Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jan 08, 2012

Previous WeekRecent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesSasha Pachev's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageMonth ViewYear View
Graph View
Next Week
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
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
75.050.0014.150.0089.20
Green Crocs 2 Miles: 89.00
Night Sleep Time: 48.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 49.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to a confirmation in my old ward with Benjamin, then took everybody to our regular set of church meetings. Got called as a Ward Mission Leader. Had good lessons in Sunday school and in the Elders' quorum. The Sunday school lesson talked about Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel. I remembered that it was the discussion of those three that finally helped Benjamin find in himself what it took to break the 6:00 mile for the first time. One brother in his 80s commented that he considered it a "compliment" to get a wayward child. Means the Lord chose your family to give that spirit the best chance. Then in the Elders quorum we talked about George Albert Smith. He was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1903. Back then they often just announced your calling over the pulpit without talking to you first with the assumption that you were faithful enough to accept, and General Conference sessions could take place on a work day. So he was at work and could not attend when his calling was announced. He came home, and there were people gathered around his house to congratulate him on being called as an apostle. 

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.750.001.250.0014.00

A.M. 2 with Jenny and Julia, 8 with Benjamin going 6 the usual way, 2 alone. Did 0.25 pickup to catch Benjamin after a VPB in 86 up the canyon. On the way down ran a mile in 5:21. The road had some snow on it, especially in the first half, which I ran in 2:44. Second half was 2:37.

P.M. 1 with Jacob, and 1 with Joseph. Another Jacob who is in our ward, is 11 years old, and wants to run the Utah Valley Half Marathon came to train with us and ran 2 miles. I will call him from now the older Jacob.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 14.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.500.003.500.0014.00

A.M. Tempo workout today. Extended my baby uphill strength training step to 1.5 miles. Ran it in 8:58.0. First 0.5 I did not have the headwind, and coasted through it in 2:51. Then the headwind hit, and I slowed down to 6:07 pace. I do not think the headwind was necessarily too bad, although it was a factor. I experienced a loss of strength as well that was not wind-related, I think. All of a sudden I felt like I was jogging, but I could not go any faster. And I could not breath the air quite right, I felt l that whatever I was breathing was not making it to the muscles. Maybe a side effect of mild dehydration - I had a minor diarrhea yesterday. Also the temperature was around 20 F, which makes it difficult to breathe, but I do not think it was just the temperature - I had a funny feeling coming from the heart yesterday at the end of the PM run when the temperature was 36F. It was no big deal, but I could feel that the heart was doing something sub-optimal, and it was still doing it today. I had the same feeling during the 2 mile tempo coming back as well. The first mile was 5:20, which was not bad considering that parts of it were on snow, but the second mile was weak - I did three quarters in 82 each, and then ran 78 as Benjamin pulled me in the last quarter, but that 78 required a heroic effort. Total time was 10:44.5. Benjamin did a total of 6.

2 with Jenny and Julia, 2 more alone, total of 12.

P.M. 2 with the older Jacob, my Jacob did 1, Joseph did 1 after that.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 14.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

A.M. Total of 12. Some with the the kids. Benjamin did 6, Jenny and Julia 2.

P.M. 1 with Jacob, 1 with Joseph.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 14.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.002.000.0013.00

A.M. Total of 12. Benjamin did 6, Jenny and Julia 2. I did a tempo run to check if Tuesday was just a temporary problem, or maybe something else was going on. Ran down the Provo Canyon. It was cold, there were patches of snow, but there was a nice tailwind. I got 10:30.3 for 2 miles with the splits of 81, 78, 77, 79 (5:15), 80, 79, 79, 77 (5:15). Benjamin was concerned about his ankle, so he did not help me in the last quarter. I think with his help I might have run a couple of seconds faster. So I suppose Tuesday was just a fluke, possibly diarrhea related.

P.M. 1 with Joseph and the older Jacob. My son Jacob fell on the stairs and cut his tongue. So he did not run today so as to not raise the blood pressure and flow without need.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.001.000.0014.00

A.M. Total of 12. 6 with Benjamin, 2 with Jenny and Julia. Did a post-VPB pickup for a mile uphill, the wind was quite solid, but I managed 5:56.

P.M. 1 with the older Jacob and my son Jacob, 1 with Joseph.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 14.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.800.006.400.0020.20

A.M. Total of 20.2. Ran a good part of it with Chad. Did a 6 mile tempo run with Chad joining me for portions of it. 2 down the canyon, then 2 back up, and 2 more down. Paced Chad through the first 1.5, the mile split was 5:44, missed 1.5, though. Second mile was 5:36, (11:20), then turned around, and had a hard time with the headwind. Thought maybe I was out of shape. Struggled through the next 2 miles in 6:26 each (24:13 at 4). Thought that the last two would not be very good, I'd be lucky to go 5:50. But I was able to shift gears and get going. First quarter was 90, but after that it was quite solid. 5:38 for the 5th mile, and then the last mile with the quarters of 82, 82, 80, 79 - 5:32, and 35:13 for the total time. Odd. The wind did not feel that strong, I've been able to hit 6:00 pace into something similar lately, I thought. After the first 12.2 ran 1 with the Jacobs, my son Jacob got 8:39, a new mile PR, 1 with Joseph, and 6 with Benjamin. Jenny and Julia ran 2. Benjamin and I got caught by two BYU guys and we joined them. They provided a nice wild shield. They were going around 7:00 at first, then picked it up to 6:15. We ran a quarter in 93 with them and a little more to our turnaround. It sure felt easier behind them than in the tempo run, even though that was faster and mile 17 for me.

Green Crocs 2 Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
75.050.0014.150.0089.20
Green Crocs 2 Miles: 89.00
Night Sleep Time: 48.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 49.00
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: