Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jun 09, 2013

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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
77.754.756.251.2590.00
Green Crocs 5 Miles: 90.00Schwinn Double Stroller Miles: 6.50
Night Sleep Time: 53.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 53.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. We had another missionary farewell. The elder is going to Mexico this time. Then in Sunday school we discussed Doctrine and Covenants 76 which talks about the three degrees of glory. For me this doctrine has a special significance. When the missionaries first taught me, my reaction was more or less - that's nice, let's move on. However, a year later while translating a missionary discussion for my friends it hit me that Christ really loves all of us and wants to give us the absolute best that we will take. Even the worst sinners eventually get the telestial kingdom, which is much better than the best we can get on the earth. I suppose I can mark that point when I really accepted Christ as my Savior. Prior to that I obeyed out of fear - I could not deny that Joseph Smith had seen the Father and the Son, therefore I knew there was some power above me that had certain expectation that I better follow, but I did not understand the love of Christ. When I realized that there is a kingdom of glory prepared for all of us, I saw things in a new light.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

A.M. Total of 12.5. About half of it with the kids. Benjamin and Andrew did 4. Joseph and William did 0.5. Jenny and Julia did 2.

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 12.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.003.000.0012.00

A.M. Benjamin was out on a hike with the scouts. I ran total of 12. Jenny did 2, Andrew 4, Joseph and Jacob 1. I did a 3 mile tempo run from the Provo Canyon to the house in 17:29. Felt sluggish. Could not tell if it was because it was warm, or because I was just feeling sluggish.

P.M. Benjamin called from the hike - he had a sore throat and possibly a fever as well. He probably could have toughed it out, but neither of us thought it was a good idea. The scouts were doing their "tough thing" for the year - 37 mile hike in 2 days, but as far as I am concerned, Benjamin has done his "tough thing" already - 13.11 miles in 1 hour 15 minutes and 21 seconds. So I drove all the way to Cedar City to pick him up.  I had three cars to choose from - GMC Savana Van 2011, Dodge RAM Van 1996 - CNG, or Ford Escort Wagon 1993. For the sake of the quickest trip time I chose the Savana, and it did not disappoint me - I was impressed with its ability to do the Scipio hill all the way at 85 with the pedal not floored. Benjamin's condition was not as bad as I thought it could have been, but I did not want him to be out in the heat and away from adequate opportunities to eat and drink with it anymore.

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.253.000.0013.50

A.M. Total of 13. Benjamin and Jenny did 3, Joseph and Jacob 1, William 1, Julia 2. I noticed that Julia had had a hard time getting her feet off the ground, and decided it was time to address it. So we did 2x200 in the middle of her run, first down about 3% grade, second mostly flat. Her times were 44.3 and 42.9. I repeated the same 3 mile tempo run as the day before, except I did it earlier before it got warm. Not surprisingly it went better - I did not feel slugging and ran it in 17:03.

P.M. Pushed Stephen and Matthew to the church and back in the stroller - total of 0.5 miles.

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 13.50Schwinn Double Stroller Miles: 0.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.000.000.000.0016.00

A.M. 13 miles total. Andrew and Benjamin did 4, Jenny 3, Julia 3, Joseph and Jacob 1, William 1.

P.M. 3 miles with Matthew in the stroller. 

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 16.00Schwinn Double Stroller Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.500.000.251.2516.00

A.M. Total of 13. Did a workout. Started with a 400 up the canyon in 84.6 - got blown off by the wind, also was a little sluggish at the start, I suppose. Then on the second 400, also up the canyon got 76.3 - better, less wind. Then turned around, and did 400 72.1. Then my mark was too faded and it was too sunny, so I decided to do 300 - 500 instead of 400-400. I did 300 in 54.3, and 500 in 1:30.8. Then ran with the kids. Benjamin and Andrew did 4, Jenny 3, Joseph and Jacob 1, William 0.5, Julia 3. Julia and I did 2x200 - downhill in 40.7, rolling in 42.9.

P.M. 3 miles with Matthew in the stroller. 

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 16.00Schwinn Double Stroller Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.504.500.000.0020.00

A.M. Ran 20 miles with Chad in 2:29:38. We jogged most of the time, but did a few pickups in the middle. The idea was to do something that puts the body to sleep so it is running primarily off fats, then speed up just enough so it is some kind of a race pace but not so fast that we wake up the carbohydrate energy supply too quickly and thus the body is hopefully tricked into running off fats. I am pretty sure this trick works although I do not have a lab to prove it. There is unique sluggishness in those intervals that would be characteristic of the body being reluctant to release carbs, and therefore having to pull the energy out of the fats.

So about 2.5 miles into it we ran a mile uphill into a headwind in 6:14.3. Then about 6.5 miles into the run we did a mile uphill without much headwind in 6:06.7. Then about 12.5 miles into the run we did 5:55.4 going down, and about 16.5 miles into the run we did 1 mile going down in 5:59.1. Then we ran the last 0.5 uphill in 3:14.

Kids ran on their own. Benjamin did 4.5, Andrew did 4, Jenny 3, Julia 2, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. 

Green Crocs 5 Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
77.754.756.251.2590.00
Green Crocs 5 Miles: 90.00Schwinn Double Stroller Miles: 6.50
Night Sleep Time: 53.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 53.00
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