Prognosis: good

I have some potentially good news: My physiotherapist says he thinks my neck should be back to normal by next week.

He confirmed my own diagnosis of a severe case of joggleritis – a re-injury of the same neck muscle that I pulled a few months ago doing joggling tricks.

The good doctor did some treatments, after which I was able to hold my head straight up, and even turn my head a little bit without agony.

I also found out that I've been icing the wrong spot. Doh! What a waste of time and frozen sweet peas. But I now have optimism and a plan: rest, ice, heat, massage and Advil.

The Joggler will be back!

Bad back idles joggler

Bummer. The back muscle that I pulled the other day took a turn for the worse and I'm now incapacitated and popping Advil for dessert.

Yesterday was horrible. The pain in my upper back near the right shoulder blade (the erector spinae illiocostalis cervicis, for you anatomy geeks) grew worse and worse by the minute and no position felt comfortable. I got a massage from the Great American Backrub, but it didn't do much. Last night I could barely sleep.

Things do feel a little better today, but I still can't move my head around properly. My brand new joggling Sport balls sit idle in my backpack, taunting me with their irresistible jugglability.

This is the same muscle that I injured about four months ago while doing joggling tricks. I think lifting a heavy armoire on the weekend reinjured it. But I'll survive. There's no way I' m missing this race. I'll joggle it wearing a back-splint if I have to.

Around the Bay start line

This photo by John Chou was taken just before the start of the Around the Bay 30K. I love the look on Joseph Nderitu's face (#3).

Joggler in Around the Bay Road Race video

This photo was taken by Cathie Coward from the Hamilton Spectator. I have a funny look on my face because I think I was singing "Run Lola Run" at the time. I sometimes sing while I joggle to help me relax, but it doesn't make for very good facial expressions in photos. Here's the link to the story on the Spec's website.

In this video of the Around the Bay Road Race from the Spectator, you can see The Joggler at the start. I'm wearing yellow and running at the front in the bottom right. It's really hard to tell that I'm juggling. I had to watch it a few times to be sure it was me, and then pinched myself to make sure that that this whole joggling thing wasn't just a dream.

I will try to write a race report shortly. Thanks to everyone who cheered along the course. And thanks especially to Dianne for bringing the kids out to watch their eccentric dad joggle into the history books (not sure which history books yet – perhaps The Complete History of Endurance Joggling?).

Joggler a complete klutz

Today's joggling plan: 8 miles

I am a total klutz.

True, I have joggled a half-marathon without dropping a ball in one hour and 22 minutes; I can juggle five objects and perform dozens of juggling tricks. I can stand on top of a stability ball and do squats.

But three recent incidents have convinced me that when I’m not trying to do something that takes coordination, I’m a klutzy dork.

1) The other day I was joggling on a 22-mile long run. At one point I wanted to cross the street, but had to step over a little metal barrier, so I stopped joggling and went to step over the obstacle. Bam! My knee smashed right into it. When I got home I discovered that my running tights were covered in blood from a big gash in my leg.

2) After joggling home from work through ice and snow a couple of weeks ago. I made it safely to my house, but when I stopped joggling and went to walk between two parked cars. Wham! I slipped on a patch of ice and smashed my shoulder into the road.

3) A couple of nights ago, I spent about an hour working on a 5-ball juggling routine. I went upstairs to brush my teeth and at the top of the stairs … BONK! My head cracked loudly into the door frame leading into the bathroom. I was left with a swelling and bleeding cut on my left eyebrow.