Breaking the Wall

May 2016

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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: 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
Totals
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
308.0510.6340.972.02361.67
Black Crocs 2 Miles: 361.64
Night Sleep Time: 166.00Nap Time: 4.00Total Sleep Time: 170.00
Sun, May 01, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Mon, May 02, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-02 08:05:47
Workout Totals: Distance13.000Time1:37:49.00Pace7:31.46
Benjamin and I did 10+3, usual distances for the younger kids. Jenny took the AP Chemistry test and ran only 3 miles in the evening.
Leg 1:Distance6.000Time44:11.80Pace7:21.97
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:33.80Pace7:53.45
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance3.000Time22:03.40Pace7:21.13
With Benjamin in the evening.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Tue, May 03, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.800.003.000.0014.80

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-03 08:07:48
Workout Totals: Distance14.800Time1:56:56.20Pace7:54.07
Today our friend Daniel joined us for our workout. The workout was 2x1.5 miles down the canyon with full rest. Benjamin's target was 71 second quarters/4:44 mile pace/7:06 for 1.5. The purpose of the workout was to bust the fear of the 6th lap. I think the workout was successful. Benjamin ran 7:03 in the first one with the splits of 68,70,70,70,73,72. On the second one I told him to focus on the last half mile. This time he ran 7:01 with the splits of 68,71,69,73,71,69. I was happy about that.

For my workout I paced Daniel running 8:11 and 8:23. Daniel ran 8:15/8:31. Details below.

Kids ran their usual distances except Julia who was sick and ran only 2 miles, and Jenny who ran a bit less for a precaution to avoid getting sick as well as being overexerted before the AP Calculus BC test on Thursday.
Leg 1:Distance3.700Time31:03.10Pace8:23.54
Warm-up with Benjamin and Daniel.
Leg 2:Distance1.500Time8:11.50Pace5:27.67
Paced Daniel through 1.5. He remained in contact until 100 to go, then did not have the juice, but still finished with a good split of 8:15. My splits were 78, 80, 80, 83 (5:22 at the mile), 89, 80.
Leg 3:Distance1.600Time15:34.90Pace9:44.31
Recovery jog.
Leg 4:Distance1.500Time8:31.80Pace5:41.20
Paced Daniel in the second 1.5 interval. He remained in contact up to the mile in 5:35, then started falling back. I tried to encourage him to go over the next quarter running it in 89, then figured he might be better off if I just picked up the pace, and it actually did work. I ran the last quarter in 79, he did something around 82 finishing in 8:31.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time8:23.30Pace5:35.53
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time8:23.30Pace5:35.53
My split
Split 2:Distance0.000Time0:08.50Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time8:31.80Pace5:41.20
Daniel's split.
 
Leg 5:Distance2.500Time21:59.90Pace8:47.96
Cool-down uphill to the Canyon Glen Park.
Leg 6:Distance4.000Time31:35.00Pace7:53.75
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 14.80
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Wed, May 04, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.120.000.000.0013.12

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-04 08:41:42
Workout Totals: Distance13.120Time1:46:47.90Pace8:08.41
More or less usual runs today, except Julia threw up and had pretty bad stomach problems, so she did not run. Jenny tapered for the AP test tomorrow. William split his run into a mile in the AM and a mile in the PM. Stephen ran in the evening as in the morning he was still recovering from throwing up in the middle of the night. Benjamin and I did 10 + 3. Benjamin finally got his driver's license. He recalled at the DMV what he had to do to get me to sign the form - which was to run the half marathon in under 1:10. He ran the standard in the Haunted Half at the end of October last year with the time of 1:09:11.
Leg 1:Distance6.100Time48:30.20Pace7:57.08
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time32:54.80Pace8:13.70
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:01.70Pace8:01.70
With Benjamin and William later in the evening.
Leg 4:Distance1.000Time9:32.20Pace9:32.20
With Benjamin and Stephen.
Leg 5:Distance1.020Time7:49.00Pace7:39.80
With Benjamin.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.12
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Thu, May 05, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.210.000.000.1611.37

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-05 08:09:52
Workout Totals: Distance11.362Time1:33:14.40Pace8:12.38
Today I wanted Benjamin to repeat his 3200 meter practice run in hopes of converting his 2x1.5 mile strength from Tuesday to the track. But something was wrong. It was warm, we ran almost 6 miles before he started, and I think he might have picked up a stomach bug. So after the first 1600 in 5:03, I ran with him for 10 seconds, and decided to stop him as his previous lap was 79 and he was in no mood to speed up. Julia jogged a mile today. Stephen ran 1 mile. Joseph, Jacob, and William ran a bit in the morning and raced a 1500 in the evening at a USATF meet at the Timpanogos High track.

Joseph won his age division (11-12) with a new PR of 5:16.75. He opened in 81 in third place, the leader (Kayden Chase) had 76. The second lap was 89 during which Joseph somewhat hesitantly moved into second place. At that point I yelled at him to speed up. He shifted gears and by about 1000 caught up to Kayden and passed him. Joseph's third lap was 85. Kayden tried to retake the lead in the last lap, but Joseph kept finding another gear. His last 300 meters was 61 seconds. Kayden finished in 5:18.45.

Jacob threw up the night before, so I did not want him to push too hard. He ran 5:43.67 easily winning the 9-10 division (the official results for some reason put Joseph in it). He opened with 89, then ran 95, 94, and 64 for the last 300.

William ran a PR of 6:19.25. He opened with 96, then I did not catch his other two splits - I have a hard time multi-tasking when watching more than one of my kids in the same race.
Leg 1:Distance4.900Time40:23.40Pace8:14.57
To Canyon Glen Park with Benjamin via a couple of bathroom detours.
Leg 2:Distance0.761Time7:08.50Pace9:23.07
Warm-up at the BYU track, strides - with Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance0.200Time1:54.50Pace9:32.50
Cumilative:Distance0.200Time1:54.50Pace9:32.50
Split 2:Distance0.062Time0:17.00Pace4:34.19
Cumilative:Distance0.262Time2:11.50Pace8:21.91
Split 3:Distance0.062Time0:46.20Pace12:25.16
Cumilative:Distance0.324Time2:57.70Pace9:08.46
Split 4:Distance0.062Time0:17.10Pace4:35.81
Cumilative:Distance0.386Time3:14.80Pace8:24.66
Split 5:Distance0.375Time3:53.70Pace10:23.20
Cumilative:Distance0.761Time7:08.50Pace9:23.07
 
Leg 3:Distance0.551Time5:13.40Pace9:28.78
Benjamin's failed attempt to conquer the 6th lap beast.
Split 1:Distance0.130Time1:13.10Pace9:22.31
Cumilative:Distance0.130Time1:13.10Pace9:22.31
Split 2:Distance0.130Time1:14.70Pace9:34.62
Cumilative:Distance0.260Time2:27.80Pace9:28.46
Split 3:Distance0.130Time1:16.10Pace9:45.38
Cumilative:Distance0.390Time3:43.90Pace9:34.10
Split 4:Distance0.130Time1:19.50Pace10:11.54
Cumilative:Distance0.520Time5:03.40Pace9:43.46
Split 5:Distance0.031Time0:10.00Pace5:22.58
Cumilative:Distance0.551Time5:13.40Pace9:28.78
 
