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

Thu, Feb 25, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.00	0.00	2.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-02-25 06:57:21
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:32:21.60Pace7:41.80
Total of 12. Tapering for the 15 K - somewhat. Benjamin and I did a 2 mile tempo down the canyon. He paced me through the first mile in 5:24, then sped up to 4:53. I closed in 5:30 and got 10:54 - 3 seconds faster than on Tuesday. The inversion bothered me a bit while jogging, and a lot in the workout. I think it bothered Benjamin somewhat as well - he got a side ache when he sped up, but was able to run through it. My solution to the inversion problem is convert most of the office work to be remote. It is really a better way to do things - I have been doing it for the last 16 years. It is like exercise and eating healthy - you get better results when you do it, but it requires some organization and overcoming inertia, and it is something you will think you cannot do if you follow the short-circuit thought patterns. Thousands of people drive to the office every day for the sole reason that either they do not know how to use remote communication tools effectively, or their employer does not, and not willing to learn the new patterns. I am a registered Republican, and I tend to vote Republican although in 2008 I could not bring myself to vote for McCain, and of course I would not vote for Obama, so I voted for Chuck Baldwin. And in 2016 if Trump gets the nomination, I will be voting for a non-major-party candidate again. I favor reduced taxes and deregulation in general. But I would support a bill with both hands that would impose an environmental pollution tax on businesses that made their employees drive to work when they were willing to do their work from home and a reasonable case could be made that they could be at least equally productive. Or maybe calculate the business tax based on the number of office employees that drive to work, and let the free market figure out how to reduce that number productively.
Leg 1:Distance4.360Time35:30.20Pace8:08.58
Leg 2:Distance2.000Time10:54.10Pace5:27.05
Leg 3:Distance1.640Time14:20.00Pace8:44.39
Leg 4:Distance4.000Time31:37.30Pace7:54.32

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 21.00

Night Sleep Time: 7.00	Nap Time: 1.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

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