Breaking the Wall

April 24, 2024

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Location:

Orem,UT,United States

Member Since:

Jan 27, 1986

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Best marathon: 2:23:57 (2007, St. George). Won the Top of Utah Marathon twice (2003,2004). Won the USATF LDR circuit in Utah in 2006.

Draper Days 5 K 15:37 (2004)

Did not know this until June 2012, but it turned out that I've been running with spina bifida occulta in L-4 vertebra my entire life, which explains the odd looking form, struggles with the top end speed, and the poor running economy (cannot break 16:00 in 5 K without pushing the VO2 max past 75).  

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for the US Olympic Trials. With the standard of 2:19 on courses with the elevation drop not exceeding 450 feet this is impossible unless I find an uncanny way to compensate for the L-4 defect with my muscles. But I believe in miracles.

Long-Term Running Goals:

2:08 in the marathon. Become a world-class marathoner. This is impossible unless I find a way to fill the hole in L-4 and make it act healthy either by growing the bone or by inserting something artificial that is as good as the bone without breaking anything important around it. Science does not know how to do that yet, so it will take a miracle. But I believe in miracles.

Personal:

I was born in 1973. Grew up in Moscow, Russia. Started running in 1984 and so far have never missed more than 3 consecutive days. Joined the LDS Church in 1992, and came to Provo, Utah in 1993 to attend BYU. Served an LDS mission from 1994-96 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Got married soon after I got back. My wife Sarah and I are parents of eleven children: Benjamin, Jenny, Julia, Joseph, Jacob, William, Stephen, Matthew,  Mary,  Bella.  and Leigha. We home school our children.

I am a software engineer/computer programmer/hacker whatever you want to call it, and I am currently working for RedX. Aside from the Fast Running Blog, I have another project to create a device that is a good friend for a fast runner. I called it Fast Running Friend.

Favorite Quote:

...if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

 

Favorite Blogs:
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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 882.94
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 640.15
Bare Feet Lifetime Miles: 450.37
Nike Double Stroller Lifetime Miles: 124.59
Brown Crocs 4 Lifetime Miles: 1334.06
Amoji 1 Lifetime Miles: 732.60
Amoji 2 Lifetime Miles: 436.69
Amoji 3 Lifetime Miles: 380.67
Lopsie Sports Sandals Lifetime Miles: 818.02
Lopsie Sports Sandals 2 Lifetime Miles: 637.27
Iprome Garden Clogs Lifetime Miles: 346.18
Beslip Garden Clogs Lifetime Miles: 488.26
Joybees 1 Lifetime Miles: 1035.60
Madctoc Clogs Lifetime Miles: 698.29
Blue Crocs Lifetime Miles: 1164.32
Kimisant Black Clogs Lifetime Miles: 720.62
Black Crocs 2023 Lifetime Miles: 1312.70
Wed, Apr 16, 2014
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.100.001.000.0012.10

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2014-04-16 07:44:07
Workout Totals
Distance Time Pace
12.098 1:35:44.50 7:54.83
Total of 12. Benjamin did 9, Jenny 4, Julia 3, Joseph and Jacob 3, William 1. Benjamin's friend and classmate Dave came to run with us. We went to the track. First Jacob ran 800 time trial and set a new PR of 3:03. We all paced him. Then Benjamin and I paced Dave through a mile time trial which he did in 5:46.9. Then we ran some more. I pushed Matthew in the stroller in the last 3 miles. Details below.
Leg 1
Distance Time Pace Comment
1.1 9:33.40. 8:41.27 To the track with the gang.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 1.100 9:33.40 8:41.27  
Leg 2
Distance Time Pace Comment
0.498 3:03.00. 6:07.47 Jacob opened crazy fast - 19 seconds for the first 100, but I did not want to hold him back. I learned from past experiences that when you hold back a little kid he does worse. He would do better if he paced himself, but if you force him to control his adrenaline for one reason or another he runs slower. So I just surreptitiously stepped forward and gradually soft-pedaled the pace to a more sane level. But our first 200 was still 42. After 300 in 1:05 I realized that not only Jacob, but maybe even Joseph could get a record today and told Benjamin and Dave to pull Joseph while I stayed with Jacob. At 400 Joseph had 87, Jacob 89. At 500, Joseph 1:50, Jacob 1:53, then 2:15/2:17 at 600. Joseph was mentally not ready for a fast 800 and started spacing out/having an attitude. Joseph is the kid that said when he was 4: "Jacob - you are not lazy. Lazy is when you have the energy to work, but you do not want to work" - we all laughed because of how well we knew that he was speaking from experience. However, Joseph is also very competitive. So having his little brother breath down his neck woke him up and he kicked in the last 100. At 700 we had 2:38/2:40, and Joseph finished with 3:00. Jacob's 3:03 made me very happy. This is a 5.9 second PR, and the family record for 7 and under age division by 13 seconds.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 0.498 3:03.00 6:07.47  
Leg 3
Distance Time Pace Comment
0.5 4:12.00. 8:24.00 Recovery jog with David, Joseph, Jacob, and Benjamin.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 0.500 4:12.00 8:24.00  
Leg 4
Distance Time Pace Comment
1 5:46.90. 5:46.90 Benjamin and I paced David. We opened in 79, too fast, then 84, then David started struggling, so we ran in the 90-92 range.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 1.000 5:46.90 5:46.90  
Leg 5
Distance Time Pace Comment
1 8:41.30. 8:41.30 Back to the house.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 1.000 8:41.30 8:41.30  
Leg 6
Distance Time Pace Comment
5 39:37.20. 7:55.44 With Benjamin. Ran the last quarter uphill in 83.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 5.000 39:37.20 7:55.44  
Leg 7
Distance Time Pace Comment
3 24:50.70. 8:16.90 With Julia pushing Matthew in the stroller.
Split# Distance Time Pace Comment
1 3.000 24:50.70 8:16.90  

Green Crocs 7 Miles: 12.10
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Burt on Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 01:25:05 from 184.101.209.178

Happy birthday!

From Sasha Pachev on Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 07:35:11 from 72.250.218.114

Thanks.

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