Leg 4:Distance0.150Time1:24.10Pace9:20.67
Back to the car.
Leg 5:Distance1.000Time9:21.30Pace9:21.30
With Stephen.
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time7:48.10Pace7:48.10
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 7:Distance3.000Time21:55.60Pace7:18.53
Alone.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.36
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Fri, May 06, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.760.000.500.1213.38

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-06 07:53:47
Workout Totals: Distance13.385Time1:45:34.00Pace7:53.21
A.M. 10 with Benjamin, 3 of it with Joseph and Jacob. Other kids ran their usual distances except for Julia who is still recovering and ran only 2 miles. We considering doing the "conquer the 6th lap beast" workout today, but it was too windy, and Benjamin was feeling some kind of fatigue, some of it might have been from the stomach bug in the house. So after the warm-up we decided to postpone it until tomorrow.
Leg 1:Distance2.385Time19:30.50Pace8:10.73
Warm-up, strides with Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance1.100Time9:06.20Pace8:16.55
Cumilative:Distance1.100Time9:06.20Pace8:16.55
Split 2:Distance0.061Time0:16.30Pace4:27.21
Cumilative:Distance1.161Time9:22.50Pace8:04.50
Split 3:Distance0.062Time0:55.10Pace14:47.28
Cumilative:Distance1.223Time10:17.60Pace8:24.95
Split 4:Distance0.062Time0:17.70Pace4:45.02
Cumilative:Distance1.285Time10:35.30Pace8:14.32
Split 5:Distance1.100Time8:55.20Pace8:06.55
Cumilative:Distance2.385Time19:30.50Pace8:10.73
 
Leg 2:Distance5.000Time39:03.00Pace7:48.60
Distance with Benjamin.
Leg 3:Distance3.000Time23:41.10Pace7:53.70
With Joseph, Jacob, and Benjamin.
Leg 4:Distance1.500Time11:58.90Pace7:59.27
With Benjamin in the evening.
Leg 5:Distance1.500Time11:20.50Pace7:33.67
On the way back - did a 0.5 pickup.
Split 1:Distance0.500Time2:45.50Pace5:31.00
Cumilative:Distance0.500Time2:45.50Pace5:31.00
Split 2:Distance1.000Time8:35.00Pace8:35.00
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time11:20.50Pace7:33.67
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.38
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Sat, May 07, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.290.002.001.1220.41

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-07 09:01:43
Workout Totals: Distance20.405Time2:38:10.20Pace7:45.09
Total of 20.4 today. First I went with Benjamin to Provo High where we did the "bust the 6th lap" workout. Things went well for him ... up until he reached the 6th lap :-). So he ran 71.6, 72.1, 72.8, 75.8, 75.6 - following the plan almost perfectly except the 5th lap was supposed to be 73. And then boom, sixth lap he runs 78.6, then 79.2, and 77.8. He broke down mentally again.

When he finished I suggested he should do 4x400 in 72 with 200 recovery. He vehemently refused, but after some post-interval teenager negative talk, he accepted my challenge to him to say a prayer to know what he should do. I was suggesting 4x400 because I knew he would succeed and it would teach his body that 72 seconds per lap is really not that hard and can be done in a stage of fatigue. But what I really wanted him to do was 2x1000 at that pace. But I would not dare mention it given his mental state.

He finished the prayer, and he says - "I think I should do 2x1000". At this point I knew that something special just happened.

I would have been perfectly happy with something like 3:00, 3:02, but Benjamin found another gear and ran 2:54.8, 2:52.4. So if we cut out his slowest 200 from 3200 and add up this 3000 (9:23 + 2:54.8 + 2:52.4) we obtain 15:10 for the 5000. He is running a track 5000 next week in San Francisco. Can the taper, the drop in elevation, and the competition make up for not having two breaks? I do not have enough experience at this point to tell.

I did 800 in 2:34.2 + 2x400 70.4, 68.9 joining Benjamin for part of his workout.

Then I ran with Matthew - he set a new 0.25 record of 2:05.5 (holding the hand). Then Benjamin and I added a mile, and then ran 5 with Joseph and Jacob. Then I ran 9 more alone with a pickup of 2 miles in 11:17 down the canyon (5:41,5:36). I was surprised - I was only hoping for 5:48 pace given how late into the run it was. I felt like I was able to utilize burning fat better than I normally do - the feeling is you press on the gas pedal, the muscles grumble, but eventually respond, and there is a certain feeling that comes with it. I know it is a good feeling - when it is there you do not hit the wall. I suspect that feeling comes when the body is dipping into fats to save the carbs.

The experience reminded me of the "fat" miles Jeff McClellan and I used to do. He is a natural marathon "crasher", but he has been able to run a couple of good marathons including 2:22 in St. George. So maybe they deserve another visit. I am going to try them on Benjamin - he is planning to run his first marathon in the Top of Utah this September if everything goes well.
Leg 1:Distance1.636Time13:41.20Pace8:21.96
Warm-up with Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance1.000Time8:18.40Pace8:18.40
Cumilative:Distance1.000Time8:18.40Pace8:18.40
Split 2:Distance0.062Time0:16.80Pace4:30.97
Cumilative:Distance1.062Time8:35.20Pace8:05.12
Split 3:Distance0.062Time0:44.40Pace11:56.13
Cumilative:Distance1.124Time9:19.60Pace8:17.86
Split 4:Distance0.062Time0:16.70Pace4:29.35
Cumilative:Distance1.186Time9:36.30Pace8:05.92
Split 5:Distance0.450Time4:04.90Pace9:04.22
Cumilative:Distance1.636Time13:41.20Pace8:21.96
 
Leg 2:Distance1.246Time10:03.50Pace8:04.35
Benjamin's attempt to shake the fist at the 6th lap monster.
Split 1:Distance0.125Time1:11.60Pace9:32.80
Cumilative:Distance0.125Time1:11.60Pace9:32.80
Split 2:Distance0.125Time1:12.10Pace9:36.80
Cumilative:Distance0.250Time2:23.70Pace9:34.80
Split 3:Distance0.125Time1:12.80Pace9:42.40
Cumilative:Distance0.375Time3:36.50Pace9:37.33
Split 4:Distance0.125Time1:15.80Pace10:06.40
Cumilative:Distance0.500Time4:52.30Pace9:44.60
Split 5:Distance0.248Time1:15.60Pace5:04.84
Cumilative:Distance0.748Time6:07.90Pace8:11.84
Split 6:Distance0.248Time1:18.60Pace5:16.94
Cumilative:Distance0.996Time7:26.50Pace7:28.29
Split 7:Distance0.125Time1:19.20Pace10:33.60
Cumilative:Distance1.121Time8:45.70Pace7:48.96
Split 8:Distance0.125Time1:17.80Pace10:22.40
Cumilative:Distance1.246Time10:03.50Pace8:04.35
 
