Breaking the Wall

April 19, 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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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

Sat, Aug 21, 2010

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
16.10	3.65	2.75	0.00	22.50

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: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

Comments

From Bonnie on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 15:15:09 from 128.196.228.134

Warmest congratulations on welcoming the newest member of your family Sasha.

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