Breaking the Wall

December 30, 2024

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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: 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
Sat, Apr 22, 2023
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.900.000.003.1116.01

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2023-04-22 08:03:23
Workout Totals: Distance14.008Time1:47:28.30Pace7:40.33
16 total. Since Jacob and Bonnie were running a 5000 at the Clarence Robison Invitational, we decided to do a 5 K in the morning down the canyon. Times:

Joseph 17:51
myself 18:10.9
William 18:12
Matthew 19:38

Joseph pulled me and William for 2.107 miles (0:37, 5:49, 5:51), then sped up and ran the last mile in 5:34. I closed in 5:53. William fell back a bit in the kick, well, more like I held the pace better than he did as neither one of us had much of a kick, but still ran a PR of 18:12. I was happy to see this improvement.

Matthew also ran a PR 19:38. Stephen did something as well, but he took a bathroom detour, so his distance was longer, but he had a stop. Adjusted for the extra distance I think his time comes out to 20:55.

Bonnie and Jacob raced, though not quite as well as I hoped. Both had a spectacular blow up in the last mile. Bonnie's was more spectacular. She opened with 5:53 for the first 1600, but then her pace quickly degraded to barely sub-7:00. She finished in 20:07.04

Jacob had a similar story. He had 5:12 at 1600, then 10:00 at 3000, and then a death march to the finish with 86-88 second laps.

Next week I will have them run with an HRM to see what is going on. They run enough miles and do enough workouts to not blow up like that. You could say they started out too fast, but with their training if everything is normal they should physically not be able to start too fast for such a blow-up even if they tried to do this on purpose - especially not while feeling the pace is very manageable.
Leg 1:
Distance1.100Time9:10.80Pace8:20.73ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up.
Leg 2:
Distance5.908Time42:48.80Pace7:14.80
5 K with Joseph and William, part with Matthew, then some jogging/distance.
Split 1:Distance3.107Time18:10.90Pace5:51.11ZoneVO2 Max Miles
Cumilative:Distance3.107Time18:10.90Pace5:51.11
Split 2:Distance0.181Time1:27.10Pace8:01.22ZoneEasy Miles
Cumilative:Distance3.288Time19:38.00Pace5:58.27
Split 3:Distance2.620Time23:10.80Pace8:50.84ZoneEasy Miles
Cumilative:Distance5.908Time42:48.80Pace7:14.80
 
Leg 3:
Distance7.000Time55:28.70Pace7:55.53ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Fast Running Friend Workout - 2023-04-22 17:19:18
Workout Totals: Distance2.000Time19:22.10Pace9:41.05
 
Leg 1:
Distance1.000Time10:41.10Pace10:41.10ZoneEasy Miles
With Bella, Mary, and Leigha.
Leg 2:
Distance1.000Time8:41.00Pace8:41.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Mary.

Blue Crocs Miles: 16.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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