Kurt Siefken Joggling Interview – Treadmill Inspired Joggler

In an attempt to become the central worldwide hub for all things joggling, I spend time investigating all daily mentions of joggling.  That’s how I stumbled upon Kurt Siefken’s website and blog Mercury Worm.  He’s written some highly amusing tales of public joggling that you must read.  He graciously agreed to be interviewed on JYAJ today.

Introduction

My name is Kurt Siefken, but most of my friends call me Tank. I am a 32 year old web developer (always looking for freelance work). I’ve lived all over the country, but currently reside in Charlottesville, Virginia.

JYAJ:  What is the story of how you learned to juggle?

I learned to juggle in my high school photography class. One day while waiting for my film to develop, I saw three film canisters sitting on the counter. I thought, “I wonder if I could juggle those.” I’ve been juggling ever since.

JYAJ:  When did you start joggling?

I started joggling about a year and a half ago. I was running on the treadmill every day after work. I got really bored with this routine after a while. So one day I grabbed some old hacky sacks and started juggling them on the treadmill. I think I only joggled one mile that first day, but I thought it was hilarious. I was immediately hooked, and couldn’t wait to run each night.

I had a bit of a hard time with the transition from joggling on the treadmill to joggling outside. I wasn’t sure what people would think, and I really don’t like all the attention. In fact, the first couple times I joggled in public, I would drop every single time I saw somebody. It was obviously just nerves and lack of concentration. It’s funny when I think back at it. Now, I love joggling on popular running routes.

JYAJ:  How many races have you done while joggling?

I actually haven’t joggled any races yet. I tend to choose races that are out of my comfort zone for running, so joggling isn’t really an option. For example, last year I did my first marathon. It was tough enough to run, and I certainly wasn’t ready to joggle it.

But I incorporate as much joggling as I can during my training. I found that by joggling, my running has gotten much better.

JYAJ:  What is your best story about joggling?

I think my favorite memory of joggling is a woman who just burst out laughing when she saw me. I was doing an 8 mile out-and-back along a tough mountain road. There was a woman walking along the road who was amazed when she saw me juggling. She said something about how crazy it is for people to run along this road, and now here was someone juggling.

About a half hour later I passed her again in the other direction. As soon as she saw me, she just burst out laughing. Pretty much all she could say was, “It’s you again!” Jogglers hear all kinds of amusing comments from passersby, but it was really fun to see someone just burst into hysterics.

JYAJ:  How long do you think you will keep joggling?

I hope to be joggling as long as I can run. It is a great total body workout, and it burns a lot of calories. It can also make a routine run much more interesting.

JYAJ:  Do you eat a special diet?

The one thing I try to watch is my potassium. I have a lot of calf problems, so I get as much potassium as I can. I load up on orange juice, bananas, and potatoes whenever possible.

JYAJ:  Where do you see the sport of joggling in 10 years?

I think joggling is becoming less of a novelty, and more respected. Pretty much every large race I’ve been to, there has been a joggler there. I have a lot of friends around the country who will email me and say, “hey, I saw a joggler the other day…” I’m really looking forward to the day when I’m out joggling in some random spot, and I’ll find some other joggler coming the other direction.

JYAJ:  Do you have any advice for would-be jogglers?

This world needs more interesting people. Don’t worry about drops or speed. Just go out and have fun!

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Great advice Tank and we here at JYAJ completely agree.  The world does need more interesting people.  If you’d like to contact Tank about his joggling or his freelance web design work leave a comment on his excellent website Mercury Worm.

Follow this link if you want to see interviews with other jogglers.