| 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
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 71.70 | 0.00 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 72.30 |
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| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 72.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 52.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 52.00 | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Day of rest. Went to church. The sacrament meeting talks were on missionary work. One of the speakers was raised in the family of 9 children and he was the youngest. He had served a mission in Chile. Sarah and Matthew stayed home, the other children came with me. They behaved perfectly - I did not have to do anything to keep them quiet. Joseph and Jacob without any promptings opened the hymn books, found the hymns and were singing them. Afterwards a sister in our ward asked about the secret of getting them to behave. My immediate answer was home school and daily scripture study. To this I would add a general approach that removes bad influences from the home - no video games, no mainstream TV, no "not that bad" much less just plain bad movies, no music of the telestial kingdom,. no other forms of dumb entertainment. On the "do" side, in addition to regular scripture study and prayer, plenty of academic instruction, rigorous physical activity (running), and chess. Later I wondered about our culture where it is OK to say that N kids (with N >=5) is too many, but it is not OK to say that M kids ( M <= 2) is too few. If N is too many, which one of them do you send back? Sarah often comes home from a shopping trip and says how she does not like it when people tell her that her hands are full. I suggested she should answer - yours are empty, why don't you come and help me? |
| Night Sleep Time: 7.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| A.M. 12 total. Most with the kids. Benjamin did 7, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. Benjamin and I spoke Russian for the entire 56 minutes of the run. He is getting a lot better. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.30 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.30 |
| A.M. Total of 12.3. Most with the kids. Benjamin did 7.3. We ran a little bit with James Tracy, a BYU steeplechaser. We had to catch him. When we I said - there is a 90% chance that you have served an LDS mission. I was basing my estimate on my perception of the Utah County demographic and on his running speed and form. Do not ask me how that works, but over the years running in Utah County to my memory I've never encountered a young man over 21 with good running form moving at a good pace that had not served an LDS mission, and I made sure to ask everybody who I had a chance to talk to for long enough. Although Utah County has a large number of return missionaries, by far not every young man 21 and older had served one. Just among those whose parents are active in the Church the rate is only around 40%. But for one reason or another I only find return missionaries among the ones that are running and can keep up with me. Turned out he had served a mission - in San Antonio, TX speaking English and Spanish, 2009 to 2011. Then I asked him if he had found his new companion without delay. Sure enough he had - got married last November. November is a good month to get married - that is when Sarah and I did. In fact, I do not think there is a bad month to get married - the best one is always the current or the soonest you can arrange it, I think, if you are not married yet. Jenny and Julia did 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| A.M. Usual run with the kids. It was cold. Benjamin did 7, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. Total of 12 for me. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| A.M. It keeps getting colder and colder. 2F at the start of the run today. Ran with the kids as usual. There is a Russian saying - "in this weather a good dog owner will not take his dog out for a walk". So I say that, in Russian for full effect, adding that we are taking the kids out. Benjamin did 8, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. Total of 12 for me. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.00 |
| | Comments(1) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| A.M. Usual run with the kids. Total of 12. Benjamin did 8, Jenny and Julia 3, Joseph 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.40 | 0.00 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| A.M. 12 miles total. Most with the kids. Benjamin did 8, Jenny did not run - had a sore throat, Julia ran 2 - she also got a sore throat, but hers got better, but we still decided she should run only 2 as a precaution, Joseph did 2, Jacob 1, William 0.5. Benjamin and I did a couple of pickups. |
| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.00 |
| | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 71.70 | 0.00 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 72.30 |
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| Green Crocs 4 Miles: 72.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 52.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 52.00 | |
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