Breaking the Wall

December 21, 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:	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, Jul 29, 2006

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
8.00	5.00	0.00	0.00	13.00

Running was not painful today for the first time since the marathon. Decided to not waste any time and ease into normal training. Figured 5 miles at marathon pace would be a good start, and will show me how the recovery is going.

Did it on the Provo River Trail between the Geneva road and the Utah Lake. 2.5 out, 2.5 back. 5:50 - 5:50 - 5:52 - 5:46 - 5:39 - total time 28:57, 14:35 out, 14:22 back. Legs felt weak, but I was able to partially compensate it with an artificilly increased leg turnover on the second half once I remembered the trick.

Back in 2004, I did 110 miles the week that would correspond to the next one. In the beginning of the week, I was having a similar problem with weak legs during a tempo run while still recovering from the marathon. But a weak later, the problem was largely gone. So I was able to continue to recover through the high mileage. With that experience in mind, the plan for next week is to resume normal training. However, 90 should be enough mileage.

Now I am eyeing four goals - win the Utah circuit, win the Top of Utah, win St. George, and qualify for the Trials in St. George. I believe the last two have to go together - it will not be possible to win St. George without qualifying this year.

Steven R. Covey says think win-win. I am not sure if he will necessarily agree with my application of that principle, but I like to give it a different twist - win two marathons two weeks apart. Mike Kirk will certainly have something to say about my ambitions with his legs in St. George. At least he did back in 2004. It is going to be fun.

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

Comments

From Dallen on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 13:03:08

Personally I think that you would have a much better chance to qualify at St. George if you skipped the Top of Utah marathon. You do recover amazingly quickly, but the second marathon will surely suffe, wherer it be from residual fatigue or missed training.

From Paul Petersen on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 14:11:10

With anyone else I'd agree with Dallen, but I've seen you run both races back-to-back too many times, so your goal may be achievable. Plus, last year I ran my 2nd fastest TOU time, and came back two weeks later and PR'ed by 9 minutes at St. George. It's really not as bad as it sounds. My only advice is that I encourage you to try to even or negative split Top of Utah. This will do several things: 1)help your recovery. All of my marathon recoveries have been worlds better when I finish stronger than I started and don't hit any sort of wall or slow-down; 2)train your body and mind to negative split for St. George. It's the only way to run that course; 3)boost confidence. If you run 5:30 or under for the last 13 rolling miles of TOU (and win from behind), you will be hungry to run 5:20's on the downhills at St. George.

If things don't work out for you at St. George, I'd encourage you to check out the Tucson Marathon. It's in early December, and looks like a screaming-fast downhill course.

From Nick Miller on Mon, Jul 31, 2006 at 14:57:05

Good work in the marathon! That kind of time is rare, even in the most fit of athletes. I recently talked to CU's running team coach, which said that they already have a full varsity squad, but 26:30 in the 8k trial race would be hard to turn down. Is there any advice you can give me as to running the race? Is it possible to "push" as hard as you can for that five miles and achieve some kind of miracle time, because right now I need a very lucky race.

Nick

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Jul 31, 2006 at 16:11:48

Dallen:

Yes, I know that running a marathon two weeks before another is not the best way to prepare it. But I will do it for a very good chance to win $1000 + circuit points which will likely make a difference between third and first ($1000 instead of $500). And the challenge of winning both Top of Utah and St. George in the same year is way too tempting.

Paul - good advice on pacing. I'll think about it. It is always a gamble for me - I can never count on being strong on the second half even if I was conservative on the first. On the other hand, I often run well by being a dare devil on the first, and hanging in there on the second. The question really is how much of a dare devil is healthy.

Nick - I will answer your question in your blog.

From Paul Thomas on Wed, Aug 02, 2006 at 16:13:53

This entry seems a good place to ask my question. First, some history. I didn't make it into St. George via the lottery this year, so I went ahead and registered for Top of Utah, which I've never run before. I've really wanted to but felt it was too close to St. George. At the Strawberry Days 5K I won the drawing for a free entry into St. George. So, like you, I'm now planning to run both Top of Utah and St. George, only two weeks apart. I ran St. George in 3:28 last year. I've been training much harder this year, and my goal for TOU is 3:20. I'd then like to run St. George with my two friends that need 3:35 to qualify, to encourage and maybe help pace them. My concern is that I'll not be fully recovered and won't be able to stay with them. I like Paul's advice above to run an even or negative split at TOU so I don't bonk and slow my recovery. I'm looking for any additional advice you (or anyone else) may have on how to balance training, tapering, and recovering to maximize performance in two marathons two weeks apart.

Please reply to my blog. By the way, I really appreciate your past comments on my training. They have been very helpful. It has also been very insightful to get a look into the training and mind of an elite runner. Your blog site is an awesome thing. Thank you.

Congratulations on DesNews and good luck with your remaining goals.

Paul T.

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