t help.
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Working with and getting to know people from around Europe is a pleasant bonus that comes with working for the Commission – represented in the pic are people from the Netherlands, Poland, Iceland, Sweden and Greece. Managed to squeeze in a run in the large forest park in Brussels – probably the hottest run of 2019.
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The warm weather spread to Sweden allowing Nancy to enjoy some outdoor splashing in the “pool” (great grandmother Kerstin is monitoring the splashing)
July
Mid-July, inconveniently located in the middle of the summer holiday season, it was once again time to take off to Microsoft’s annual partner conference, Inspire (formerly known as “WPC”). This year, I opted to stay in LA on my way to and from Las Vegas (the host city for the Inspire week). A good call, as it turned out. I stayed at the same Airbnb near the beach in Venice Beach both on way to and from LV. A good albeit not very special place. The best feature was the proximity to the Santa Monica mountains, where I did some great hike / jogs up in the spectacular hills. Highly recommended. The conference in Vegas turned out to be a lot better than the one I attended last year. Microsoft Sweden did a remarkable good job keeping the Swedish attendees happy. Also made some really good connections that might result in future business deals. Good stay. Also got to see my distant relative Dan with family while staying in LA.
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The Pacific Ocean during a stroll on the /Venice/ beach. Hot running in Topanga State park. The Strip at dusk and night. Devoted to MS. Classic LA palm trees. Last run in Topanga State park before returning home. World class trail running.
Vacation. Got a few days of acclimation before it was time to do the next trip, this time to Pescara, Italy. The plan was to do some serious house/apartment hunting. The serious aspect got lost, but we had a great time in a part of Italy that is /still/ seeing few foreign tourists. Having access to high mountains (Gran Sasso) and some really good ski resorts in the wintertime makes it an interesting area to visit and potentially get something permanent to live in.
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Pescara “run to the beach and swim”-run. Mountain bound. Gran Sasso mountains. Seeing the sights (courtesy of the bikes included with our excellent Airbnb stay). Best ice cream ever. Monica’s enjoying the nice running trails near our apartment. Cheap Prosecco is just one of many compelling reasons to consider relocating to Italy. Wine tasting, again. Yet another mountain excursion. Checking out the beach in Pineto. It’s easy to see from where “Pineto” got its name. Wet hike near Caramanico Terme. Last day at the beach. Lunch with our kind and very sympathetic Swiss-Italian Airbnb hosts, Antoinette and Rosario.
August
Otto returned after having successfully completed his internship in Boston. And, as it turned out, having trained really well. This became evident when he placed seventh at the Swedish Track & Field Champs at 10 000 meters, running in 29.56 in spite of breaking the wind for almost 7 K. There would be more to come.
Looks like Nancy is happy about seeing his uncle again
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A few days after Otto returned from the States I managed to get my MC sold to a happy buyer who has yet to get his MC permit. He will enjoy many great miles on a great MC. I was kind of sad to see my favorite commuter companion leave our street. My Tiger was however quickly replaced by a Suzuki V-Strom 1000 XT, which elevated my sadness.
Later in August, we joined our running friends Tjoffsi, Johan and Inger for a trip to the stunning Peak District in England. We stayed in a super nice cottage in a small village right in the middle of the district, allowing us to do day excursions to nearby castles, villages and trails. Running locally was also great with an abundance of trails just outside our cottage. One of many highlights was peforming Abba at the pub sing-along-night – we managed to pick the only Abba tune unknown to Brits! But our imperfect performance was still greatly appreciated by an enthusiastic pub crowd.
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Pics from a fantastic week in the Peak District
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After returning from the States, Otto’s form steadily improved. He placed third at Norrköping stadslopp (10 K) after the European Cross Country champion Robel Fsiha. At the Swedish Champs, Otto ran what is probably his so far best 10 000 meters (29.56) albeit not in a PB time. Tjoffsi and Monica at Essingen Runt (7,5 K) on a sunny August Saturday.
September
A pretty amazing month, as months go…Saving up, I managed to book my favorit band, UpStairs, for a dance party with some 80 friends. I had a fantastic time and lost about 5 kilos on the dance floor. And I wasn’t the only one! I’m super happy that I could pull that off and that so many friends, near and far showed up for my party. If I’m in good enough shape when I turn 70, I know who to call on for musical entertainment. Also, in September Otto’s form really peaked – first, he broke the 10 K road world record for deaf, running the last 5 K solo after some excellent pacing from brother John. Then, later in September, Otto ran what is so far probably his best race ever when he placed fifth at Lidingöloppet, the world’s biggest Cross Country race, covering the hilly 30 K in amazig 1.39 (one of the fastest times a Swede has run the LL ever).
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Don Kingis celebrates turning 60 in style! A life long dream came true; private parking! Otto setting a WR for the deaf at 10 K road, Nancy turning 1 year with cousin Lydia and grand-dad Joakim, ISO meeting in Stockholm, gig med Måns Möller at Kistaloppet (announcer), great views outside my office in Stockholm, Otto and Hanna after spectacular runs from both of them at Lidingöloppet
October
Quiet and relatively uneventful month. And no travels, just work. And some running of course. We discovered a new segment of the spectacular Huddinge-leden trail system that we explored a couple of times in October. The Huddinge-leden is a terrific trail system covering most of the forests in the municipality of Huddinge.
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Finding a new running trail which is part of the “Huddingeleden” 80 K plus trail system. Visiting my parents Kay and Sölve, both still smiling!
November
I was given a chance to go to Washington DC in November thanks funding through the EU program “StandICT”. The purpose of the trip was to do a full day meeting at NIST (www.nist.gov). For this trip that spanned just four nights I tried a new strategy – getting up super early in the morning (3.30 – 4 AM) in order to stay in my regular time zone. This made for some interesting observations: the local gym at Columbia Heights was packed at 5 AM (!!) and it’s amazing to run in Rock Creek Park as the sun comes out early in the morning. The meeting at NIST was great and I also had a chance to meet with friends Emily and Dickson and their son Henry. Good trip.
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Famous DC vistas, early morning run in Rock Creek park, DC’s got an excellent metro system, Dickson & Emily are impressed by Henry’s Swedish language skills (so was I!), the Washington monument really isn’t that big, National Museum of African American History and Culture – well worth a visit, rounding off a successful meeting at NIST with my host Dr Bohn, final run in Rock Creek park before returning to Sweden. Four generations converging in the Huddinge Bunker. The soon-to-be Swedish marathon record holder David Nilsson on our way to Valencia via Alicante.
December
The first weekend in December offered a chance to witness John’s real debut at marathon in Valencia, Spain. The marathon was a great success for John, as well as for John’s protégé Manne (Forssberg) and most of the other Swede’s running the marathon. We got to witness a new Swedish marathon record (2.10,09) from David Nilsson, who’s also John’s new coach and a great new PB from Ebba Tulu Chala (2.15).
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Chilling at our Airbnb the day before the Valencia marathon. Manne after 23 K. John super happy with his 2.17 marathon debut (rightly so!). Celebrating to super performances. First indoor track sesh. Nancy’s helping out in front of the computer. Last run (probably of 2019). New logo for Kingstedt Speakertjänst (stay tuned for web site launch soon to happen!) – designed by Otto
Looking back at a good year, after all. Can’t do much about the age thing, other than keeping up what’s hopefully beneficial for you in terms of living style. Not making any promises for 2020, other than I’ll try to be a reasonably nice person, granddad, dad and dude, in general.
Thanks for reading – Happy new year.
Yours truly,
Don Kingis