Breaking the Wall

Week starting May 23, 2021

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:	870.94
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

Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
67.52	0.75	8.00	0.38	76.65

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 76.65

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

Sun, May 23, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

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

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Mon, May 24, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-24 08:48:53
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:34:10.00Pace7:50.83
12 total. Easy pace. Benjamin did his sub-5:00 pickup.
Leg 1: Distance8.000Time1:01:08.60Pace7:38.57ZoneEasy Miles
With Joseph and Jacob, part with William.
Leg 2: Distance1.000Time7:23.60Pace7:23.60ZoneEasy Miles
With Matthew, Stephen, and Benjamin.
Leg 3: Distance3.000Time25:37.80Pace8:32.60ZoneEasy Miles
Same group plus Julia.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Tue, May 25, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
9.50	0.50	2.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-25 08:52:24
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:30:40.30Pace7:33.36
12 total. Did a 2 mile tempo down the canyon with Joseph and Jacob in the middle of 8 in 11:51. They were a bit faster due to the faster kick in the last 100. Benjamin did 6 down in 29:48, then 2 mile recovery jog up, and 2 more in 9:43 with the total distance of 16 miles for the run. Matthew did the last 0.5 of his 5 in 3:20 uphill. Otherwise, easy runs, usual distances.
Leg 1: Distance8.000Time59:55.90Pace7:29.49
With Joseph and Jacob, part with William.
Split 1:Distance4.050Time32:25.50Pace8:00.37ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance4.050Time32:25.50Pace8:00.37
Split 2:Distance2.000Time11:51.80Pace5:55.90ZoneThreshold Miles Cumilative:Distance6.050Time44:17.30Pace7:19.22
2 mile tempo.
Split 3:Distance1.950Time15:38.60Pace8:01.33ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance8.000Time59:55.90Pace7:29.49

Leg 2: Distance4.000Time30:44.40Pace7:41.10
With Matthew, part with Stephen.
Split 1:Distance3.500Time27:24.00Pace7:49.71ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance3.500Time27:24.00Pace7:49.71
Split 2:Distance0.500Time3:20.40Pace6:40.80ZoneMarathon Pace Miles Cumilative:Distance4.000Time30:44.40Pace7:41.10
Uphill pickup.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Wed, May 26, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-26 08:47:51
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:30:52.80Pace7:34.40
12 total. Reduced distances, easy pace for the kids to be fresher for the 1600 tomorrow.
Leg 1: Distance2.000Time15:52.00Pace7:56.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Stephen and Matthew.
Leg 2: Distance6.000Time45:36.00Pace7:36.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Joseph and Jacob, part with William.
Leg 3: Distance4.000Time29:24.80Pace7:21.20ZoneEasy Miles
With Benjamin.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Thu, May 27, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.82	0.25	0.00	0.00	12.07

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-27 07:19:18
Workout Totals: Distance12.070Time1:31:10.20Pace7:33.21
12 total for me, easy pace. The kids raced the 1600 at Provo High. Results: Joseph 5:02.33 (PR, mile converted 5:04.2) Jacob 5:12.40 William 5:50.10 Stephen 5:58.60 (PR, mile converted 6:00.9, so close!) Matthew 6:12.65 Bella 9:15.1 Mary 9:28.3 Mary stopped at 3 laps because she thought she was done, had a fit when we told her she had a lap left, it took her almost 2 minutes to recover from the fit, then she started running and finished with her total overall time of 9:28. Without the fit she had a good shot at a PR. The temperature was 80F, so some of our kids handled it well, while others did not.
Leg 1: Distance5.050Time38:18.90Pace7:35.23ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Leg 2: Distance0.250Time1:42.10Pace6:48.40ZoneMarathon Pace Miles
With Sarah.
Leg 3: Distance2.770Time19:57.70Pace7:12.38ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Leg 4: Distance4.000Time31:11.50Pace7:47.88ZoneEasy Miles
With Benjamin.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.07

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

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Fri, May 28, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.06	0.00	1.00	0.00	12.06

