I'm currently training to regain my Guinness World Record for "fastest marathon while juggling three objects" (which now stands at 2:52:15) and I had quite the training run last night. The following is lifted from my new blog, The Bloggling Joggler (http://thejoggler.blogspot.com):
It was a dark and stormy night in Toronto...
And The Joggler was determined to complete his training run.
A big winter storm hit Toronto yesterday. It made news headlines, some of which I wrote myself at work (as a news editor for Captivate Network). After work, I was training a client in the west end, then I planned to joggle home through the downtown core and into the east end where I live.
In the afternoon, my wife called me and strongly urged me not to run home. My client called asking if our session was still on. I was ready to train and ready to run, but little did I know that this would be one of the most difficult joggles ever.
After the training session, I put on my backpack, took out my beanbags and set out for home. As luck would have it, I was heading directly into a 50 km/h headwind with ice pellets and blowing snow, and sometimes a foot of snow on the ground. I had wrongly assumed that shops and restaurants would have ploughed their sidewalks.
With the slippery terrain, I felt like I was running the wrong way on one of those moving platforms you see at airports. Every step forward took me three-quarters of a step back. The wind felt like a sumo wrestler was continually pushing me backward. Plus, the stacks of wet snow on the ground meant the footing was roughly equivalent to running on piles of lumpy, day-old oatmeal mixed with carpenter glue. My feet were juggling as much as my arms.
It took all the concentration in the world to keep juggling. Often I had to jump one way as I reached in the other direction to grab a beanbag that was swept up in a sudden gust of wind. I could barely keep my eyes open because of the ice pellets and snow, but just managed to make out the yellow balls being tossed around by the wind.
To make matters worse, I had no hat. Two days earlier, my trusty toque had fallen into a muddy puddle and I hadn't washed it yet.
As I ran across the Bloor Street Viaduct – a huge wrought iron bridge that spans Toronto's Don Valley – the street lights went dark. A car on the other side of the road drove through such a big puddle that the water sprayed all the way across two lanes of traffic and hit me in the side of the head where my hat should have been.
Over the edge of the bridge, I saw an endless line of cars sitting bumper-to-bumper on the Don Valley Parkway. Despite being partially soaked by the passing car and struggling to move forward as I juggled into the wind, I was very, very happy to not be sitting in a car stuck in a traffic jam. I felt liberated. I also felt kind of insane.
Back at home I got my wife Dianne to snap a photo of me joggling down our street. I need photo documentation of this run – it was a joggle for the ages.
Michal "The Joggler" Kapral
"Joggling" through the storm
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The Joggler
- Bruce Kidd
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- Location: Toronto (East York)
- Contact:
Hi Michal..
Hey...I know all about you...but how did you find out about us Maniacs
Hey...I know all about you...but how did you find out about us Maniacs
Technophobe Extraordinaire
"Princess" J0-JO...The Awesome Running Machine.
"a precious, unique and quirky individual"...definition given by a Toronto Cop
An Ever Loyal and Devoted Official Doonst Fan.
"In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer" -Albert Camus
"Keep Going. Never Give Up." Spencer
"Princess" J0-JO...The Awesome Running Machine.
"a precious, unique and quirky individual"...definition given by a Toronto Cop
An Ever Loyal and Devoted Official Doonst Fan.
"In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer" -Albert Camus
"Keep Going. Never Give Up." Spencer
Michal, nice to see you here. I've seen you running up Main Street a couple of times in the last year or so, you're really something to see. It would have been an interesting evening for a run before the rain started -- but juggling? You're made of some pretty stern stuff.
Welcome to RM.
thejoggler.blogspot.com wrote:Yesterday's joggling mileage: 10 miles (into a 50 km/h headwind, ice pellets and a foot of snow on the ground)
Equivalent number of miles based on effort: 3,642
Welcome to RM.
BG
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The Joggler
- Bruce Kidd
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Welcome here, Michal,
Be sure to wear some RM Nation Gear when you set your world record and get published in the World Book of Records, at it would be so cool to see our schwag .... tee hee .... 
bad, bad, HCiD for shameless plugging of RM Nation .... 
Be sure to wear some RM Nation Gear when you set your world record and get published in the World Book of Records, at it would be so cool to see our schwag .... tee hee ....
bad, bad, HCiD for shameless plugging of RM Nation .... Race Results: http://itsmyrun.com/index.php?display=p ... unner=HCiD
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Sir Crashalot
- Abby Hoffman
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Hey! Heard about you & glad you found your way here!
& a big Welcome!
The Joggler... In Da House!
& a big Welcome!
The Joggler... In Da House!
Fortes Fortuna Juvat!In support of injured Canadian Forces soldiers, please donate to Soldier On! http://www.cfpsa.com/Splashpages/SoldierOn/
Never really ready but always ready!
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CAW
- Lynn Williams
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Hey, hey, hey...now Scotty has an onsite mentor!
Welcome Michal!
Our resident running clown wants to try joggling...he's unicycled 10K or so, and figures he'd like to mix up his repitoire!
