Showing posts with label bloggler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bloggler. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Just Your Average Joggler interview


Who knew the new iPhone was also a treadmill? (Thanks to Blog on a Toothpick for this.)

And back to joggling. Perry Romanowski is running a series of joggler interviews on his blog, "Just Your Average Joggler." A couple of days ago, yours truly was featured. And now, through the wonders of the Internet, here is a link to an interview that I did with another joggler that he posted on his joggling blog and that I am now linking to from my joggling blog:

JOGGLING INTERVIEW WITH MICHAL KAPRAL

Perry's blog is very informative, and I strongly urge all of you masses of joggling fans to check it out on a regular basis. It's updated almost every day. And talk about dedication to the sport: Perry has gone for a joggle every single day for the past 171 days!

Friday, June 1, 2007

In The Long Run


A couple of weeks ago at the Toronto Reebok Run Easy event, I met Lee Hewitt, a web editor at the Toronto Sun. Lee, who recently qualified for the Boston Marathon, writes a great running blog on - you guessed it - the Toronto Sun website.

The blog also has a great name: In The Long Run. I'm not sure if Lee intended this, but this is a line from the excellent Rush song, Marathon:


It's a test of ultimate will
The heartbreak climb uphill
Got to pick up the pace
If you want to stay in the race
More than blind ambition
More than simple greed
More than a finish line
Must feed this burning need
In the long run...

Lee published a nice photo of my custom Sport Juggling
Co
. joggling beanbags in his latest entry, and will soon be running an interview
(I hope I didn't say anything stupid).

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Joggler on YouTube at last!


Zach's friend Emily sent along this clip (including her cheering) of me and Zach duking it out in Salt Lake. Note the film crews in golf carts. I'm hoping the golf cart footage makes it look like we're running faster - this video makes it look like we're out for an easy stroll.

Monday, April 9, 2007

PRESS RELEASE: The Salt Lake City joggle-off

World Record Up for Grabs as ‘Joggling’ Rivals Face Off at Salt Lake City Marathon
TORONTO – The masters of multi-tasking, Michal “The Joggler” Kapral of Toronto and Zach “The Jolly Juggler” Warren of West Virginia, will race for Guinness World Record glory in a “joggling” showdown at the Salt Lake City Marathon on April 21, 2007.

Kapral, 34, senior editor at Captivate Network, and Warren, 25, a laughter researcher at Harvard, will each juggle three beanbags every step of the way as they race against each other along the scenic 26.2-mile marathon course.

The two elite jogglers have been tossing the world record back and forth in a fierce but friendly rivalry since Kapral first set the mark in 2005, with a time of 3 hours and 7 minutes.

Warren edged out Kapral’s record by just 41 seconds two months later at the Philadelphia Marathon and the stage was set for the first ever joggling marathon duel at the famed Boston Marathon. Warren and Kapral attracted international media attention in their marathon joggle-off, with Warren crossing the line first in a new world-record time of 2 hours and 58 minutes.

Kapral stole the record back with a 2:57 performance at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in September 2006. But Warren – with a documentary film crew at his side – again joggled the record back into American hands with a stunning 2:52 in Philadelphia.

“Marathon joggling is a funny sport,” says Kapral, “but this record is seriously difficult. Salt Lake is going to see a no-holds-barred joggling battle and I really want to take the record back.”

Both jogglers are raising money for children’s charities. Kapral is accepting donations for A Run For Liane in support of The Hospital for Sick Children’s new childhood cancer research centre in Toronto, and Warren, also a unicyclist and circus performer, is collecting funds for the Afghan Mobile Mini-Circus for Children, an NGO based in Kabul (http://www.unicycle4kids.org/).

Kapral, a father of two girls, holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest joggling 10K (36 minutes and 27 seconds) and also the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon pushing a baby in a stroller (2 hours and 49 minutes). He won the Toronto Marathon in 2002 (without juggling) in a personal-best time of 2:30. Kapral writes a popular blog called The Bloggling Joggler.

Warren is a Divinity graduate student at Harvard and has been studying the healing effects of laughter on children in Afghanistan. Warren holds the world records for the fastest mile on a unicycle and the fastest mile on a unicycle while juggling three objects.

Guinness World Records rules state that if the joggler drops a ball, he must return to the drop point before continuing. The balls must be juggled continuously in traditional cascade pattern.

HIGH-RES PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Contact: Michal or Dianne Kapral at T:416-690-8887 or C:416-573-3036, thejoggler1@gmail.com.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Smoking and joggling don't mix


Today's joggling plan: 6 miles (home from work)

While I love that fact that Toronto has banned smoking in bars and restaurants, it means that all of those smokers are now hanging around puffing on city sidewalks.

