Breaking the Wall

Week starting Dec 26, 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: 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
77.701.001.500.0080.20
Gold Crocs 2 Miles: 80.20
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 were on dealing with adversity. This seems to be a repeating theme, and I suppose for a good reason. A quote from Winston Churchill: "If you are going through hell, keep going!"  The Sunday school lesson was on God as our Heavenly Father. The Elders Quorum lesson was on President Monson's talk on choice.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.001.000.000.0012.00

A.M. Total of 12. Did a mile in 5:51. Ran with the kids. Benjamin did 3, Jenny 1.5 (some weird injury, probably growing pains), Julia -2, Joseph - 1, and Jacob 0.5.

Gold Crocs 2 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
10.500.001.500.0012.00

A.M. Ran total of 12, including the kids runs. Did 1.5 pickup in 8:31. Benjamin did 3, Jenny and Julia 2, Joseph 1, and Jacob 0.5.

Gold Crocs 2 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
12.200.000.000.0012.20

A.M. Lots of sleet, wet snow falling down. I ran 8 by myself, and then 4.2 with the kids. Benjamin did 3.15, Jenny and Julia 2.1, Joseph 0.7 and Jacob 0.35. Everyone was thoroughly wet. 

Gold Crocs 2 Miles: 12.20
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A.M. The wet snow that fell down yesterday froze. So it was very slippery. Fortunately the trail got plowed. Ran a total of 12, including kids runs. Benjamin did 3, Jenny and Julia 2, Jacob 0.5, and Joseph 1.

Gold Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A.M. One more cold slippery run. Did a total of 12, 8 alone, the rest with the kids. Benjamin did 3, Jenny and Julia 2, Joseph 1, and Jacob 0.5. In the last two days everybody has slipped and fallen except me. That is unusual. I have gone on runs before where I've fallen 4 times in 10 miles. Maybe I am getting wiser with age.

Gold Crocs 2 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
20.000.000.000.0020.00

A.M. Happy New Year to everyone. My New Years resolution is the same as always. Do my best every single day of the year, and start working on my shortcomings immediately as soon as I know what it is I should do better without waiting for the next year to start. I suppose you can say in the Spirit of the later part of Alma 34 which admonishes us to not procrastinate the day of your repentance. 

It was 5F at the start of the run, very slipper, and on top of that the trail is closed at the intersection with I-15 and I really did not feel like visiting Geneva road today to cross it. I felt tempted to run just 10 and call it a day, but I knew better than that. So I did the full 20 as planned. Benjamin was kind enough to run 4 with me instead of his usual 3, and he even kept up a good pace - 30:43 for 4 miles in spite of the slippage. Jenny and Julia ran 2, Joseph did 1, and Jacob did 0.5. I managed to run the last 10 miles at sub-7:00 average. 

Gold Crocs 2 Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
77.701.001.500.0080.20
Gold Crocs 2 Miles: 80.20
Night Sleep Time: 53.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 53.50
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