Breaking the Wall

Week starting Aug 15, 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
73.6010.253.352.1089.30
Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 89.30
Night Sleep Time: 53.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 53.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. The talks in Sacrament addressed a variety of topics, but one thing that stood out to me was the idea that if we had it easy in this life we would not be comfortable in the Kingdom of God in the company of Paul, Peter, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets who had to suffer adversity in this life. That goes along well with Christ's answer to a request by the mother of two apostles who wanted them to sit with him in Heaven: "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." (Matthew 20:23).

The lesson in Sunday School was on honesty. The lesson in the Elder's Quorum was on  covenants.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

A.M. 12 miles, some with Daniel and Mike, the last 2 with Benjamin. 0.5 with Jacob in addition in 4:37. Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M. Benjamin took Joseph for 0.5.

 

Gold Crocs 1 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
12.500.000.300.0012.80

A.M. Ran with Mike and Patrick Rotich. Learned how to say "bee" in Swahili - nyuki. Well it was really a wasp, actually, three of them, but I had a hard time explaining the difference between a wasp and a bee to Patrick in English, so nyuki is all we got.  I stopped for a VPB, and ended up in a wasps' nest. But it did help me catch up quicker! The bites did not hurt too bad while I was running, but once I stopped they swelled and itched. Added 2 with Benjamin, and 0.5 with Jacob.

Jenny and Julia ran 2.

P.M. Benjamin ran 0.5 with Joseph.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 12.80
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.002.0014.00

A.M. Did some downhill repeats with Patrick and Mike by the Provo Temple. 5x0.4 . The first one at around 5:00 pace, the rest at around 4:35. Patrick did them at around 4:05 pace. Mike was sometimes with me, sometimes a few seconds behind. Total of 11.5 for the run or so. Added 2 more with Benjamin, and 0.5 with Jacob. Jenny ran 2, Julia ran 0.7, was not feeling well, then finished out 2 with Benjamin.

P.M. Benjamin took Joseph for 0.5.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 14.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.506.500.000.0015.00

A.M. The plan today was an easy run with maybe 1 fat mile. Ran with Mike, Thomas, and Patrick.  Patrick gradually kept speeding up. We dropped Thomas quickly. Then it was time for Mike to turn around. I figured I'd go with Patrick for a while as I wanted to do some tempo miles. He sped up to sub 6:00, kept it there, eased off a bit to discuss his Garmin, then sped back up again. Once I got about 6 miles of tempo running in I asked him to back off. He slowed down from 5:50 to maybe 6:15. I was not too far away from the house, and could have done 5:50 all the way, but I did not want to overload the nervous system. Total time for 12.5 was 1:19:44.

Added 2  more with Benjamin with the last 0.5 in 2:59. 0.5 with Jacob in 4:42.

P.M. Benjamin took Joseph for 0.5.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 15.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.100.300.1012.50

A.M. Ran with Patrick, Mike, Thomas and Kevin. Ended up with 10 miles. There was a post VPB pick-up, timed a quarter in 83. Added 2 more with Benjamin in 15:46. We had some dog adventures. A dog started chasing us. We sped up and dropped it. It gave up after a few seconds, it was a small wimpy dog. Then Benjamin asked me how fast I thought the pace was when we dropped the dog. I said about 4:50, but if you really want to know run that pace for 100 meters and I'll time it. We did. It was 18.0, 4:48 pace. Then I told him some people run 26 miles at that pace. We did a little pickup at the end as well. Added another 0.5 with Jacob in 4:36.

P.M. Benjamin took Joseph for 0.5 in 4:34.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 12.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.103.652.750.0022.50

A.M. Ran with Mike. Long run. Since we had run some tempo miles on Thursday, this long run was on the easy side. Yes, I know, easy 20 sounds rather funny. But today was the day of buying a lunch for 7 people for $3. Meaning that we get a good stimulus with relatively minimal work. So we ran to Bridal Veil and back with some pickups. About 3 miles into it a mile in 5:46 on a mixed terrain, probably a small net uphill.  Then around 7 miles into it another mile uphill in 5:46 again. I asked Mike how he was feeling, he said the pace felt very sustainable.  So I suggested we do 1.25 pickups instead of just 1 mile to discover problems better. On the way back about 10.5 into the run we hit 1.25 downhill in 6:34 (5:15 pace). That was a great improvement for Mike as he got dropped last week after a mile at 5:45 pace on the same stretch.  Then another test. Around 16 miles into the run another 1.25 on a mixed terrain with probably a slight net downhill. Mike struggled but managed 7:16 (5:48 pace). And finally one more. With 1.5 from my house we started going fast again. Mixed terrain, turns, bridges, slight downhill. Quarters of 84, and 85. Mike turned to go home shortly after that, I kept going fast. Ended up with 8:21 for the last 1.5 (5:34 pace), and 2:22:06 for 20. Remembered a Russian movie we watched recently where there was a robot that looked like a 13-year-old boy and could run 300 kilometers per hour. I thought, well, I am struggling to do 17, but at least I am real and live, while he is a robot and just in a movie.

P.M. 2 with Benjamin including 600 in 2:14. 0.5 with Jacob, Joseph, and Benjamin. Jenny and Julia ran 2 in the morning.

Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 22.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
73.6010.253.352.1089.30
Gold Crocs 1 Miles: 89.30
Night Sleep Time: 53.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 53.50
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