Leg 3:Distance0.250Time2:54.60Pace11:38.40
Recovery jog - after some discussion and prayer.
Leg 4:Distance0.443Time2:54.80Pace6:34.58
Benjamin's 1000. The monster gets a post-mortem punch, shall we say.
Split 1:Distance0.125Time1:07.90Pace9:03.20
Cumilative:Distance0.125Time1:07.90Pace9:03.20
Split 2:Distance0.248Time1:10.40Pace4:43.87
Cumilative:Distance0.373Time2:18.30Pace6:10.78
Split 3:Distance0.070Time0:36.50Pace8:41.43
Cumilative:Distance0.443Time2:54.80Pace6:34.58
 
Leg 5:Distance0.620Time7:24.40Pace11:56.77
Recovery jog.
Leg 6:Distance0.460Time2:52.40Pace6:14.78
One more post-mortem punch to the monster over 1000.
Split 1:Distance0.142Time1:08.20Pace8:00.28
Cumilative:Distance0.142Time1:08.20Pace8:00.28
Split 2:Distance0.248Time1:08.90Pace4:37.82
Cumilative:Distance0.390Time2:17.10Pace5:51.54
Split 3:Distance0.070Time0:35.30Pace8:24.29
Cumilative:Distance0.460Time2:52.40Pace6:14.78
 
Leg 7:Distance0.500Time4:51.90Pace9:43.80
Back to the car.
Leg 8:Distance0.250Time2:05.50Pace8:22.00
With Matthew.
Leg 9:Distance1.000Time8:17.30Pace8:17.30
With Benjamin.
Leg 10:Distance5.000Time40:27.50Pace8:05.50
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 11:Distance9.000Time1:02:37.10Pace6:57.46
Alone.
Split 1:Distance4.720Time34:59.50Pace7:24.81
Cumilative:Distance4.720Time34:59.50Pace7:24.81
Split 2:Distance2.000Time11:17.00Pace5:38.50
Cumilative:Distance6.720Time46:16.50Pace6:53.17
Split 3:Distance2.280Time16:20.60Pace7:10.09
Cumilative:Distance9.000Time1:02:37.10Pace6:57.46
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 20.40
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Sun, May 08, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 1.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Mon, May 09, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.021.000.000.0013.02

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-09 08:49:07
Workout Totals: Distance10.020Time1:20:26.10Pace8:01.65
Did 10 + 3 with Benjamin today. Jenny did 1 + 4. Otherwise kids ran their usual distances. Did some "fat" running today.

Jenny finished her last AP test - Physic C: Mechanics. That and the anniversary of Russia's victory over Germany in the Second World War had me thinking about two Russian songs. One is the Day of Victory in honor of the war victory, and the other is
"All is done - the time in the preliminary confinement cell, as well as the court verdict" - song of a prisoner about to be shipped to a labor camp to mine gold. We will find out in July which one she will be singing.
Leg 1:Distance6.020Time49:08.80Pace8:09.83
With Benjamin - did a fat half mile.
Split 1:Distance5.400Time45:00.30Pace8:20.06
Cumilative:Distance5.400Time45:00.30Pace8:20.06
Split 2:Distance0.500Time3:04.10Pace6:08.20
Cumilative:Distance5.900Time48:04.40Pace8:08.88
Fat half mile.
Split 3:Distance0.120Time1:04.40Pace8:56.67
Cumilative:Distance6.020Time49:08.80Pace8:09.83
 
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:17.30Pace7:49.32
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-09 20:19:11
Workout Totals: Distance3.000Time23:46.50Pace7:55.50
 
Leg 1:Distance3.000Time23:46.50Pace7:55.50
With Benjamin and Jenny in the evening.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time11:54.20Pace7:56.13
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time11:54.20Pace7:56.13
Split 2:Distance0.500Time2:59.20Pace5:58.40
Cumilative:Distance2.000Time14:53.40Pace7:26.70
Fat half mile with Benjamin and Jenny - it was not fat for Jenny, though.
Split 3:Distance1.000Time8:53.10Pace8:53.10
Cumilative:Distance3.000Time23:46.50Pace7:55.50
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.02
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Tue, May 10, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.830.000.000.6211.45

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-10 08:55:17
Workout Totals: Distance11.447Time1:31:58.20Pace8:02.07
Today Benjamin did a benchmark 2000 run on the track at Orem High. I had some data from 3 years ago when he did this run in 6:31.6 on Tuesday, and then raced 3000 on Saturday in Eugene, OR at Hayward Field in 9:35.32. So I figured it would be good to gather some more. He ran it in 5:57.8. This predicted 8:45.7 in the 3000 at Hayward Field, and using Runworks Calculator, 15:14 5000. I am writing this entry late, Benjamin did race the 5000 in San Francisco in 15:28.54. The conditions were not bad, but not ideal - 66F, 10 mph wind, and the race was at 2 pm. The Oregon race had - 60 F, 13 mph winds, 9 AM. Benjamin thought the Oregon had better conditions, so we have several possibilities - the sun exposure and the general afternoon apathy at 2 pm was really bothering him, Hayward field had better wind protection, or maybe he just does not remember.

I was able to keep up for laps 3, and 4 with him running 2:24.4 for the 800. I was happy with that result. What was strange is that my earlier runs in 2:33-2:34 this year felt pretty close to the limit, and this was also felt close to the limit, but I felt maybe I could have found another gear. Strange things happen when you are over 40.

Otherwise, the kids ran their usual distances, except Joseph and Jacob did 4.69 instead of 4.
Leg 1:Distance1.561Time13:37.10Pace8:43.45
Warm-up, strides with Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance1.000Time8:05.20Pace8:05.20
Cumilative:Distance1.000Time8:05.20Pace8:05.20
Split 2:Distance0.062Time0:16.80Pace4:30.97
Cumilative:Distance1.062Time8:22.00Pace7:52.69
Split 3:Distance0.062Time0:42.80Pace11:30.32
Cumilative:Distance1.124Time9:04.80Pace8:04.70
Split 4:Distance0.062Time0:16.60Pace4:27.74
Cumilative:Distance1.186Time9:21.40Pace7:53.36
Split 5:Distance0.375Time4:15.70Pace11:21.87
Cumilative:Distance1.561Time13:37.10Pace8:43.45
 
Leg 2:Distance0.846Time5:57.80Pace7:02.93
Benjamin's 2000, my 800 with him in the middle.
Split 1:Distance0.125Time1:10.50Pace9:24.00
Cumilative:Distance0.125Time1:10.50Pace9:24.00
Split 2:Distance0.125Time1:12.40Pace9:39.20
Cumilative:Distance0.250Time2:22.90Pace9:31.60
Split 3:Distance0.248Time1:12.20Pace4:51.13
Cumilative:Distance0.498Time3:35.10Pace7:11.93
Split 4:Distance0.248Time1:12.20Pace4:51.13
Cumilative:Distance0.746Time4:47.30Pace6:25.12
Split 5:Distance0.100Time1:10.50Pace11:45.00
Cumilative:Distance0.846Time5:57.80Pace7:02.93
 
