Breaking the Wall

March 28, 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: 133.01 Year: 776.88
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
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.754.000.003.2516.00

Got up in the morning, read the scriptures, and drove to the Provo Canyon hoping to catch some tailwind for my downhill speed workout. Turned out this time I could not have both - the wind was blowing into the canyon. Parked at the Canyon View Park as usual.

Warmed up to the Canyon Glen Park. 4x100 strides. Then 8x300 down with 200 recovery. Averaged 49.9 into a mild headwind. Then ran to the car, and put on ankle weights. Jogged a mile, tooks the weights off, and started another session of 8x300.

The head wind picked up quite a bit, so I had a hard time telling if I slowed down because my legs were tired, or it was just the head wind. The form felt better, however. I averaged 50.7 with the last one in 48.6.

Jogged a bit to recover, and then ran a light 2 mile tempo up to get my jacket. With the tail wind it was 11:42. This tempo is actually a good recovery after the intervals. If you start it soon enough after the last interval, you actually feel better towards the end instead of being more tired.

Put on my jacket, and started a return tempo back to the car into a head wind. 1.5 miles in 8:28.

In the afternoon, did my always on the run, and ran with Benjamin. Also followed Benjamin pushing a double stroller with Jennifer and Joseph as he rode his bike. Probably got in about 0.5 miles of tempo doing it - Benjamin is getting faster on a bike and the stroller is heavy, although we've fixed the flat tires. Total of 16 miles for the day.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From MikeBro on Mon, Apr 10, 2006 at 23:22:23

Sasha--Thanks for the comments in my blog. My half PR was at the Indy Mini last year. I got a preferred start in Corral A (directly behind the elites) based on my 5K PR. I shouldn't have been up that far, as my 5K PR relates very poorly to my half ability. But I didn't have to struggle through crowds and got on-pace right away. And the Mini is flat as a pancake.

From ultrajim on Wed, Apr 12, 2006 at 07:45:47

Sasha-Recovery from the BSTM on Saturday is going fine. I took Sunday and Monday off, but ran some trails yesterday. I was a little sore, but that's to be expected after something like that. Don't know if I could pop off a 7:15 mile like George did, but I could ceratinly give it a try.

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