Breaking the Wall

December 21, 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:	3010.45
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:						1743.12
White Slip Resistant Crocs Lifetime Miles:						759.93

Wed, Aug 22, 2012

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
16.90	0.00	0.00	0.40	17.30

A.M. Ran with the kids, and that was most of my run even though I did a total of 12.3. Did 7 with Benjamin, 2 with Julia and Joseph, 1 with Jacob. 1 of them was with weights. Jenny did 3, including 0.5 with William. Benjamin and I did a pickup for 600 in 1:45 down the canyon. This is actually Benjamin's PR for 600.

P.M. 5 miles with Julia and Joseph following me on a bike. I prayed on Saturday to know what I should do with my training, and a thought, a good one, came to me that I needed to do what I could to squeeze in a moderate amount of doubles. Today was the day when I managed to squeeze in another run. Joseph and Julia kept up fine, in fact, 7:30 pace, which is what I ran, was too slow for them.

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 17.30

Night Sleep Time: 7.50	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 7.50

Comments

From Kory on Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 17:14:27 from 134.50.89.24

Sometimes we get caught up in the training that God is left out a bit. I think asking God for direction is the only way to know what he wants you to achieve in fitness and in life. I always have to remind myself that God gave me a second chance to run so do it for his glory not mine.

Nice run Sasha.

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 18:57:52 from 67.177.11.154

Always nice to have some family on the bike patrol, too :-)

Are you still planning on TOU?

From Sasha Pachev on Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 11:43:50 from 69.28.149.29

Kory - very true. I just read a lesson in our church lesson manual that talked about faith. There was a phrase there that impressed me - "give the Lord a chance". In other words, it is not that the Lord does not want to bless us, but that in order to do so we must exercise sufficient amount of faith. To a certain extent, the answer is in our hands. The Lord will certainly give us what we desire that is in harmony with his plan. The question is if we are going to let it happen by removing doubt and replacing it with faith.

Jake - yes, I am running TOU marathon. How about you?

From Jake K on Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 11:52:59 from 155.100.226.191

That's what I thought I remembered you saying - Des News then TOU.

I'll see you on the starting line there in 3 weeks! :-)

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