Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jul 25, 2010

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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: 133.01 Year: 776.88
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
75.374.285.750.4085.80
Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 85.80
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. Had good talks in the sacrament meeting. The subject was being worthy to receive the Holy Ghost. One speaker quoted Harold B. Lee who compared our ability to receive the Holy Ghost to a tube radio. Yes, the technology has greatly changed from the 50s, but the essence of the Spirit has not. So the analogy still works well even today. If all of the tubes in a radio work, the sound is great.If one fails, the sound is worse, but still audible. If two fail, you can barely hear anything. If three fail, the radio still looks the same on the outside, but you can hear nothing at all. So it is with us. If we keep all of the commandments, the Spirit flows unrestrained. If we start neglecting a few, the flow is diminished. If we neglect more, the flow becomes a trickle. At some point it stops altogether except for the occasional prodding to repentance. We may look the same on the outside, but on the inside we have lost contact with the Lord and are in deep trouble often without quite realizing it.

The lesson in Sunday school was on service. The lesson in the Elder's Quorum was on diligence.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.800.000.000.0012.80

A.M. Ran with Jeff, Benjamin, and Daniel.  Jeff and I ended up with 12.3. Benjamin did 2. Daniel ran around 10. Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M. 0.5 with Benjamin, Jacob, and Joseph. The time was 4:12 for Jacob, 4:10 for Joseph.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 12.80
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.600.000.000.4012.00

A.M. Ran with Jeff, Benjamin, and Daniel. Benjamin did 2 miles. Daniel around 10. Jeff and I did 12. Picked up for 600 meters in 1:54.9.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.001.000.0013.00

A.M. 13 with Jeff, Benjamin joined us for the first 2. Jeff and I did a fat mile in 5:31.3. Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M. Benjamin took Joseph and Jacob for 0.5.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

A.M. 12.5 with Jeff including 2 with Benjamin.

P.M. 0.5 with Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.750.002.750.0012.50

A.M. 2 with Benjamin in 16:41. Then 10 more alone. Did 2000 in 6:53 and 1.5 in 8:15. Wanted to go further, but felt too tense after a mile of fast running. Nervous system is tired, need more sleep. Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M.  0.5 with Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 12.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.224.282.000.0022.50

A.M. 20 mile run in 2:18:06. Nervous system worked better today. Early in the run after a 2 mile warm up ran a 2 mile tempo in 10:49.5. The splits were very consistent - all quarters in 81 except slipping to 82 in the last one. The legs started to feel fatigued in the last quarter, but it was a whole lot better than the day before when I could not hold 82s after 1.25. Then I jogged until it was 4.28 to go and ran the last 4.28 hard. It got hot by then. My first quarter was 1:32, and it felt hard. I began to wonder if I'd be able to hold 6:00. But then I pressed a bit, and got into a good rhythm. Somehow I was holding pace in spite of the thirst, the heat, the turns, and the bridges. I managed 25:30 for the segment, which is 5:57 average.

Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M. 2 with Benjamin. 0.5 with Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 22.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
75.374.285.750.4085.80
Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 85.80
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50
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