Welcome Michal!
Our resident running clown wants to try joggling...he's unicycled 10K or so, and figures he'd like to mix up his repitoire!
~Kara~
"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."
— Thich Nhat Hanh
"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."
— Thich Nhat Hanh
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runjanerun
- Jerome Drayton
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- Location: Trenton
Welcome Michal! A bunch of us from Trenton met you after the Zoo Run - and we mentioned at that time that we know friends of yours, Ken and Katrina, who live here.
I must say, I ran the last half of my run in that snow yesterday. It was only 30 minutes but it was not fun. Especially the last part going home when it was into the wind with ice pellets into my face. I cannot imagine trying to juggle through that!! Not that I can imagine even trying to run and juggle at the same time either!
I must say, I ran the last half of my run in that snow yesterday. It was only 30 minutes but it was not fun. Especially the last part going home when it was into the wind with ice pellets into my face. I cannot imagine trying to juggle through that!! Not that I can imagine even trying to run and juggle at the same time either!
Jane
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QuickChick
- Lynn Williams
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Welcome! I have seen you joggling down Lakeshore several times, and of course at Scotiabank. It's great to have you here, and what a great story! You are one tough dude.
"Don’t let negativity rent space in your brain for free. That is how you become a badass…by excavating her from inside you. You don’t have to become someone else. You need to identify the effing awesome parts of you that are your tools to work with, and maximize those." -Lauren Fleshman
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The Joggler
- Bruce Kidd
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Wow, what a welcome! What a group!
So who are the other world record holders kicking around here?
If Scotty can unicycle 10K, he should try to break my friend Zach Warren's oine-mile unicycle record: 3 minutes and 26 seconds.
Zach actuallly challenged me to go head-to-head to try to break the record for fastest 8km on stilts. He has a pair of these crazy hands-free stilts that strap onto your shoes like ski boots and let you run at about 3 metres per stride. He told me they are incredibly dangerous but unbelievably fun. Temping, tempting....
Michal
http://thejoggler.blogspot.com
So who are the other world record holders kicking around here?
If Scotty can unicycle 10K, he should try to break my friend Zach Warren's oine-mile unicycle record: 3 minutes and 26 seconds.
Zach actuallly challenged me to go head-to-head to try to break the record for fastest 8km on stilts. He has a pair of these crazy hands-free stilts that strap onto your shoes like ski boots and let you run at about 3 metres per stride. He told me they are incredibly dangerous but unbelievably fun. Temping, tempting....
Michal
http://thejoggler.blogspot.com
The Joggler wrote:So who are the other world record holders kicking around here?
[/url]
I believe "ultrarune" Ryne Melcher holds the record as youngest man to complete 100 ultramarathons. He also competes on Canada's 100km team.
Not a world record holder, but we also have "turtleluc" Luc Cadieux, the 2006 Ottawa Fall Colours Marathon winner.
And (at least) a couple up-and-coming University-age runners in TO and Edmonton...
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Robbie-T
- Jerome Drayton
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Cool, I also saw you at Scotia Bank this year.
I've been actually learning how to joggle recently, I'm not very good at all yet, I can only go for a few rotations so far.
I've been actually learning how to joggle recently, I'm not very good at all yet, I can only go for a few rotations so far.
Mississauga Marathon - 2:52
Around the Bay - 1:58
Click>> Race History
ItsMyRun.com
"If I'm running, it will be a good run" - Robbie-T
"I just hope that people look at it and say, 'Hey if this yahoo can do it, then I can do it too.' That'd be cool if people thought that. It's just a matter of putting the miles in and working. It's not so much how much talent you have. I hope." - Brian Sell.
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." - Pre
Around the Bay - 1:58
Click>> Race History
ItsMyRun.com
"If I'm running, it will be a good run" - Robbie-T
"I just hope that people look at it and say, 'Hey if this yahoo can do it, then I can do it too.' That'd be cool if people thought that. It's just a matter of putting the miles in and working. It's not so much how much talent you have. I hope." - Brian Sell.
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." - Pre
Welcome! What you are doing just boggles my mind!
http://connect.garmin.com/profile/trixiee14
Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
~ Dr. Suess~
Life is short. Drink the good wine first!
Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
~ Dr. Suess~
Life is short. Drink the good wine first!
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arestall320
- Bill Crothers
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The Joggler
- Bruce Kidd
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Alright then, who wants to learn how to joggle? All you need are three beanbags and the willingness to look like a complete fool.
Robbie-T - this 3-ball juggling tutorial is good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T16_BVIFFPQ
So I'm trying to decide what stunt record to break at Scotiabank this year. Any suggestions? My backwards training isn't quite there yet for a full marathon, so that'll have to wait until 2008.
Michal
Robbie-T - this 3-ball juggling tutorial is good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T16_BVIFFPQ
So I'm trying to decide what stunt record to break at Scotiabank this year. Any suggestions? My backwards training isn't quite there yet for a full marathon, so that'll have to wait until 2008.
Michal
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