Breaking the Wall

December 22, 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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to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 40.31 Year: 3073.12
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
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.550.000.000.0011.55

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-14 07:23:13
Workout Totals: Distance11.550Time1:36:44.60Pace8:22.56
Today I ran 5 with Jenny, then took Joseph, Jacob, William, Stephen, and Matthew to the track. Joseph and Jacob did 4x200 with 200 recovery. The purpose of the workout was for Jacob to learn how to feel what a 37 200 feels like. I feel this is going to be critical to his ability to qualify for the final in the 800 in the Junior Olympics Nationals. He will likely need to run 2:32. He has a shot if he paces it with Frank Shorter style precision running the splits of 37,38,39,38. Now when you are 10 years old and you are racing boys that open in 72 seconds or faster and then half of them or so fade and become a roadblock, this will be a quite challenge. So my thinking is that if he learns what 37 feels like very very well he might be able to pace himself right in a competitive situation.

So I told Joseph to purposefully try to mess Jacob's pacing up by running either too fast or too slow while I just jogged the diagonal to record the split. Jacob got 37.8, 40.3, 36.3, 37.8.

Then I had William do the same workout practicing 45.0 for 200 pace. William was more consistent - 45.6, 44.7, 44.8, 44.4. I did not pace him in it either again just doing diagonals, and jogging the recovery with him.

Then I added some distance on the track, and ran 2 miles with Benjamin in the evening. Benjamin did 6+2, starting to feel more normal, but still with enough residual pain that he cannot run full mileage and speed.
Leg 1:Distance5.000Time39:36.60Pace7:55.32
Leg 2:Distance0.250Time2:11.90Pace8:47.60
With Matthew.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time9:11.90Pace9:11.90
With Stephen.
Leg 4:Distance0.780Time7:31.30Pace9:38.59
Joseph and Jacob's workout.
Split 1:Distance0.070Time0:37.80Pace9:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.070Time0:37.80Pace9:00.00
Split 2:Distance0.125Time1:13.00Pace9:44.00
Cumilative:Distance0.195Time1:50.80Pace9:28.21
Split 3:Distance0.070Time0:40.30Pace9:35.71
Cumilative:Distance0.265Time2:31.10Pace9:30.19
Split 4:Distance0.125Time1:20.00Pace10:40.00
Cumilative:Distance0.390Time3:51.10Pace9:52.56
Split 5:Distance0.070Time0:36.30Pace8:38.57
Cumilative:Distance0.460Time4:27.40Pace9:41.30
Split 6:Distance0.125Time1:17.60Pace10:20.80
Cumilative:Distance0.585Time5:45.00Pace9:49.74
Split 7:Distance0.070Time0:37.80Pace9:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.655Time6:22.80Pace9:44.43
Split 8:Distance0.125Time1:08.50Pace9:08.00
Cumilative:Distance0.780Time7:31.30Pace9:38.59
 
Leg 5:Distance0.780Time9:04.10Pace11:37.56
William's workout.
Split 1:Distance0.070Time0:45.60Pace10:51.43
Cumilative:Distance0.070Time0:45.60Pace10:51.43
Split 2:Distance0.125Time1:28.30Pace11:46.40
Cumilative:Distance0.195Time2:13.90Pace11:26.67
Split 3:Distance0.070Time0:44.70Pace10:38.57
Cumilative:Distance0.265Time2:58.60Pace11:13.96
Split 4:Distance0.125Time1:38.90Pace13:11.20
Cumilative:Distance0.390Time4:37.50Pace11:51.54
Split 5:Distance0.070Time0:44.80Pace10:40.00
Cumilative:Distance0.460Time5:22.30Pace11:40.65
Split 6:Distance0.125Time1:31.40Pace12:11.20
Cumilative:Distance0.585Time6:53.70Pace11:47.18
Split 7:Distance0.070Time0:44.40Pace10:34.29
Cumilative:Distance0.655Time7:38.10Pace11:39.39
Split 8:Distance0.125Time1:26.00Pace11:28.00
Cumilative:Distance0.780Time9:04.10Pace11:37.56
 
Leg 6:Distance1.700Time13:02.20Pace7:40.12
More distance around the track.
Leg 7:Distance2.040Time16:06.60Pace7:53.82
With Benjamin in the evening.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.55
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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