Breaking the Wall

April 23, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

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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to Ukraine's Armed Forces

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

Sat, Jul 10, 2010

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
16.33	4.37	1.50	0.50	22.70

A.M. 20.2 with Jeff in 2:19:07. Did some tempo running in the second half. From 11.4, 2.5 in 13:53 (5:41, 5:35, 5:14 pace for 0.5, 5:33 avg), then the last 3.87 in 22:24 (5:47 pace avg., last mile in 5:37). It started getting hot at the end, but I managed to survive. I fell back with a quarter to go, but then kick for the last 200 and caught up.

P.M. 0.5 with Jacob, Joseph, and Benjamin in 4:28. 2 with Benjamin in 15:51.

Eva Clogs Blue Miles: 22.70

Night Sleep Time: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

Comments

From Colby Park on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 07:28:14 from 84.11.139.234

Sasha, this is Colby Park again with another running question for you. I appreciate your help and advice in answering the questions of a novice runner. I am curious about heart rate training. I have tried to read what I can online to get a better idea, but it seems that you are able to explain things more simply. Maybe this could be an idea for a new page on you website? I signed up for my first marathon in Rome next March. I thought i would try and use a heart rate monitor as I train and just was curious if you could explain techniques I should use. My email address is colby.park@gmail.com if that is easier to respond to. thanks Sasha!

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 12:11:01 from 192.168.1.1

Colby:

When it is functioning properly, HRM is useful only a secondary tool to confirm your sense of effort. All of the "expert" guidelines for using an HRM that give you specific numbers and percentages are essentially useless. You need to know what it means if your HR is at a certain value at a certain temperature at a given point in your run, and you cannot know that without knowing your body. E.g if I see HR of 155 at 6:00 pace with the temperature of 60 F, it is almost guaranteed that I have a cold. For another runner of my capability, this could actually be normal. Seeing 90% of max HR in a marathon for many runners could indicate they are headed for disaster. For me, it is normal.

So basically what you do is monitor your HR when you run and notice patterns. Overtime you develop a sense what is normal and what is not, what is good and what is bad.

HRM is also useful for diagnosing limiting factors. E.g. if HR drifts up and you are slowing down, your limit is cardio/aerobic. But if you are slowing down and HR is dropping or stuck at a sub-maximal value, the problem is neural drive, or possibly just mental.

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