Breaking the Wall

April 18, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

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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to Ukraine's Armed Forces

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

Wed, Dec 12, 2007

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
14.15	3.70	0.30	0.00	18.15

A.M. Ran at 5:00 AM alone. It was fairly cold, somewhere in the 20-25 range. Started out slow, stayed slow through the first 1.5 because of the snow/ice. At 1.5 was 38 seconds behind the 8:00 guy. Then got out on drier ground with more traction and picked it up. Decided to run marathon pace on dry spots, and jog on the snowy/icy ones. Ended up with 1:06:40 for 10.1, and about 4 miles of tempo running. Last quarter was 1:21 trying to catch the 1:06:40 - this was quite an experience in the dark and with 3 90 degree turns.

P.M. 1.5 with Ted, James, Jared, Jenny, and Benjamin in 13:22. Benjamin was 2 seconds ahead, and Jared 2 seconds behind. Then another 0.5 after dropping Jenny and Jared off in 3:35. Then 1.05 with Julia in 11:12. Then 5 miles with Ted in 38:36. Would have been uneventful were it not for two dogs that jumped out of nowhere and ran after us. Then we shared war stories about animal encounters. Ted's running partner once got bitten in the buttocks by a little dog with a very good vertical jump.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00

Comments

From jhorn on Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 12:23:32

I'm assuming these are invisible people--the 1:06:40 guy. Is this something you do in your head, you seem to refer to it often. Running can be lonely, is this a coping mechanism:-?

From Sasha Pachev on Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 12:31:03

Yes, that is an invisible imaginary training partner. He is mean - he runs 6:36 pace uphill on ice. But I have no mercy on him when we get on a flat road with good traction. Not sure if this is a coping mechanism. I do it when I am with other runners as well, perhaps even more as this makes for a good conversation topic when we have already discussed everything that we could have thought of.

From jhorn on Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 15:57:59

I was being a bit sarcastic in saying is this a coping mechanism. It's an interesting idea because I am sometimes thinking--who's out there going faster, or would I be running faster if I were with someone. Not unlike being on a basketball court thinking, if I move this way could I get around the defender.

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