Breaking the Wall

December 30, 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:	72.31	Year:	3105.12
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

Tue, Aug 07, 2012

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.10	0.00	3.00	0.00	13.10

A.M. Repeated Saturday's 3 mile tempo to see if I would get better results without the 5 miles with dumbbells the day before. I did. The splits were 5:11, 5:18, 5:17, last quarter in 76, only one quarter slower than 80 (the first one in the last mile), and the total time of 15:46.3, which is my fastest time of the year. In the first mile I felt like I was holding back some and would be able to speed up in the second or third mile. But later on I felt I did not have another gear, not running alone at least. To a certain extent the feeling mirrored my Saturday experience, except I ran faster in every mile, slowed down less in the second, and my splits were dot on the . On Friday I tripped and thought that I had just bruised my arm, but later I realized I had bruised something in the rib cage as well, and have had a small difficulty breathing in all the way. I still felt it today. I suppose once that is healed I can measure what effect it had if any by doing this tempo run again.

Total distance was 12.6 including 2 miles with the dumbbells. Jenny did 3, Julia 2, Joseph and Jacob 1. Benjamin was at the scout camp, was supposed to run 7.

P.M. 0.5 with William.

Green Crocs 4 Miles: 13.10

Night Sleep Time: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

Comments

From Brandon on Thu, Aug 09, 2012 at 09:10:57 from 67.199.164.200

Where do you start your 3 mile tempo on the trail? Thanks :)

From Sasha Pachev on Thu, Aug 09, 2012 at 11:34:30 from 69.28.149.29

Brandon - it starts at the white one triangle mark near the bathroom and the gate inside the Nunn's Park and ends at the one white triangle mark right before the bridge over the Provo River at the mouth of the canyon. There are white triangle marks every 330 feet (1/16 of a mile) in cycles of four (1-2-3-4 repeat).

From Chad Robinson on Thu, Aug 09, 2012 at 11:43:41 from 50.73.39.89

Brandon, you should come join us on the 18th, we will most likely be running it again.

From Brandon on Thu, Aug 09, 2012 at 12:11:02 from 67.199.164.200

Perfect place. Chad I would love to run it with you guys sometime. I am racing hobble creek on the 18. I am up there all the time though.

From Sasha Pachev on Thu, Aug 09, 2012 at 12:22:51 from 69.28.149.29

Brandon:

I can pace you any time next week in the mornings. Let me know when.

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