Breaking the Wall

Top of Utah Half Marathon

Recent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesSasha Pachev's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageWeek ViewMonth ViewYear View
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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:
Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
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, Aug 27, 2022
Race: Top of Utah Half Marathon (13.109 Miles) 01:19:55, Place overall: 14, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.050.0013.110.0016.16

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2022-08-27 05:29:59
Workout Totals: Distance16.159Time1:46:11.90Pace6:34.33
Top of Utah Half Marathon, 1:19:55, 14th overall, 2nd master, $75. Did not think I had another sub-1:20 in me after the events of this year, but was happy to find it one more time. One thing that helped me when I was at the end of the uphill mile 12 was remembering the story of a heavily wounded Ukrainian soldier attempting to sing the Ukraine National Anthem while being transported in an ambulance. I remembered and borrowed some of his strength to make a push that bought me a few seconds - and this was enough to dip under 1:20.

Benjamin got 2nd with 1:10:08. 2 miles in 10:07, then a spasm, some recovery to 5:15 pace around 8 miles.

Jacob got 10th with 1:18:26 (PR). Ran well to 10 miles (58:25), then ran out of juice, but held on well enough to get a PR.

Joseph ran 1:23:19 in his first half marathon, which gave him 20th place. He ran with me for the first 5 miles, and then his heart started skipping beats, so he had to slow down. Apparently we are seeing the fallout of his heart murmur.

William did 1.25 down the canyon in 7:10. Otherwise, the kids ran usual distances at an easy pace.
Leg 1:
Distance2.050Time17:19.00Pace8:26.83ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up.
Leg 2:
Distance13.109Time1:19:56.90Pace6:05.92
Race.
Split 1:Distance1.000Time5:59.80Pace5:59.80ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance1.000Time5:59.80Pace5:59.80
Split 2:Distance1.000Time5:57.20Pace5:57.20ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance2.000Time11:57.00Pace5:58.50
Split 3:Distance1.000Time5:56.00Pace5:56.00ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance3.000Time17:53.00Pace5:57.67
Split 4:Distance1.000Time6:00.60Pace6:00.60ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance4.000Time23:53.60Pace5:58.40
Split 5:Distance1.000Time5:52.80Pace5:52.80ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance5.000Time29:46.40Pace5:57.28
Split 6:Distance1.000Time5:49.40Pace5:49.40ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance6.000Time35:35.80Pace5:55.97
Split 7:Distance1.000Time5:54.20Pace5:54.20ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance7.000Time41:30.00Pace5:55.71
Split 8:Distance2.000Time12:13.30Pace6:06.65ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance9.000Time53:43.30Pace5:58.14
Split 9:Distance1.000Time6:12.40Pace6:12.40ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance10.000Time59:55.70Pace5:59.57
Split 10:Distance1.000Time6:24.90Pace6:24.90ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance11.000Time1:06:20.60Pace6:01.87
Split 11:Distance1.000Time6:48.30Pace6:48.30ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance12.000Time1:13:08.90Pace6:05.74
Split 12:Distance0.980Time5:59.70Pace6:07.04ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance12.980Time1:19:08.60Pace6:05.84
Split 13:Distance0.129Time0:48.30Pace6:14.42ZoneThreshold Miles
Cumilative:Distance13.109Time1:19:56.90Pace6:05.92
 
Leg 3:
Distance1.000Time8:56.00Pace8:56.00ZoneEasy Miles
Cool-down with Benjamin.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Add Your Comment.
  • Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
  • Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
  • If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.
Only registered users with public blogs are allowed to post comments. Log in with your username and password or create an account and set up a blog.
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Most Recent Entries:
New Kids on the Blog
(need a welcome):
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: