Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jul 03, 2011

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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
58.302.501.004.7066.50
Green Crocs 1 Miles: 66.50
Night Sleep Time: 45.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 45.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. The lesson in Sunday school was on sacrifice. Benjamin and I observed one time that chess grandmasters are quite excited to sacrifice after we had studied a number of their games. Benjamin's comment was - it seems like they are trying to find out how much material they can sacrifice without losing the game. Sacrifice moves are always marked with an exclamation mark (!), and sometimes even with two in the annotations. In contrast to that, when we are asked to sacrifice to do the Lord's work, we often do not possess the same degree of enthusiasm. At the same time, going back to the chess analogy, while it takes no special aptitude to just hang a piece, a high level of skill is required to use sacrifices effectively. So perhaps we are like a less experienced chess player that finds himself in a complicated position who has the privilege to receive advice from a grandmaster. The grandmaster gives him the move. Our friend, lacking the vision, protests in disbelief  - but this loses my queen! So maybe the reason we grumble about sacrifices is that proverbial lack of vision combined with the equally proverbial lack of faith in God.

Strange as it may sound, thinking on my past experiences, the times when I felt the most peace in my life are the ones when I took a step forward through faith not seeing more than one step ahead of me. A step out of the comfort zone brings comfort! A different kind of comfort.Not the comfort of the flesh, but the comfort of the Spirit.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.800.000.000.2010.00

A.M. Easy run with a short pickup to catch up to Tyler Parsons. Ran with him for about a mile and a quarter after that to my house to get his number/e-mail. I am planning on pacing him through a time trial of 6:00 pace "till the standard bearer fainteth" or until he makes it to 2 miles on Saturday. Ran with the kids - Benjamin did 4, Jenny, Julia and Joseph 1.5. Then we went to the Colonial Days in Orem afterward.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.500.000.000.5010.00

A.M. Attempted my 2 mile time trial, but apparently the last few days of relative craziness got to me. After two 81 quarters I did not like how I was feeling and decided to call it off.Ran total of 10 miles including the kids runs. Benjamin did 4, Jenny 3, Julia and Joseph 1.5.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.001.2511.50

A.M. Early morning run - 10 miles. Decided to see if I was feeling any better today. Started with an 82 quarter, it did not feel good at all. Then did a mile in 5:23.6, that felt a bit better, but not much. I think I am experiencing the combined effect of the disruption in the house from the water damage on Sunday. William (2 years old) decided to do a plumbing experiment and we did not catch it soon enough. So we had to call the flood company and our bedroom and a few other places have become quite unusable. So Sarah and I have been sleeping in the living room. To make things worse, the flooding company has been running a dehumidifier and the drying fans since Sunday. 

Benjamin ran 4, Jenny and Julia 2, and I ran 1.5 with Joseph.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.50
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.501.500.000.0010.00

A.M. Did 10 including kids runs. Benjamin did 4 with 3x800 in the middle. His times were 2:54.5, 2:53.6, 2:55.3. He was feeling the effects of the war zone in the house quite a bit but nevertheless survived the workout. I might have acclimated some, but it is difficult to tell because the pace was not too fast and the distance was not too long. But the pace did feel normal, at least for that short of a distance, and I was in the mood to go further and faster.

Jenny did 3, Julia 1.5, Joseph 1.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.250.000.000.7510.00

A.M. 10 miles including kids runs. Benjamin did 4, Jenny and Joseph 1, Julia 1.5. All the kids have been feeling the effects of the flood war zone. However, it seems that I am recovering some. Noticed that the legs felt different and decided to test them. Did 0.75 in 3:55 and that felt quite good.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.001.001.002.0015.00

A.M. Ran with Tyler. We did the 6:00 "till the standard bearer fainteth" test for him. It was interesting. He went through the first mile in 5:37 with the splits of 85, 85, 84, 83. I figured he was more fit than I thought and did not force him to slow down to 6:00. But then he did the next quarter in 89, and then could not hold the pace slowing down to 93, 92, 93, which gave him 6:07 for the last mile, and total time of 11:44, which was actually better than I was expecting.

Then we jogged back 2 miles, and I did my 2 mile time trial. Tyler ran the first 0.5 miles with me. The splits were 79, 81, 80, 81, 81, 81, 82, 78 - total time 10:43 ( 5:21, 5:22). It is the most even I've been able to do it so far, and also the fastest this year.

Total of 15. Did part of Benjamin's run. The kids otherwise ran on their own - Benjamin - 4, Jenny 3, Julia and Joseph 1.5.

I had Tyler do a target marathon pace pickup for the last 1.5 miles, which we did in 9:51.

Green Crocs 1 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
58.302.501.004.7066.50
Green Crocs 1 Miles: 66.50
Night Sleep Time: 45.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 45.00
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