Breaking the Wall

December 21, 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: 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
Sat, Apr 25, 2020
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.761.000.002.6216.38

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2020-04-25 09:02:01
Workout Totals: Distance16.380Time2:07:13.30Pace7:46.01
Benjamin paced Jacob to a 2 mile down the canyon PR of 10:39, splits 5:20/5:19. I made it with them to 1.25 in 6:42, then jogged 0.375 - first very slow to recover, then picked up and made it brisk. I was not planning on running another interval, but I had my watch going, so I decided to run the last 0.375 hard and was able to do it in 2:07, which gave me 11:30 total, so 5:45 average in spite of jogging in the middle. Jacob - thanks to 76 for the last quarter - was able to crack 10:40 for the first time. Joseph was not having a good day, dropped out after about 0.75 into it. William was supposed to race Joseph and Jacob over the last 0.75, he ran maybe the first 0.25, and then gave up and coasted. Stephen was able to run 2:06 for the last 0.375.

For Benjamin, the first interval was a warm-up. He did 3x2 miles afterwards - 10:57 up, 9:55 down, and 10:37 up. On the first uphill one he got excited chasing two runners - I think they were part of the BYU team - in the first quarter, which he ran in 76, and then he later paid for it, and could only run 5:36 for the last mile. Then he ran a controlled 9:55 down, and then in the last one uphill, he also was running controlled, and it paid off - he opened with 5:22, and then thanks to the last 0.375 in 1:53 (5:00 pace), was able to get 10:37 (5:15 closing mile).

So I see some very good indicators coming out from this workout. He wants to run 5:00 pace uphill - though he cannot hold it for very long yet. But for an endurance guy, if you start to want to run a certain pace and are hitting it occasionally, it usually means there is something deep inside that is starting to come out would permit you to make it your race pace if you continued to develop it. So we need to work on that deep inside thing.

Jacob and I did the first 0.25 of Benjamin's first uphill interval (76), then I did 0.5 down in 2:29, and 0.25 up in 82.

Matthew did a mile on the track in 6:26.7 - 0.4 off his record. Splits 95, 98, 99, 92. He started his kick too late, but once he got going he was going - last 200 in 43.
 
Leg 1:Distance0.980Time8:03.80Pace8:13.67
Warm-up with the boys.
Leg 2:Distance2.000Time11:30.80Pace5:45.40
2 mile workout down the canyon.
Split 1:Distance1.250Time6:42.00Pace5:21.60
Cumilative:Distance1.250Time6:42.00Pace5:21.60
Split 2:Distance0.375Time2:41.60Pace7:10.93
Cumilative:Distance1.625Time9:23.60Pace5:46.83
Split 3:Distance0.375Time2:07.20Pace5:39.20
Cumilative:Distance2.000Time11:30.80Pace5:45.40
 
Leg 3:Distance0.500Time4:15.10Pace8:30.20
Recovery jog.
Leg 4:Distance6.600Time51:50.50Pace7:51.29
Part of Benjamin's workout.
Split 1:Distance0.250Time1:16.50Pace5:06.00
Cumilative:Distance0.250Time1:16.50Pace5:06.00
Split 2:Distance2.000Time17:15.90Pace8:37.95
Cumilative:Distance2.250Time18:32.40Pace8:14.40
Split 3:Distance0.500Time2:29.60Pace4:59.20
Cumilative:Distance2.750Time21:02.00Pace7:38.91
Split 4:Distance1.600Time13:59.30Pace8:44.56
Cumilative:Distance4.350Time35:01.30Pace8:03.06
Split 5:Distance0.250Time1:22.40Pace5:29.60
Cumilative:Distance4.600Time36:23.70Pace7:54.72
Split 6:Distance2.000Time15:26.80Pace7:43.40
Cumilative:Distance6.600Time51:50.50Pace7:51.29
 
Leg 5:Distance1.050Time9:33.40Pace9:06.10
Warm-up with Benjamin, Jenny, and Matthew.
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time6:26.70Pace6:26.70
Matthew's mile on the track with Benjamin and Jenny.
Leg 7:Distance1.000Time9:04.40Pace9:04.40
Back to the house.
Leg 8:Distance3.000Time23:57.50Pace7:59.17
With Benjamin and Jenny.
Leg 9:Distance0.250Time2:31.10Pace10:04.40
With Bella.

Neon Crocs 3 Miles: 16.38
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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