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time9:42.20Pace9:42.20
Back to the house.
Leg 4:Distance4.690Time36:49.10Pace7:51.02
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 5:Distance1.310Time9:48.40Pace7:29.16
Extra distance with Benjamin.
Leg 6:Distance2.040Time16:03.60Pace7:52.35
Alone.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.45
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Wed, May 11, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.770.001.000.0012.77

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-11 09:25:50
Workout Totals: Distance12.774Time1:40:54.30Pace7:53.95
Today we did an interesting race. Stephen ran 570 meters, William 700, Joseph and Jacob 800. All started at the same time. I paced Stephen. It was quite dramatic. Joseph ran 2:36.6 (2:36.3 on his watch, either way new PR), Jacob 2:37.7 (also new PR, first time under 2:40), Stephen 2:39.6. William stopped with about 50 meters to go when he saw that Stephen already finished and threw a fit. I would not let him get away with this type of behavior, and gave him a choice - a quarter in 90 seconds, an all out 800, or go home and get no stars or fruit snacks. He was not happy to be constrained this way, but he eventually chose the 800, which he ran in 3:17.4 - 5 seconds slower than his track PR. His first 200 was good - 45 seconds, the rest was obviously not. But I gave him 5 stars for the effort anyway. Joseph got 10, Jacob 8, Stephen 6 plus record bonuses from Amazon. Stephen earned the PR bonus by running an all out 400 in 1:41.4 after the 570 meter run. This surprised me quite a bit - I did not realize he was that fast.

Otherwise it was a usual day for the younger kids, and they all did their target distances. Benjamin ran 8 miles tapering for the 5000 on Saturday.
Leg 1:Distance0.248Time2:31.80Pace10:12.10
With Matthew and the rest of the boy crew minus Benjamin on the track. Matthew did not hold the hand for most of it.
Leg 2:Distance0.160Time1:14.20Pace7:43.75
A bit more distance running around arranging the race.
Leg 3:Distance0.354Time2:39.60Pace7:30.85
Pacing Stephen.
Split 1:Distance0.348Time2:36.60Pace7:30.00
Cumilative:Distance0.348Time2:36.60Pace7:30.00
Joseph's split.
Split 2:Distance0.002Time0:01.10Pace9:10.00
Cumilative:Distance0.350Time2:37.70Pace7:30.57
Jacob's split.
Split 3:Distance0.004Time0:01.90Pace7:55.00
Cumilative:Distance0.354Time2:39.60Pace7:30.85
Stephen's split.
Split 4:Distance0.000Time0:00.00Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.354Time2:39.60Pace7:30.85
 
Leg 4:Distance0.248Time1:41.40Pace6:48.87
Stephen's 400 time trial.
Leg 5:Distance0.496Time3:17.40Pace6:37.98
William's 800 time trial.
Leg 6:Distance3.000Time25:37.70Pace8:32.57
More distance with Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 7:Distance8.268Time1:03:52.20Pace7:43.50
With Benjamin. Did a "fat" mile that ended up being a bit too fast for the purpose.
Split 1:Distance6.868Time54:56.50Pace7:59.98
Cumilative:Distance6.868Time54:56.50Pace7:59.98
Split 2:Distance1.000Time5:42.30Pace5:42.30
Cumilative:Distance7.868Time1:00:38.80Pace7:42.48
Split 3:Distance0.400Time3:13.40Pace8:03.50
Cumilative:Distance8.268Time1:03:52.20Pace7:43.50
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.77
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Thu, May 12, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.001.002.000.0012.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-12 08:29:21
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:30:46.00Pace7:33.83
Benjamin did 6 tapering, otherwise kids ran their usual distances. I did a "fat" mile with Benjamin, then went for extra distances and did a 2 mile tempo at the end of the run.
Leg 1:Distance4.000Time32:29.10Pace8:07.27
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 2:Distance1.000Time8:33.30Pace8:33.30
With Stephen.
Leg 3:Distance3.000Time22:42.80Pace7:34.27
With Benjamin. Did a "fat" mile.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time11:58.80Pace7:59.20
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time11:58.80Pace7:59.20
Split 2:Distance1.000Time5:58.30Pace5:58.30
Cumilative:Distance2.500Time17:57.10Pace7:10.84
Split 3:Distance0.500Time4:45.70Pace9:31.40
Cumilative:Distance3.000Time22:42.80Pace7:34.27
 
Leg 4:Distance2.000Time15:18.00Pace7:39.00
From the house to the 2 mile mark at the mouth of the canyon.
Leg 5:Distance2.000Time11:42.80Pace5:51.40
Tempo run back to the house.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Fri, May 13, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.751.001.250.0012.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-13 08:30:05
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:30:19.00Pace7:31.58
Did 10+2 today. Benjamin did 6 with a "fat" mile, otherwise usual distances for the kids. Benjamin and Sarah flew to SF in the afternoon.
Leg 1:Distance4.000Time32:07.50Pace8:01.88
With Joseph, Jacob, and Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance2.000Time14:33.50Pace7:16.75
With Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance0.500Time4:01.60Pace8:03.20
Cumilative:Distance0.500Time4:01.60Pace8:03.20
Split 2:Distance1.000Time5:56.30Pace5:56.30
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time9:57.90Pace6:38.60
Fat mile.
Split 3:Distance0.500Time4:35.60Pace9:11.20
Cumilative:Distance2.000Time14:33.50Pace7:16.75
 
Leg 3:Distance4.000Time28:21.70Pace7:05.43
More distance, did a 1.25 pickup in 7:06.
Split 1:Distance2.000Time15:24.70Pace7:42.35
Cumilative:Distance2.000Time15:24.70Pace7:42.35
Split 2:Distance1.250Time7:06.30Pace5:41.04
Cumilative:Distance3.250Time22:31.00Pace6:55.69
Split 3:Distance0.750Time5:50.70Pace7:47.60
Cumilative:Distance4.000Time28:21.70Pace7:05.43
 
Leg 4:Distance2.000Time15:16.30Pace7:38.15
2 miles late in the evening.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Sat, May 14, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.750.006.250.0020.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-14 06:40:16
Workout Totals: Distance20.000Time2:39:56.50Pace7:59.82
Did 17+3, total of 20. Did a tempo 6.25 down the canyon in 36:13 after running the first 8 easy. Felt sluggish at the start, but was able to speed up to around 5:45 pace, and close in 5:38 for the last mile.

Kids raced the 1500 at the USATF track meet at the Timpanogos High. Joseph ran 5:12 (78,87,85,62) - new PR, Jacob 5:18 (79,88,87,64) - new PR as well, William 6:21 (1:35,1:44,?,?) - missed his PR by 2 seconds, and Stephen ran 7:21 (1:46,2:02,?,?) - worth a sub-8:00 mile which we have been trying to get him to do for a while.

