Breaking the Wall

Week starting Aug 14, 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: 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
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
62.7010.000.503.8077.00
Green Crocs 1 Miles: 76.50
Night Sleep Time: 48.00Nap Time: 0.50Total Sleep Time: 48.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. We had an unusual meeting setup. The area authorities asked the stake presidency to give a training on the Priesthood to all Priesthood holders for the first two hours. I like the story from the 2002 April conference by Elder Condie quoting Wilford Woodruff taling about his missionary work in Missouri back in the day:

"The family were about to sit down to breakfast as we came in. In those days it was the custom of the Missourians to ask you to eat even though they were hostile to you; so he asked us to take breakfast, and we were very glad of the invitation. He knew we were Mormons; and as soon as we began to eat, he began to swear about the Mormons. He had a large platter of bacon and eggs, and plenty of bread on the table, and his swearing did not hinder our eating, for the harder he swore the harder we ate, until we got our stomachs full; then we arose from the table, took our hats, and thanked him for our breakfast. The last we heard of him he was still swearing. I trust the Lord will reward him for our breakfast."

 

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.50Total Sleep Time: 9.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.001.0011.00

A.M. Usual run. Total of 11 miles. Did 5 with Benjamin, 1.5 with Joseph, 1.5 with Julia, 0.25 with Jacob. Jenny did 1.5. Did a pickup for a mile in 5:23.7. Felt tired, probably from the race.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.500.2511.00

A.M.Did another 200 meter challenge with Benjamin. I ended up with 31.0, he got 31.6. Then we did one more in 36.1. It was supposed to be around 34, but I mis-paced it. We ran the last 0.5 miles in 2:51. Benjamin and I ended up with a total of 5.5 miles. Then I ran with the other kids. Jenny, Julia, and Joseph did 1.5. Jacob did 0.25. I ran some more and end up with 11 miles for the whole run.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.350.000.000.6512.00

A.M. Ran with the kids  - Benjamin 4, Jenny and Julia ran 1.5 on their own, Joseph did 1.5 in 11:56 for which he earned a remote control car. Jacob did 0.5 in 4:31. Then I decided I needed to address the struggles I had lately getting up to speed in 200 meters and did some short hill sprints. 10 of them about 60 meters in length. Fastest one on the magic stretch was 9.8. Total distance 11.5 miles.

P.M. Did sprints with Joseph, Jacob, and William, and then ran a quarter with Joseph in 1:45.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.500.000.001.5011.00

A.M. Got up early to run with Benjamin before his Youth Conference. We did 4 miles. I did a pickup for 0.5 in 2:41. Felt sluggish. Then ran 4 more. Decided to do a pickup for a mile to see if I'd feel any better. Surprised myself with a 5:19 mile that came with work, but no heroic effort. Then ran with Joseph, Jenny, Julia, and Jacob. Jenny, Joseph and Julia did 1.5. Jacob did 0.5. I did total of 11 miles.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.100.000.000.4011.50

A.M. Ran 5 miles with Benjamin in 35:44. He ended up setting a 5 mile PR on accident since his old PR was rather weak and was set in the middle of a 10 K 3 years ago.  Then did 1.5 with Joseph. Jenny ran 1.5, Julia did 2. Jacob ran 0.5. I did hill sprints afterwards with Tyler. It was nice to have Tyler around for those as he was a sprinter in high school with 11.0 100 meters PR. We went to the same stretch where I did those on Wednesday, about 60 meters long at maybe a 6% grade - need to measure it. At first it seemed that I was stuck at 9.8. But then I decided to start focusing on Tyler as a visual cue to indicate if I was running faster or slower while adjusting my form and power timings. This gave me a breakthrough. At first I ran a couple of 9.7s, then 9.5, and the last one in 9.4.

Total distance was 11.5 miles.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 11.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.5010.000.000.0020.50

A.M. 20 mile run from my house to Bridal Veil Falls and back. Felt sluggish somewhat. First half was in 1:12:52. Then turned around and ran a tempo for the last 10. Was stuck at 5:48, but at least was consistent for the first 4 miles. Then I got out of the canyon and all of a sudden felt like I was in a sauna. It was not too warm, maybe 75 F, but there was more humidity than what I am used to. In any case, it did not feel good. I held my own for another 3 miles with 7 miles in 40:54, and then started laying serious goose eggs - 6:04, 6:15, and 6:06 for the last mile with a heroic effort. The Spanish branch elders were playing soccer at about 18.7 mark (yes, I know that course well enough to tell to you how far along you are with 0.1 precision). They gave me some encouragement which I needed at that point. I ended up with 59:19 for the last 10 miles and total of 2:12:11 for 20 miles.

Afterwards I felt quite miserable for some time, but after getting some fluids in I recovered.

We had a baptism in our ward in the afternoon. A mother with her three children got baptized. They are originally from Wyoming. She got tired of the party life style in her town, came to Utah, and requested the missionaries to teach her.

The children ran on their own - all except Joseph. Benjamin did 5, Jenny and Julia 1.5, and Jacob 0.5.

P.M. 0.5 with Joseph in 3:59.

Green Crocs 1 Miles: 20.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
62.7010.000.503.8077.00
Green Crocs 1 Miles: 76.50
Night Sleep Time: 48.00Nap Time: 0.50Total Sleep Time: 48.50
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