Breaking the Wall

Week starting Apr 02, 2006

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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

 

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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
58.659.0010.253.6081.50
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.004.001.000.0015.00

Started the morning with a 1 mile jog. Jogged another mile around 11 am. Then in the afternoon drove to the Provo River Trail and parked at the parking lot on Geneva Road.

My body told me this morning that a 5 mile marathon pace tempo run would be just perfect for recovery. I warmed up 3 miles, and then started the tempo run. From Geneva road to the end of the trail by the Utah Lake and then back. First mile in 5:46. It was way too easy. I knew something was up - probably tail wind. 14:26 at the turnaround, and 23:07 at 4 miles. Around 3 miles into the tempo run I asked my body what it thought about the threshhold pace for the last mile. It communicated it was looking forward to it. So as soon as I reached the 4 mile mark I shifted gears. I love this feeling - the breathing is intense, the heart is pumping, the blood is flowing, the face is twitching, but you feel nevertheless you could hold this for a long time. And I was right about the tail wind on the first mile. Except now it was a head wind.

Nevertheless, I was feeling strong. 5:26 for the last mile, with the last 600 in 1:59. 28:33 for 5 miles.

Then Sarah came and brought the kids. I ran with Benjamin and Jennifer, and then followed Benjamin as he rode his bike. Total length of the run was 12 miles.

Added another always on the run mile in the evening to bring the total to 15.

Legs feel very interesting. They are not sore in a traditional post-marathon sense, but nevertheless I can tell that something is up with them. So while I can move, I need to be careful not to do anything abrupt.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.750.000.250.0013.00

Slept in this morning and missed George and Eric. Ran easy 10 miles in the morning, including the run with Benjamin and Jennifer. Added some always on the run miles during the day and in the evening. On one of them felt like running tempo pace for a quarter, and did it in 1:23. Total for the day 13 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.403.000.003.6013.00

Started the morning with a one mile jog, then went to the temple. It was raining hard went I got back. Waited a couple of hours, it calmed down as I expected. Here it Utah the rain fortunately does not usually last too long.

Drove to the Provo Canyon. Did 10x500 downhill. Fairly strong headwind. Got 14:48.2 for the sum of the intervals, which is a 5 K, 0.3 second faster than last week. On the last one, hit 1:26.3 with the last 200 in 33.5. I guess the marathon did not take that much out of me after all.

Afterwards, 1.5 tempo uphill to get the jacket in 8:44, and the same stretch down at a tempo pace in 8:30 this time I guess to get the whole thing over with quicker. 10.5 miles for the workout.

In the evening, jogged another 1.5 to reach 13 miles for the day.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.500.0013.00

Got up this morning and it was raining hard. Got out, and the last thing I wanted to do was to run 10 miles. Did it anyway.

Ran with Eric and George. We did a 20 seconds fast/20 seconds slow fartlek. I did my magic hop drill during some of the fast ones. At the end of the loop, George extended the interval into a quarter and hit it in about 1:20. He surprised me, so I did not clock him exactly at the start of the quarter. It took me a good tenth of a mile to just catch up - he was going so fast that I had to go through a few gears before I was up to speed.

At the end of the run, I was thoroughly wet and cold. So cold that I asked Sarah to untie my shoes - my hands were too cold. The shower felt very good.

It rained pretty much all day long. Nevertheless, I did my always on the run miles, and ran with Benjamin and Jennifer. Total of 13 miles for the day.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.002.000.500.0013.50

Much better weather today. Ran with Eric and George in the morning. Did the magic hop, and some marathon pace running in the middle. Total length of the morning run 10 miles.

Ran with Benjamin and Jennifer later, and did my "always on the run". Total length 13.5 for the day.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.008.000.0014.00

Went to the Provo Canyon in the morning. Did the "reboot" tempo. The wind was deceptive. It did not feel strong, but the pace pattern indicated it had more impact than it seemed it should.

The wind was blowing out of the canyon, so headwind on the uphill.

Started with 16 100 m strides at tempo pace. Then ran 1.5 uphill in 8:36. Felt the quads were cramping up. Stopped, did a stride downhill, then continued. A mile up in 5:43 for the total of 14:19 for the first 2.5. Again a "reboot" - some jogging and a stride down. Then 2.5 downhill in 12:49 for the total of 27:06 for the 5 miles. When I reached the top, I did not think I would get anywhere close to 27:00. I thought I was just tired and running slow. But it turned out to be just a stronger headwind.

Turned around again and did 14 strides going up. Then a tempo mile down in 5:04. 11 miles for the run.

In the afternoon did my "always on the run" and ran with Benjamin and Jennifer to make it a 14 mile day.

Bought a pair of ankle weights in the evening to work on the hamstring reflex.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
58.659.0010.253.6081.50
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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