Benjamin ran 5000 in the West Coast Last Chance Meet in San Francisco. His time was 15:28.54. This was his first track 5000 at sea level. Sarah showed me the race via Skype, while her friend recorded it via another phone camera.

I have the splits from Skype below, which are pretty accurate. The recording, which is more accurate shows slight variation. His splits by kilometer were 3:01,3:02,3:05,3:13, and 3:07. I reviewed the footage of the race with Benjamin (will post the footage shortly). Some quick takeaways:

- He needs to learn how to run in a pack. I thought 75/69 for the first two laps was from a Skype lag. Then reviewing the footage I realized this was actually what happened. He ran the first lap towards the end of the pack, then once he saw 75, he went around them on the curve and ran 69 to move to the front.
- He needs to have a better idea of what is going on around him and how to take advantage of it. At 3200 he was only 6 seconds back from the heat leader, who ended up running 15:05, but due to his vision problems and not wearing glasses he thought he was hopelessly behind.
- When things get hard, he needs to do a better job hanging with whoever is passing him. I explained to him that if somebody is behind him at 3200, the most likely cause is the lack of fitness. They are not super-runners, it is not easy for them to drop you. If somebody passes, fetch a ride. Whoever passes you is hurting just as much. Hang on for at least a lap. Go into kick mode to hang on if you have to. When you start fading a bit, you emit a scent of blood for the greyhounds and they follow it. Once the greyhounds have caught up, they will have the motivation to run for maybe a lap. Then they will likely be paying for the overexertion it took to catch you. During the first lap after they pass you they will still have the adrenaline. After that the adrenaline will end, and they will slow down making the pace manageable. If you can live for a lap, there is a good chance the greyhound will be taking you to the finish, and that you may outkick it. The greyhound knows it and tries to lose you for about a lap - then it is out of juice. If this is a super-greyhound, things are still good. It will either pull you up to the weaker struggling runner in front that you can run with, or it will pull you away from the slower greyhounds giving you more time to rest once you get dropped before another "ride" comes.
- Be more aware of your splits. Set goals for each lap, adjust as necessary.
- I noticed from stepping frame by frame that Benjamin has a significantly longer stride than his competition. Some of it is natural, I think, some from how he trains. Most of his running is quite easy. Long stride in and of itself is not a problem, actually can be a strength. The problem was quite apparent, though, when he started to falter in the 4th kilometer. The fatigue comes making his natural stride length unsustainable. Instead of upping his stride rate, he is desperately trying to maintain the stride length for about a lap before giving up on the pace. We need to do some kind of training to fix this. I told him - move your arms quicker when you feel the pace is slipping.
- When things get hard, run with good cheer, do not become a martyr. On laps 9-12 his face expression resembled that of a Gulag prisoner. He has always had a natural tendency towards negative thinking which he has tried to overcome, but it still comes out in the third mile of a 5 K. With that it needs to be noted that there is a difference between showing signs of pain from extreme effort (good) and showing signs of resignation to your fate (bad) - his right now appears to be the latter.
Leg 1:Distance8.150Time1:01:41.10Pace7:34.12
Warm-up to Vivian Park.
Leg 2:Distance6.250Time36:13.80Pace5:47.81
Tempo run down the canyon.
Leg 3:Distance1.600Time13:17.80Pace8:18.62
Back to the house.
Leg 4:Distance1.000Time7:26.10Pace7:26.10
With Jenny.
Leg 5:Distance0.000Time15:28.50Pace0:00.00
Skype splits from Benjamin's 5000.
Split 1:Distance0.000Time1:15.90Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time1:15.90Pace0:00.00
Split 2:Distance0.000Time1:09.20Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time2:25.10Pace0:00.00
Split 3:Distance0.000Time1:12.10Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time3:37.20Pace0:00.00
Split 4:Distance0.000Time1:14.20Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time4:51.40Pace0:00.00
Split 5:Distance0.000Time1:12.80Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time6:04.20Pace0:00.00
Split 6:Distance0.000Time1:14.70Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time7:18.90Pace0:00.00
Split 7:Distance0.000Time1:13.20Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time8:32.10Pace0:00.00
Split 8:Distance0.000Time1:14.00Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time9:46.10Pace0:00.00
Split 9:Distance0.000Time2:35.20Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time12:21.30Pace0:00.00
Split 10:Distance0.000Time2:34.70Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time14:56.00Pace0:00.00
Split 11:Distance0.000Time0:32.50Pace0:00.00
Cumilative:Distance0.000Time15:28.50Pace0:00.00
 
Leg 6:Distance3.000Time25:49.20Pace8:36.40
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 20.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
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Sun, May 15, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 2.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Mon, May 16, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-16 08:07:34
Workout Totals: Distance10.000Time1:17:20.50Pace7:44.05
Total of 10. Benjamin did 10 as well. Otherwise usual runs for the kids. Benjamin started feeling like he was getting a cold in the evening.
Leg 1:Distance6.000Time46:44.00Pace7:47.33
With Benjamin, did a "fat" 0.5 in 2:53 down the canyon.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time30:36.50Pace7:39.12
With Benjamin, Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Tue, May 17, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.780.002.000.0011.78

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-17 08:00:29
Workout Totals: Distance11.780Time1:29:02.70Pace7:33.54
We found out that we are having a baby girl. We named her Bella. She is expected to be born on October 8th.

In the AM the kids ran less than normal, including Benjamin, because they had a USATF track meet in the evening at Mountain View High. Benjamin got a cold, but I wanted him to run the 3000 anyway, although not 100%. I told him just run something under 9:58, which I believe is the standard for him to qualify for Junior Nationals without having to go to Bozeman. He got a bit too excited and decided that he wanted to make sure everybody in the field got lapped. So he ran 9:19 with the splits of 3:00, 3:09, 3:10. He said he felt the cold effects towards the end of the race.

Joseph ran 11:19 with the splits of 3:45, 3:53, 3:42. I was not sure how well he was going to hold up with his leg growing pains. He did better than my worst fears, but we need to improve this to 10:58 to qualify by the mark.

Joseph had someone to run with - Simon Mitchell that gapped him by about 10 seconds in the first 800 and then stayed at that distance for the remainder of the race, but for some reason Joseph did not close that gap in the second kilometer - perhaps the fear of the distance.

Jenny ran 12:17 with the splits of 3:56, 4:11, 4:10. Julia got 12:50 (4:05, 4:24, 4:21).

Jacob nearly got chicked by Nadia Medina in the 800 running very strange splits 76,85 (2:41). She took the lead from the gun, he passed her after the first 100, they got into a race and went through the first 200 in 36. I think both were paying for that for the remainder of the race.

