Breaking the Wall

Week starting Apr 08, 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
72.9510.0011.500.0094.45
Green Crocs 3 Miles: 94.45
Night Sleep Time: 54.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 54.50
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 resurrection, which is traditional for Easter. One of the speakers was a recently returned missionary. I spent a good portion of the Sunday School lesson in nursery providing company for Stephen. He seemed to have calmed down, but five minutes after I had left the nursery leaders brought him back to me. He behaved very well through the rest of Sunday School and in the Elder's Quorum, where the lesson was on immortality of the soul from the teachings of President George Albert Smith.  I say Stephen is thinking - forget that nursery nonsense, I am ready for the strong meat of the Elder's Quorum.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.600.004.000.0015.60

A.M. Ran the warm-up with Benjamin. I was still bothered by the 6:49 mile on Saturday and wanted to get a better understanding of how it happened. So I repeated the 3 mile uphill tempo. The conditions were similar wind-wise, but it was warmer. The first mile was 5:58, then 6:10, and 6:31 to produce a total of 18:39 for 3 miles. That was more reasonable, especially considering that one quarter was 1:44 when the wind picked up to the point of stopping me dead in my tracks. So without that quarter I averaged 6:20, which is acceptable for that section.

On the way back I decided to stretch my legs with a quick downhill mile, and did it in 5:14. Then I rejoined with Benjamin and we finished the run. Then I added 2 miles with Jenny in 16:53, which is a progress for her as she has been struggling with injuries and growth. Total distance was 12.6 miles. Julia ran 1 mile, recovering from a stomach flu.

P.M.  1 mile with Joseph and Jacob, 2 with Joseph on a bike.

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 15.60
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.002.000.0015.00

A.M. Ran 3 with Benjamin, then he turned around and I ran more. Still felt like I had an ax to grind against the hill and the headwind. So I ran the nasty mile in 6:09 shaking my fist at it. On the way back did it 5:12. Ran home, then added 2 miles with Julia. Jenny did 1, was dealing with a sick stomach. Total of 12 miles.

P.M. 1 with Joseph and Jacob, then 2 more. 

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 15.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.600.004.000.0015.60

A.M. Ran with Jeremy. Did a 4 mile tempo, 2 up and 2 down. Jeremy joined me for the first 0.5 and a middle quarter on the way back. The tempo splits were 5:55, 6:03, 5:29, 5:14 - 22:41.9 for the whole thing. Then ran 2 with Julia - Jenny did 1, and finished 2 more with Benjamin. He ran total of 6. I ended up with 12.6 for the run.

P.M. 1 with Joseph and Jacob, then 2 more alone. 

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 15.60
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.500.0013.00

A.M. Ran with Benjamin and Jeremy. Benjamin did 6, Jeremy 8. Then added 5 more including 2 with Joseph and Julia, and 1 with Jacob. Did a pickup for 0.5 in 2:38.

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.250.000.000.0015.25

A.M. Ran with Benjamin and Jeremy. Benjamin did 6, Jeremy 8. Then I did 2 with Julia, and 2 more alone. Jenny ran 1. Total of 12.

P.M. 3.25 total. 1.6 with Jacob and Joseph, then the rest with Joseph riding a bike. 

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 15.25
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.0010.001.000.0020.00

A.M. Long run. Started with Jeremy and Benjamin. Benjamin went 3, then turned around, total of 6. Jeremy did 16. I did a catch-up mile in 6:09 uphill into the wind, then on the way back ran a tempo. My time for the first 10 was 1:15:25. Then I felt sluggish starting out the tempo, but about 4 miles into it found a decent rhythm. Caught the Air Force ROTC guys doing their 2 mile test. At first I caught the back of the pack, but it gradually kept getting faster, very gradually so that it was difficult to notice. So I still thought I was passing the 8:00, maybe 7:30 pace group when I heard their timer announce 6:53 mile split for whoever I was passing. Then I realized that pretty soon I will be seeing guys that are running it in sub-13:00 and maybe one of them will run with me when he starts to kick. This is pretty much what happened. I kept passing them until about 200 to go, then one of them passed me back and I latched on behind him. His time ended up being 12:24. My quarter around that spot was 80. The earlier ones were around 83. I was happy that there was an 80 quarter in me mid-run around mile 17. But I think it wore me out, because the rest of the run was difficult. Part of it was the wind changing direction around that time, but part of it, I think is the fatigue from that surge. But it is good to feel this fatigue because you will feel it, and more than that in the marathon. So I did my 3 mile stretch with the splits of 5:37, 5:34, 5:39 in 16:50, after that I was cruising at slightly sub-6:00. Total time for 10 was 57:39. My heart felt tired this time unlike 2 weeks ago.

Jenny and Julia ran 2. Benjamin ran 1 with Joseph and Jacob in the afternoon.

Green Crocs 3 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
72.9510.0011.500.0094.45
Green Crocs 3 Miles: 94.45
Night Sleep Time: 54.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 54.50
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