Joggling through downtown Toronto, I do a lot of dodging and weaving around smokers – so much so, in fact, that even while juggling I can spot a lit cigarette from a block away, and take appropriate avoidance measures. There's nothing worse than inhaling a big lungful of tobacco smoke while joggling at high speed.

I'm going to lobby the government for a ban on smoking within 15 metres of all passing jogglers.

The Around the Bay 30K is in two days. My nerves are joggling around like crazy.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

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.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

BREAKING NEWS: Sport Juggling Company sponsors The Joggler

Today's joggling plan: 0 miles (sore ankle needs rest)
I've got balls!
Sport Juggling Company, maker of the world-famous Sport balls, is now The Joggler's official sponsor for joggling beanbags. They'll be producing an 85 g custom marathon joggling beanbag for me. I can't wait to give these a test run.
This is my first official joggling sponsorship. Reebok has been sponsoring me for shoes and apparel for three years, but I signed on with them based solely on my running, in my pre-Joggler days.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Look Mom – The Joggler!


Today's joggling plan: 6 miles (home from a restaurant)

One of the highlights of being a joggler is watching kids' reactions.

On yesterday's joggle home from work, I was doing speedwork and joggled at full throttle past a mother and her daughter, who appeared to be about seven or eight years old. As I approached, I heard the mother say "Look at that! That is cool!" And after I had passed by, I heard the daughter say "I know Mom, that's The Joggler!" Somehow this young girl had heard about me, but not her mother.

In general, the kids have a much less restrained reaction to joggling than the adults. They do a lot of yelling and exclaiming at high volume, which always makes me laugh. The other day, I joggled past a long lineup of teenagers outside some kind of concert venue. One guy near the front of the line pointed at me as I joggled toward them and yelled, at the top of his lungs: "The man is running and juggling!!!" Suddenly, the whole lineup erupted into cheers and applause. I couldn't believe it: the exact demographic that I expected would taunt, jeer and possibly beat up The Joggler were clapping and cheering. Toronto rocks.

My wife called to let me know that my Guinness World Records certificate arrived in the mail today for the 10K joggling record. When I get home tonight, I'm going to raise it above my head and let out a barbaric Braveheart yawp.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Joggler not a normal neighbour

Today's joggling plan: 6 miles (home from work)

My neighbours think I'm nuts.

They thought I was eccentric even before I began my joggling career, because I was running all the time. They'd be out fixing up their houses or trimming their hedges or doing some other normal thing, and I'd be heading out for a run, usually wearing a tiny amount of clothing, as we runners are apt to do.

Now that I'm The Joggler, things have gone even further off the "crazy neighbour" charts.

A typical scenario: My neighbour and I are both heading out the door at the same time.

"Hey Michal," the neighbour says. "I'm going to play hockey with the boys and then it's off to a pub for a few brewskis afterward."

"Cool," says The Joggler. "I'm going to go running while juggling these three yellow beanbags for three-hours wearing short shorts in the middle of the winter ... alone. See ya!"

Monday, March 12, 2007

Joggler feels the weight of Canadian pop culture on his shoulders

Today's planned joggle: 6 miles (home from work)

My legs and shoulders are both feeling pulverized today after yesterday's 24-mile joggling jaunt. Today's joggle will be a very easy recovery run.

Unfortunately, my backpack will be heavier than usual because I bought a few clothes at lunchtime that I need to cart home, and I also need to take home my book – JPod by Douglas Coupland – so I can read it on the subway tomorrow. So far, JPod is good, but even the paperback version is a little above the weight limit for a joggler's backpack.

Since I began running home from work, I've chosen both my wardrobe and reading materials based on weight. Heavy jackets and pants are out, as are thick-soled shoes. Vikram Seth, Wally Lamb and Tolstoy will never find their way into my knapsack.

I started up a discussion on Running Mania about runners who commute on two legs, so I know I'm not alone here.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Bloggling on Google

Today's planned joggle: 6 miles (home from work)

A recent Googling of the word "bloggling" puts The Bloggling Joggler's blog at No. 2, just behind a site for people with mental illness (somehow fitting). This is somehow very exciting to me. There are very few jogglers in the world, and there are even fewer blogglers, but I'm going to keep joggling, juggling, joggling and bloggling until my arms, legs, fingers and brain ache.

Now, I'm off for my commute, a 10K "easy" joggle home from work – or as easy as it gets running through downtown Toronto while juggling and wearing a backpack.