William ran 3:12 (1:32,1:40), Stephen got 3:48 (1:50, 1:58).
Leg 1:Distance5.780Time46:15.90Pace8:00.26
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance1.000Time7:55.50Pace7:55.50
With Joseph, Jacob, and William.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:01.20Pace8:01.20
With Jacob.
Leg 4:Distance2.000Time15:20.80Pace7:40.40
More distance alone.
Leg 5:Distance2.000Time11:29.30Pace5:44.65
2 mile tempo run from the 800 N bridge to the house.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.78
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Wed, May 18, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.950.780.000.0011.73

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-18 09:10:13
Workout Totals: Distance11.730Time1:32:12.60Pace7:51.66
Benjamin was recovering from a cold today, ran only 6 miles. Otherwise usual distances for the kids, except Stephen wanted to do a mile time trial in the evening in addition to his regular run. He was on pace for a record, but hit a panic attack in the last quarter, and ended up missing it by 1 second running 8:22. Then William insisted on going to the track. But once we got there he had an attitude. The plan was to run an 800 and try to get a PR, but we ended up doing some sporadic running at around his 800 pace.
Leg 1:Distance5.700Time45:04.00Pace7:54.39
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:18.30Pace7:49.57
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:22.70Pace8:22.70
With William, Stephen, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 4:Distance0.248Time1:32.40Pace6:12.58
With William.
Leg 5:Distance0.160Time1:05.00Pace6:46.25
With William.
Leg 6:Distance0.124Time0:45.20Pace6:04.52
With William.
Leg 7:Distance0.248Time1:36.40Pace6:28.71
With William.
Leg 8:Distance0.250Time2:28.60Pace9:54.40
With Matthew.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.73
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Thu, May 19, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-19 09:00:18
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:34:29.00Pace7:52.42
Usual runs today for the most part. Benjamin is recovering from the cold, ran 8 miles. I got 12 total.
Leg 1:Distance4.690Time38:12.20Pace8:08.74
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 2:Distance0.310Time2:30.60Pace8:05.81
A bit of extra distance with Benjamin.
Leg 3:Distance3.000Time24:00.40Pace8:00.13
With Benjamin.
Leg 4:Distance4.000Time29:45.80Pace7:26.45
Alone.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Fri, May 20, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.941.743.720.0014.40

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-20 07:31:53
Workout Totals: Distance14.396Time1:43:06.70Pace7:09.75
Today the kids ran several PRs. Jenny ran 2000 in 7:56.6, splits 93,94,97,99,93. She is working on breaking 20:00 in the 5 K - the target I gave her for getting her driver's license. Next target is to make it to 3000 at that pace.

William ran 800 in 3:11.9, new PR by a bit less than 1 second. Splits 92/99. He still has a lot of fear. He ran 27 seconds from 400 to 500, then 24 second 100s to the finish. So he can hold it in the second lap if he puts his mind to it.

I gave Joseph and Jacob a target of 86 for the first lap, then 88s until failure, then if the failure was so bad they could not run a decent 3000 I would stop them, otherwise, we would go to 3000. After the first lap in 86 Joseph started screaming due to leg pain. I told him to stop, and continued with Jacob. He continued with 89,90,89,93,93,90,44 finishing 3000 in 11:14.2 - faster than Joseph's 3000 performance in the race on Tuesday.

Joseph felt some serious quad pain, appears to be what is called growing pains. It is very strange - symmetrical, somewhat responsive to massage, comes out after about a mile or two of easy running, is aggravated by emotional stressors, but has never bothered him in a race. When he competes he is able to forget about it.

So seeing his brother beat his 3000 record made him want to try. I was thinking - well, he'll be done after 3 laps - there is no way he will be able to run through this. I was actually hoping he'd stop because I am getting old, and 11:14 3000 is not an easy effort for me anymore. But he did not. I opened in 87, he is still there. 88, still there, started screaming. I am thinking - OK a couple more laps, he will start running 95s or slower, I'll stop him. 89, still there, 90, still there - screaming in pain the entire time. With 3 laps to go it became clear to me that he was going to finish the whole thing. I told him he was 2 second behind Jacob. Loud scream of pain and frustration, I wondered if maybe I should not have told him, but then he speeds up and closes that gap by 2000. So 92 for this lap. Then 93, 89, and 43 for the last 200 to finish in 11:12.2 - improving his PR by 7 seconds.

I was beyond speech. How can an 11-year-old boy be so tough? The entire time I was recalling Derek Clayton's marathon world record where he was showing signs of pain as early as the 5 K mark. Maybe he can run 10:58 qualifier at altitude after all.
Leg 1:Distance1.100Time9:45.10Pace8:51.91
Warm-up with Benjamin and Jenny.
Leg 2:Distance1.240Time7:56.70Pace6:24.44
Paced Jenny through 2000.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:40.60Pace8:40.60
Back to the house.
Leg 4:Distance0.190Time1:50.50Pace9:41.58
Warm-up with William, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 5:Distance0.496Time3:11.90Pace6:26.90
William's 800.
Leg 6:Distance1.860Time11:14.20Pace6:02.47
Jacob's 3000.
Leg 7:Distance1.860Time11:12.20Pace6:01.40
Joseph's 3000.
Leg 8:Distance0.650Time5:23.70Pace8:18.00
Cool-down.
Leg 9:Distance6.000Time43:51.80Pace7:18.63
With Benjamin.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 14.39
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Sat, May 21, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.251.003.000.0021.25

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-21 08:35:32
Workout Totals: Distance21.250Time2:41:25.10Pace7:35.77
Total of 21 - 20 in the AM, and 1.25 in the PM. Benjamin did 12, Jenny 6, Julia 4, Joseph and Jacob 5, William 2, Stephen 1, Matthew 0.25.

Benjamin paced me through a 3 mile tempo run down the canyon. It was raining hard although not as hard as it could have been. Nevertheless by the time we got to the start I was feeling unmotivated to run fast. I made it through the first mile in 5:29, and then just could not push myself. My next mile was 5:38. Then we ran a quarter in 87, and Benjamin shifted gears and pulled me through the next one in 81. I do not know how I survived it. Somehow I managed to run 2:46 for the next 0.5 and finish the whole thing in 16:41.9, last mile in 5:34.

I noticed that in the last few years I have been struggling with the inner drive. Even 4 years ago it did not take as much out of me to tell myself to go. Now I have to dig really deep to find the extra gears. That is all good, though, I think. It will help me develop stronger faith.

I am beginning to understand that there are two types of toughness. The first kind is hormonal/biochemical. When available it activates with relative ease. You have it more or less regardless of your character or spiritual strength. As you get older you have less of it. The second kind comes from the strength of your character/spirit. This one is hard to activate. In terms of performance for the unit of suffering it is not very rewarding. But it is much more rewarding in other ways.

