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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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, May 12, 2012

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.00	10.00	0.00	0.00	20.00

A.M. Long run. First 9 miles with Ariel at about 8:00 pace. Then one more jogging mile, and then 10 back down the Provo Canyon and back to the house in 57:13. Felt sluggish but could hold the pace. The 3 mile stretch from Nunns to the mouth of the canyon was 16:52. HR hovered around 150 and visited 155 range when the pace became sub-5:40. Around 18.8 mark there was an interesting incident that might have messed up the last mile. There was a lady with a little dog, actually a notorious theme in the Russian literature, Chekhov has a short story about a lady with a little dog, and this theme is talked about enough for me to be aware of a proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra (polynomial of degree N over complex field has N roots) that is named "a lady with a dog". Anyway, all those thoughts came together when with a little bit more than a mile to go with about 8.8 miles of hard running behind me and in a state of fatigue all of a sudden I saw a lady with a dog, and the leash blocked my path. I made an awkward attempt to steeple-chase over the leash, and thanks to its low height I was able to clear it - hurdles are definitely not my strength - but it knocked me out of rhythm. I was still able to maintain 5:50 on the flat and 6:00 on the hills going back to the house, but not enough juice to go under 57:00.

There was some headwind but not as much as last week. Overall I am happy with the workout as I was able to run faster and at a higher HR.

Benjamin did 6, Jenny, Julia, and Joseph 2, Jacob 1.

Green Crocs 3 Miles: 20.00

Night Sleep Time: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

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