|
Name:
| |
Ralph Kidner
| |  |
|
City / State:
| |
Leeds
| |
|
Country:
| |
United Kingdom
| |
|
Website:
| |
N/A
| |
|
Email:
| |
Ralph-DOT-Kidner-AT-ntlworld-DOT-com
| |
|
Background Info
|
I run a 10k race in Leeds each year called the Abbey Dash. In November 2007 I managed to break through the 50 minute barrier,
which was a significant achievement for me. I didn’t then want to just keep aiming to shave seconds off my PB, so I thought
“what can I do to make this more interesting?”.
The idea popped into my head in early 2008, having seen people juggling while running marathons, etc, that I’d like to give that a try -
because I’d been juggling on and off for nearly 20 years and always enjoyed that.
In an amazing example of synchronicity, when I spoke to a work colleague about this, he said “I worked with someone in the States [Perry Romanowski] who was a serious joggler … ”.
That must have been the first time I’d heard the term “joggling
|
|
|
How long have you been Joggling?
|
I used to be a sprinter at school (100 yds and 220 yds as it was then), although towards the end I started doing “cross country”
(which was actually just running around the local streets), basically because I didn’t like cricket and also it meant I could
leave at normal finishing time and see a girl I liked on the bus.
In the early 80’s I took up “jogging”. 1983 was my big year, when I worked my way up from a 3 mile fun run, through 5 mile, 10k,
10 mile races, a half marathon, and finally managed a full marathon at the end of the year. After that, apart from one rather
informal 10k with a group of friends at the end of the 80’s, I didn’t enter any organised events for another 18 years, although
I did carry on jogging round the local streets … on and off, when I felt like it.
I learned to juggle around 1989, and loved it straight away. However, it was a bit like my jogging - I went for long periods without doing it at all.
I started joggling early in 2008 … which has rekindled my love of juggling, and I’m currently going to a local
juggling club 2 or 3 times a month, and I have a “15 minutes juggling a day” agreement with myself.
|
|
|
What's been the biggest problem to overcome?
|
Embarrassment - doing it in public! - was the first hurdle, although now I’m quite happy with the attention I get.
The next problem was figuring out what balls were suitable. When I started I was using a set that (I realise now) were too
small and too light - I was imparting too much kinetic energy to them and they were also very easily blown about by the wind.
I’m now using 2.5” 115g “thuds” which I find just right.
But the biggest challenge has been simply not dropping the balls! When I joggled my first 10k I dropped the balls 82 times.
Since then I have been making steady progress, though, and have now managed a number of drop-free 5k’s (my best drop-free 5k time to date being 28:41).
|
|
|
Any ambitions?
|
|
My immediate goal is to joggle a 10k without any drops sometime this year (2009).
Beyond that, I just want to keep on joggling for as long as my body lets me!
|
|
|
Where can we see you joggling?
|
Through the summer, I’ll be joggling home from work once or twice a week, usually either along Kirkstall Road
or up through Hyde Park and Headingley, although sometimes I might go up Meanwood Road or along the canal
towpath. At the weekend you might see me joggling up Otley Road to Golden Acre Park.
Most Saturday mornings you will see me taking part in an organised 5k run around Hyde Park. [This is Leeds by the way - not London!]
I’m currently entered for two 10k’s so far in 2009 - the Leeds 10k (Jane Tomlinson “Run For All”) on 21st June and “Run In The Park” in Sheffield on 12th July.
All being well I will be doing at least a couple more later in the year too.
|
|
|
|