In the past I have often mistook the first for the second. Now that I have less of the first, the distinction is easier to make. And I realized that in the eternal perspective the second one is much more important than the first. The experience with the first could prepare you to understand the second, but the second is what really matters.
Leg 1:Distance5.400Time41:28.80Pace7:40.89
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance3.000Time16:41.90Pace5:33.97
Tempo run.
Leg 3:Distance3.600Time29:59.10Pace8:19.75
Distance afterwards.
Leg 4:Distance5.000Time39:40.10Pace7:56.02
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 5:Distance3.000Time21:29.10Pace7:09.70
Extra distance with a mile pickup in the middle. Practiced quick leg turnover when tired.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time11:35.40Pace7:43.60
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time11:35.40Pace7:43.60
Split 2:Distance1.000Time5:54.50Pace5:54.50
Cumilative:Distance2.500Time17:29.90Pace6:59.96
Split 3:Distance0.500Time3:59.20Pace7:58.40
Cumilative:Distance3.000Time21:29.10Pace7:09.70
 
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time9:39.20Pace9:39.20
With Stephen.
Leg 7:Distance0.250Time2:26.90Pace9:47.60
With Matthew.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 21.25
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Sun, May 22, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church. Taught Benjamin how to drive our 15-passenger van, and read some Second World War history with him in Russian. It was a Wikipedia article that was supposed to be objective, but it was in Russian, so likely written by a Russian. So whenever Germans lost it said "the enemy was anihilated". When the Russians lost, "the Red Army failed to hold back the relentless pressure from an overwhelming force of the enemy". Benjamin was greatly entertained by this language.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Mon, May 23, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.381.620.000.0013.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-23 08:24:36
Workout Totals: Distance13.005Time1:39:09.70Pace7:37.49
Usual day. Benjamin and I did 10+3 with "fat" pickups. Otherwise usual distances for the kids.
Leg 1:Distance6.005Time44:51.20Pace7:28.16
With Benjamin. Did a "fat" 1 K.
Split 1:Distance5.280Time40:20.80Pace7:38.48
Cumilative:Distance5.280Time40:20.80Pace7:38.48
Split 2:Distance0.625Time3:41.20Pace5:53.92
Cumilative:Distance5.905Time44:02.00Pace7:27.42
Split 3:Distance0.100Time0:49.20Pace8:12.00
Cumilative:Distance6.005Time44:51.20Pace7:28.16
 
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:37.30Pace7:54.32
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance3.000Time22:41.20Pace7:33.73
With Benjamin in the PM. Did a "fat" mile.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time11:59.60Pace7:59.73
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time11:59.60Pace7:59.73
Split 2:Distance1.000Time6:03.70Pace6:03.70
Cumilative:Distance2.500Time18:03.30Pace7:13.32
Split 3:Distance0.500Time4:37.90Pace9:15.80
Cumilative:Distance3.000Time22:41.20Pace7:33.73
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Tue, May 24, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.180.006.000.0017.18

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-24 07:55:09
Workout Totals: Distance17.180Time2:08:14.10Pace7:27.85
Total of around 17 miles. Did a workout with Benjamin. 2 up, 4 down the canyon. I did 2 in 12:03 (5:58, 6:05), Benjamin in 11:14 (5:39,5:35). 4 miles - me 22:38.9 (5:39,5:39,5:43,5:37). Benjamin 20:34(5:05,5:09,5:16,5:05). Benjamin was feeling tired, probably glycogen depletion. I told him to eat more.

Benjamin ended up with 13 miles. Otherwise kids ran usual distances.
Leg 1:Distance2.280Time17:32.80Pace7:41.75
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance2.000Time12:03.30Pace6:01.65
2 miles uphill.
Leg 3:Distance1.800Time16:45.80Pace9:18.78
Recovery.
Leg 4:Distance4.000Time22:38.90Pace5:39.73
4 miles down.
Leg 5:Distance3.100Time27:50.50Pace8:58.87
Cool-down.
Leg 6:Distance4.000Time31:22.80Pace7:50.70
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 17.18
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Wed, May 25, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.410.620.000.0011.03

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-25 08:59:13
Workout Totals: Distance11.035Time1:23:26.10Pace7:33.66
Did 10 in the AM with Benjamin (some with Joseph and Jacob as well), and 1 with Stephen in the PM. Usual distances for the kids.
Leg 1:Distance6.035Time44:48.30Pace7:25.45
With Benjamin, did a "fat" 1 K.
Split 1:Distance5.300Time40:12.00Pace7:35.09
Cumilative:Distance5.300Time40:12.00Pace7:35.09
Split 2:Distance0.625Time3:39.80Pace5:51.68
Cumilative:Distance5.925Time43:51.80Pace7:24.19
Split 3:Distance0.110Time0:56.50Pace8:33.64
Cumilative:Distance6.035Time44:48.30Pace7:25.45
 
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time29:44.40Pace7:26.10
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:53.40Pace8:53.40
With Stephen.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.03
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Thu, May 26, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.560.003.000.0014.56

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-26 08:04:41
Workout Totals: Distance14.560Time1:45:32.20Pace7:14.90
Total of 14.56. Benjamin ran 10.56 + 3. He paced me through a 3 mile tempo run down the canyon. It was a strange run. I felt good in the first 200, then after a small uphill I started feeling sluggish, and asked Benjamin to lead me at 83 per quarter, which he did up to 0.75 in 4:10. Then I asked him to speed up to 82, he sped up to 80, it was too hard, but I thought I'd give it a shot. So I went with him for the next 1 K in 3:21, mile split was 5:30. When we hit the small uphill I asked him to take it easy, he did, we had 8:14 at 1.5. Then he sped up to 81, that felt too hard, I asked him to back off. He slowed down to 85, we had 11:00 at 2 miles, it still felt hard, but I was ready to deal with the last mile. Benjamin, however, experienced a major side ache which I think was correlated to stiffness in the back. We stopped with about 0.7 to go to massage it. That fixed the problem, Benjamin could run normally again. After the stop I hard the hardest time getting back to pace. We ran 2:50 from 2 to 2.5. Then in the last 0.5 Benjamin shifted gears. It felt very hard, I did not think I could do it, but then I told myself - you are not running 0.5 at the end of 3, you are just running 0.5. It was easier to believe because we had enough of a stop for me to recover earlier. Once I did that, the pace became manageable, and I was able to run 2:34 (5:08 pace) for the last 0.5.

Two important takeaways from that - Benjamin's mysterious side aches are likely connected to his back tension, and I can improve my finishing speed my changing my mental focus.

Otherwise kids ran their usual distances today.
Leg 1:Distance5.280Time40:36.60Pace7:41.48
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance3.000Time16:24.60Pace5:28.20
Tempo run.
Leg 3:Distance2.280Time18:56.80Pace8:18.60
Cool-down.
Leg 4:Distance4.000Time29:34.20Pace7:23.55
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 14.56
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Fri, May 27, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.390.620.000.0011.01

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-27 09:02:32
Workout Totals: Distance11.015Time1:23:32.00Pace7:35.02
Total of 11. Benjamin did 10. Usual distances for the kids, except Stephen ended up with 2 miles due to his lack of effort in the morning - 10:07 mile with Julia in spite of her efforts to get him to go a respectable pace. I gave him a choice to run another mile to earn the fruit snacks, a fig bar, and a Russian movie. His standards are 9:40 for one fruit snack, 9:20 for two, 9:00 or one quarter 2:05 or faster during the run for a fig bar on top of the fruit snacks, 8:40 or one quarter 2:00 or faster for a Russian movie on top of everything else. He earned the Russian movie through 2:00 quarter at the end.

