Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jan 01, 2012

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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: 25.00 Year: 668.87
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
71.750.004.501.7578.00
Green Crocs 2 Miles: 78.00
Night Sleep Time: 119.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 119.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest.Went to church. The talks in the Sacrament meeting were on setting goals. Then the lesson in Sunday school was on the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This year the topic is the Book of Mormon in the entire church. Last year it was New Testament, but I missed most of those classes due to serving as the ward mission leader and spending the time in the investigator and new member class. The lesson in the Elders' quorum was on President Monson's message in the Ensign. He talked about using faith in Christ to maintain a positive outlook on life, and having the courage to try again. Very relevant for me.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.750.001.000.2512.00

A.M. Did 1 with Jacob, 1 with Joseph, 2 with Jenny and Julia, 6 with Benjamin and 2 myself. I took Benjamin for 3 out, then he waited for me to go a mile out and back, and rejoined me. I decided to do a pickup for a mile down the canyon, and ran it in 5:22. It did not feel too easy or too hard. Then at the very end I had Benjamin pace me through the first 200 of the uphill quarter, and did it in 75. A small improvement. Total of 12 miles.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 81.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 81.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.750.003.250.0012.00

A.M. Did 1 with Jacob, 1 with Joseph, 2 with Jenny and Julia, then took Benjamin with him doing 6 while I did 8. Increased the length of my strength building baby step to 1.25 miles and ran it up the canyon in 7:23.4. Felt good, but decided not to push it further and save the strength for the downhill run. On the way down I was expecting between 10:38 and 10:42, and thought that I might even regress to something like 10:48-10:50 and was willing to take that in stride but I was pleasantly surprised. The quarter splits were 79, 78, 76, 79 (5:12), 79.5, 80, 78.5, 76 (5:14) with 10:26.2 total. Benjamin pulled me through the last 500 meters. The pace felt good, I felt in control. The form felt good as well. This was a surprise - my best run for 3 miles last summer was 15:33 (5:11 pace). That was in shorts, and with the first mile being a bit steeper, which made it a nice 5:07. So my last 2 in that run ended up being 10:26, just like today, and from what I remember I put in more effort into it. This run today shows the fitness is close to that level. I was expecting the progress in the recovery from sickness to plateau some after 10:44 last Tuesday, but it continued. Well, I must have done something right. Total of 12 miles.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A.M. 1 with Jacob, 1 with Joseph, 2 with Jenny and Julia, then 8 more with 6 of it with Benjamin on the usual route. Total of 12.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.500.000.001.5012.00

A.M. Total of 12. 2 with Julia, 1 with Jacob and Jenny, 1 with Joseph. Then 8 more with Benjamin doing 6 the usual way. I did 6x400 on the way back. First 5 down the Provo Canyon with 200 recovery. The splits were 72.6 - 71.4 - 70.4 - 70.3 - 70.5. Then the last one was with full recovery and on the standard uphill stretch by the house. I hit my fastest time on it so far - 74.4. Starting to feel more power in the legs.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.750.000.250.0012.00

A.M. Total of 12. 2 with Jenny and Julia, 1 with Jacob, 1 with Joseph, 8 more with Benjamin joining me for 6 the usual way. 

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

A.M. Too much snow for tempo work today. 7-8 years ago I would have pushed it through regardless. But I am smarter now, I think. Tempo runs are effective not so much because they give you strength or endurance, but because they teach you to be efficient at race pace in a race-specific environment. A tempo on snow teaches you to be efficient on snow. I usually do not race on snow, and when the unfortunate circumstance of that does comes around I do not care to get an edge in that situation anyway. So running on snow is valuable to me only for general aerobic and strength conditioning, and I decided to use it as just that. Ran total of 18. First 10 in 1:11:33. Then 1 with Jacob in 8:49, 1 with Joseph in 8:26, and 6 with Benjamin in 46:37. Jenny and Julia did 2 in the Jacob/Joseph pair run.  Benjamin ended a record mileage week of 36 miles. 

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 18.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
71.750.004.501.7578.00
Green Crocs 2 Miles: 78.00
Night Sleep Time: 119.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 119.50
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