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-28 08:14:27
Workout Totals: Distance12.060Time1:34:34.20Pace7:50.50
12 total. Matthew ran a mile time trial to redeem himself from yesterday's fiasco, and in spite of only a short gap between the races, he was able to run a PR of 6:03.4. His splits were 86, 91, 91, 93. We need to work on not starting to feel sorry for yourself after the first half - or sometimes even before reaching that mark. William did a workout where he ran the first 800 with Matthew (he was about a second ahead), and then he was supposed to pick it up and kick. Except he started feeling sorry for himself because it was lap 3 and in his mind it is time to do that, and was just coasting or rather suffering at about 90 seconds per lap. So he ended up with 5:59 for the mile. Jacob pace William. Easy runs, usual distances otherwise.
Leg 1: Distance1.060Time9:10.50Pace8:39.34ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up with the Jacob, William, and Matthew.
Leg 2: Distance1.000Time6:03.40Pace6:03.40ZoneThreshold Miles
Matthew's mile on the track.
Leg 3: Distance1.000Time8:36.90Pace8:36.90ZoneEasy Miles
Back to the house.
Leg 4: Distance5.000Time39:32.40Pace7:54.48ZoneEasy Miles
With Jacob, I think part with the other kids.
Leg 5: Distance1.000Time7:44.40Pace7:44.40ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Leg 6: Distance3.000Time23:26.60Pace7:48.87ZoneEasy Miles
With Benjamin.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.06

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

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Sat, May 29, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.14	0.00	5.00	0.38	16.52

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-05-29 07:29:33
Workout Totals: Distance16.520Time2:02:51.20Pace7:26.20
16.5 total. Did a 5 mile tempo down the canyon with Chad, Joseph, and Jacob. Joseph was running without a watch or splits being called out to him, and was given a task to run whatever pace he thought was honest for 5 miles. We ended up with 30:03, splits 6:08, 6:03, 5:58, 6:00, 6:02, 5:52. However, after 2 miles Joseph was having panic attacks of his style in bursts so the pace was very uneven - he kept micro-surging, then slowing down. But in spite of all of that, he finished the workout at a respectable pace. Benjamin went through a similar period when he was 15, it got a lot better when he was 16, but did not completely go away until he returned from a mission. I did the salt pill experiment, and it went well. The first one, which I took during the tempo, did not seem to do much as the weather was still cool and we were not too far into the run. The plus was that I could take it at 6:00 pace and it did not create any problems. I took the second one about 14 miles into the run, and then about a mile or so later did a pickup with Bonnie for 0.375 in 2:06, and it felt unusually good for the end of 16 miles. Chad was struggling today as he just got his second shot of the COVID vaccine. It manifested itself in a sudden onset of fatigue in stress spots - the end of the 5 mile tempo, and the end of the entire run. Benjamin has had his SI-join problem get out of hand resulting in imbalance and knee pain. So for his workout he only was able to manage 3 miles in 15:30 and decided not to do the second interval to avoid making things worse.
Leg 1: Distance2.480Time20:24.70Pace8:13.83ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up with Chad, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 2: Distance5.000Time30:03.30Pace6:00.66ZoneThreshold Miles
With Chad, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 3: Distance2.540Time20:49.10Pace8:11.77ZoneEasy Miles
With Chad, part with Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 4: Distance6.000Time46:55.10Pace7:49.18
With Bonnie, part with William, Stephen, Matthew, and Chad.
Split 1:Distance5.510Time43:52.10Pace7:57.70ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance5.510Time43:52.10Pace7:57.70
Split 2:Distance0.375Time2:06.20Pace5:36.53ZoneVO2 Max Miles Cumilative:Distance5.885Time45:58.30Pace7:48.70
Split 3:Distance0.115Time0:56.80Pace8:13.91ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance6.000Time46:55.10Pace7:49.18

Leg 5: Distance0.500Time4:39.00Pace9:18.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Bella

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 16.52

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

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Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
67.52	0.75	8.00	0.38	76.65

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 76.65

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

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