Benjamin was very much like that when he was 5. The deal was that if he broke 10:00 he got to choose the movie, otherwise I got to choose the movie. He would frequently go through the first quarter in 3:00 or so insisting that he could not go any faster. Then I would remind him of the consequences of running slow, and he always sped up to finish in something under 10:00.
Leg 1:Distance4.000Time29:32.90Pace7:23.23
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 2:Distance6.015Time45:15.90Pace7:31.52
With Benjamin. Did a "fat" 1 K.
Split 1:Distance5.300Time40:50.00Pace7:42.26
Cumilative:Distance5.300Time40:50.00Pace7:42.26
Split 2:Distance0.625Time3:41.00Pace5:53.60
Cumilative:Distance5.925Time44:31.00Pace7:30.80
Split 3:Distance0.090Time0:44.90Pace8:18.89
Cumilative:Distance6.015Time45:15.90Pace7:31.52
 
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:43.20Pace8:43.20
With Stephen.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.01
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Sat, May 28, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.890.006.000.0019.89

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-28 07:23:22
Workout Totals: Distance19.890Time2:32:53.30Pace7:41.20
I did 20, Benjamin 15, younger kids ran their usual distances. Benjamin and I repeated our Tuesday workout 2 up + 4 down the Provo Canyon. Benjamin did 11:12(5:39,5:33) + 20:13(4:59,5:05,5:12,4:57). I got 12:00 (5:57,6:03) + 22:29 (5:35,5:37,5:41,5:36). I prayed this morning as well as during the run to be able to run 12:00, and this is exactly what I ran, to the tenth of the second. After the first mile I was not certain, I only had 5:57, there were some climbs up ahead, and the headwind was stronger than on Tuesday. I learned something about what it means to have faith. "It is by the grace that we are saved after all we can do" (2 Nephi 2:25), and "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). I gained a better understanding in a practical way what those passages mean.

I tend to expect my goal-specific prayers to be answered by gaining the fitness that puts me a little bit above my goal. That is not how this one was answered. I had to dig rather deep into the depths of my soul to find the extra gear in the last half mile and I had that ability to dig today.

I feel another prayer was answered as well. I prayed last night to know how I can coach Benjamin to make a breakthrough in running. And I saw something in my mind - when he hits an uphill he lengthens his stride instead of upping his turnover. I explained to him what I knew about running uphill - move the arms quicker, drive the knee up, increase leg turnover - but I knew that he would need an experience I could not give him to internalize it. So I asked him to pray as he runs so the Lord would teach him how to run uphill. I think he made some progress today. He closed with a 5:33 on the uphill interval, and he recovered better from the uphill bumps on the downhill interval. I was particularly happy that he found 4:57 after a slow-down to 5:12. Most of it actually came from the last 0.5 in 2:25. I was also happy that the slow-down mile was 5:12.

Otherwise, kids ran their usual distances.
Leg 1:Distance2.280Time18:07.10Pace7:56.80
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance2.000Time12:00.00Pace6:00.00
Tempo uphill.
Leg 3:Distance1.310Time12:30.20Pace9:32.67
Recovery.
Leg 4:Distance4.000Time22:29.60Pace5:37.40
Tempo downhill.
Leg 5:Distance5.300Time48:59.50Pace9:14.62
Distance with Benjamin.
Leg 6:Distance5.000Time38:46.90Pace7:45.38
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 19.89
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Sun, May 29, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. Went to church.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Mon, May 30, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.161.250.000.0013.41

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-30 07:40:03
Workout Totals: Distance13.410Time1:44:19.80Pace7:46.80
Did 10+3 with Benjamin. Chad came to run with us for the morning 10. Younger kids ran their usual distances.
Leg 1:Distance2.040Time16:56.20Pace8:18.14
With William.
Leg 2:Distance1.000Time8:25.90Pace8:25.90
With Stephen.
Leg 3:Distance4.000Time31:20.70Pace7:50.18
With Jenny.
Leg 4:Distance3.000Time22:17.80Pace7:25.93
With Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 5:Distance3.370Time25:19.20Pace7:30.80
Evening run with Benjamin, did some "fat" pickups.
Split 1:Distance1.500Time12:12.40Pace8:08.27
Cumilative:Distance1.500Time12:12.40Pace8:08.27
Split 2:Distance1.000Time6:06.20Pace6:06.20
Cumilative:Distance2.500Time18:18.60Pace7:19.44
Split 3:Distance0.620Time5:32.30Pace8:55.97
Cumilative:Distance3.120Time23:50.90Pace7:38.62
Split 4:Distance0.250Time1:28.30Pace5:53.20
Cumilative:Distance3.370Time25:19.20Pace7:30.80
 

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.41
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Tue, May 31, 2016
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.860.001.250.0013.11

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-05-31 07:43:25
Workout Totals: Distance13.110Time1:41:51.40Pace7:46.16
Today the kids ran in the track meet at the American Fork in the evening, so they ran only a little bit in the morning. I attempted a 2 mile tempo run, but has some issues with the back pain, and decided to cut it short at 1.25 in 7:01.

In the track meet, we had some wind, steady, about 10 mph along the home stretch, just about the worst possible place it could be, so everybody was slower than they should have been. In the 3000:

Benjamin 9:21 (3:01, 3:11, 3:09)
Joseph 11:21 (3:46,3:53,3:42)
Jenny 12:29 (4:02, 4:17, 4:10)
Julia 13:08 (4:08, 4:30, 4:30)

The kids valiantly fought the wind, but there was only so much they could do.

In the 800 we had the same problem:

Jacob 2:47 (36, 43, 46, 42)
William 3:15 - (47, ?, ?, ?)
Stephen 3:50 - (?, ?, ?, ?)

Jacob's opening 36 was into a head wind, so it was probably worth 34. He paid for it for the rest of the race. But he was running completely alone and finished about 25 seconds ahead of the next competitor. So he found it hard to find the motivation to battle the wind.

William, on the other hand, ran a smarter race, and was conservative in the first 200. In fact, perhaps too conservative, I had to yell at him to get going. He ended up doing quite well.
Leg 1:Distance3.770Time29:18.00Pace7:46.31
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance3.650Time25:53.00Pace7:05.48
An attempt at a tempo run on the way back.
Split 1:Distance1.250Time7:01.90Pace5:37.52
Cumilative:Distance1.250Time7:01.90Pace5:37.52
Split 2:Distance2.400Time18:51.10Pace7:51.29
Cumilative:Distance3.650Time25:53.00Pace7:05.48
 
Leg 3:Distance1.000Time9:07.40Pace9:07.40
With Benjamin and William.
Leg 4:Distance4.690Time37:33.00Pace8:00.38
With Benjamin.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 13.11
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
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Totals
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
308.0510.6340.972.02361.67
Black Crocs 2 Miles: 361.64
Night Sleep Time: 166.00Nap Time: 4.00Total Sleep Time: 170.00
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