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 17, 2021
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.320.0013.110.0015.43

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-04-17 08:33:22
Workout Totals: Distance15.429Time19:14.30Pace1:14.81
Uneventful Provo River Half, 1:20:03.

Ran it with Chad. Our splits off his GPS for the first 4 miles were 5:45, 5:52, 6:00, 5:54 (23:32). Then we hit the flat part and slowed down to about 6:15 pace. Once the downhill resumed we got back to slightly sub-6:00. We had 38:40 at the start of the old highway. 42:05 by GPS at 7, and then 48:47 at 8 (6:42).

Chad was inclined to go faster in the first 4 miles, but then he started struggling on the uphill part of the old highway. Once we started going down he got re-energized for a couple of miles. We had 54:18 at the one triangle at Nunn's Park, and then ran 5:58 for the next mile. Then Chad started struggling again. I was feeling strong, but figured I'd just stay around and keep company. We slowed down to 6:02, followed by I think 6:05, so 18:05 for the 3 mile stretch.

Benjamin by that time had finished his 3x1.25 workout (down 5:56, up 6:49, down 5:45), and joined us for the last 2 miles of our half in what he called a партвзнос (communist party membership fee). He and I are reading Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenytsyn, so he just recently learned the term and the concept.

We ran at around that pace all the way to the finish.

I was very happy with the result. Last year in June I ran this course in 1:20:30, and that was all I had. The split at the start of the old highway was almost identical then - 38:43. Today I think I had at least 30 seconds in reserve. This was the first half-marathon where I felt strong in the second half in at least 2 years.

Not sure exactly what caused the difference. A few weeks ago I struggled to run 24:15 for 4 downhill miles. My normal hydration schedule consisted of a big cup of water with electrolytes at meal time, plus another cup right before bed. I noticed this made me get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night sometimes as often as 2-3 times, and decided to try skipping the drink before bed, and instead drinking right before the run. The other change I made was the morning of the race I took a double doze of electrolytes (Resistance-C).

Joseph and Jacob took the ACT and then ran 6 miles.

William, Stephen, Matthew, Mary, and Bella went to the Roadrunners meet.

William did 1600 in 5:53 (80, 88, 90, 95). He said he had no energy in the last lap. Something is wrong with his nervous system, has always been, but it has been rearing its ugly head more over the last year. I wonder if getting an extra dose of electrolytes might help him deal with it better.

Stephen ran the 800 in 2:52 (82, 90), Matthew in 2:53 (84, 89).

Mary and Bella were supposed to run the 800, but I misread the starting time in the schedule and we missed their race. So they ran 1600 against the big girls instead. Mary ran 7:41 and even beat a few (7:44 mile conversion roughly, PR by 6 seconds).

Bella ran 9:08 (9:11 mile conversion) in spite of being confused and stopping twice, first time she thought she was done after 3 laps, second time just right before the finish line. So she lost maybe 10 seconds on all of this. She also set a 400 PR in the first lap (2:01).
Leg 1:
Distance1.220Time9:49.80Pace8:03.44ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up.
Leg 2:
Distance13.109Time0:00.10Pace0:00.01ZoneThreshold Miles
The half.
Leg 3:
Distance1.100Time9:24.40Pace8:33.09ZoneEasy Miles
Cool-down.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 15.43
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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