Breaking the Wall

April 20, 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: 870.94
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
Tue, Mar 22, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.370.000.000.5012.87

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-03-22 06:57:16
Workout Totals: Distance12.869Time1:47:12.20Pace8:19.82
This morning Benjamin and I headed to the track to do 3x500 with full rest. It was raining, not too hard, but the conditions were not the best for this type of workout as the goal was to edge a little closer to the sub-2:00 target. So we decided to postpone the workout until he got back from class in hopes of better weather. I ran with Joseph and Jacob in the morning.

It was dry in the evening, but still cold and windy. Not ideal conditions for our workout, but by that time we did not have much of a choice - either fight the cold and the wind, or lose a workout this week. So we did the workout. I did the last 200 with Benjamin on each interval, more like I made an effort to run with him, but every time got dropped.

His first interval was 1:17.7 (47.3, 30.4). I thought that was pretty good for the wind, but he was able to speed up on the second - 1:16.2 (46.8, 29.4), and even more on the third - 1:14.0 (44.2, 29.8) with the help of the Orem High football team watching. I suggested we should bring all of Jenny's friends to his next workout, with girls there he would really move.

I think the wind calmed down some and it got somewhat warmer as the workout progressed. My 200 splits were 32.6, 31.4, 31.0. The last one was an old man track PR. Good to know I have not lost quite as much speed as it started to appear. But I still have ways to go to get to my PR of 27.5 at the ages of 17 and 31. I noticed that running 31.0 my stride became wider and more relaxed, the improvement in speed did not seem to come from increased turnover or perceived increase in effort. That is actually what I have observed in the past in general about running faster - when the improvement comes, it always is connected with being more relaxed, it appears that the muscles rather than just being stronger in and of themselves are working better together thus producing more power through a better coordination of effort.
Leg 1:Distance3.800Time31:09.20Pace8:11.89
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:53.40Pace7:58.35
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance1.496Time12:29.60Pace8:21.07
Warm-up, strides.
Split 1:Distance1.000Time7:53.60Pace7:53.60
Cumilative:Distance1.000Time7:53.60Pace7:53.60
Split 2:Distance0.062Time0:16.20Pace4:21.29
Cumilative:Distance1.062Time8:09.80Pace7:41.21
Split 3:Distance0.062Time0:46.80Pace12:34.84
Cumilative:Distance1.124Time8:56.60Pace7:57.40
Split 4:Distance0.062Time0:17.80Pace4:47.10
Cumilative:Distance1.186Time9:14.40Pace7:47.45
Split 5:Distance0.310Time3:15.20Pace10:29.68
Cumilative:Distance1.496Time12:29.60Pace8:21.07
Leg 4:Distance0.204Time1:19.90Pace6:31.67
Benjamin's 500, my 200, interval 1.
Split 1:Distance0.080Time0:47.30Pace9:51.25
Cumilative:Distance0.080Time0:47.30Pace9:51.25
Split 2:Distance0.124Time0:32.60Pace4:22.90
Cumilative:Distance0.204Time1:19.90Pace6:31.67
Leg 5:Distance0.930Time9:09.30Pace9:50.65
Recovery.
Leg 6:Distance0.205Time1:18.20Pace6:21.46
Interval 2.
Split 1:Distance0.080Time0:46.80Pace9:45.00
Cumilative:Distance0.080Time0:46.80Pace9:45.00
Split 2:Distance0.125Time0:31.40Pace4:11.20
Cumilative:Distance0.205Time1:18.20Pace6:21.46
Leg 7:Distance0.930Time8:56.20Pace9:36.56
Recovery.
Leg 8:Distance0.204Time1:15.20Pace6:08.63
Interval 3.
Split 1:Distance0.080Time0:44.20Pace9:12.50
Cumilative:Distance0.080Time0:44.20Pace9:12.50
Split 2:Distance0.124Time0:31.00Pace4:10.00
Cumilative:Distance0.204Time1:15.20Pace6:08.63
Leg 9:Distance1.100Time9:41.20Pace8:48.36
Cool-down.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.87
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
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