Breaking the Wall

November 05, 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:	2724.68
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

Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

The talks in the sacrament meeting focused on the meaning of Christmas. One talk addressed what we could give Christ as a gift. Really only one thing - obedience to his commandments. Otherwise we have nothing that we can give Him. Everything we have, except our agency, is His already.

The lesson in the Elder's Quorum was on Elder Holland's talk in the last General Conference in which he testified of the divinity of the Book of Mormon. He related his great-grandfather's reaction after reading the Book of Mormon: "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so".

When I heard that part I recalled that I had very similar feelings when I read the Book of Mormon for the first time. A wicked man cannot write it. A good man will not write it and claim it was divine revelation unless it really was. How interesting. Two people from very different backgrounds living an ocean and a century apart have essentially exact same reaction. I take it as an additional witness that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 9.00

Comments

From Mack on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 00:33:05 from 71.111.182.118

Thanks for sharing this. That part of Elder Hollands talk was particularly meaningful to me too.

From Kory on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 01:23:22 from 24.116.159.75

It's wonderful how God gave the divine inspiration for such writers as Paul, John to write the Holy Bible. If we allow God to work through us we have the opportunity to allow God to use us the way he wants to. That's why were here to be used by God.

From Kory on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 01:42:42 from 24.116.159.75

How bad does your foot hurt? I'm also running on a sore foot and it's still sore after trying to take two days off. I might try taking three days off towards the end of the week.

From Sasha Pachev on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 17:16:54 from 192.168.1.1

Kory - my foot has been very slowly getting better. Now it is at the point of being a small annoyance and does not seem to be altering the way I run. However, I am still being cautious with it and am still running reduced mileage with reduced intensity.

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