Breaking the Wall

Week starting Apr 18, 2010

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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: 133.01 Year: 776.88
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: 1312.70
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
76.474.454.253.2588.42
Eva Clogs Army Miles: 26.32Eva Clogs Black Miles: 62.10
Night Sleep Time: 54.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 54.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Day of rest. We had a Stake Conference. The talks were on missionary work focusing on Alma 26. This is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. It teaches about the fruits of faith. I love to learn from Ammon how to be a great missionary.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.441.000.250.2515.94

A.M. This morning I was reading in 3 Nephi 12 where resurrected Christ repeats the Sermon on the Mount to the Nephites. Then Jeff asked me in the middle of the run to go another 3 miles. I remembered the scripture from the Sermon on the Mount "if any shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain", and decided to follow the instruction. So we ended up with the Uneventful Half instead of our regular 10.18. Except due to the construction it was a bit longer, 13.19, which we did in a glorious time of 1:43:54. Hey, at least we broke 8:00 average!

We did 1.5 in the middle. Jeff asked me how fast, I said marathon pace. Then after the first 100 I informed him we were on pace for 2:11. So he eased off to a real marathon pace, but then we picked it up again after the first mile in 5:42 and ran a quarter in 83, then 200 in 38 and the last 200 in 35 to finish the segment in 8:18.5. So we did hit marathon world record pace in the last 200.

We met Scott Hilman and he ran about 2.5 miles with us.

Jenny ran 2.5 with Sarah.

P.M. 2 with Benjamin in 17:23. Julia ran 1.5 with us in 13:22. 0.5 with Joseph in 4:54. 0.25 with Jacob in 2:38.

Eva Clogs Army Miles: 15.94
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.381.750.000.0013.13

A.M. 10.38 in 1:18:38. Did a mile in 5:47.7. Felt tired, thought I'd be off pace in the fast mile, but I was on pace in spite of the fatigue.

P.M. 2.75 with the running group, including 2x600 in 2:12 each. Benjamin ended up with 2.5 including 2 in 15:27 with the last mile in 6:39 done in the 2x600 in 2:12 fartlek. Jenny ran 2.5. Julia ran 1.5. Joseph did 0.5 in 4:16. Jacob ran 0.25 in 2:38.

Eva Clogs Army Miles: 10.38Eva Clogs Black Miles: 2.75
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.100.000.001.7512.85

A.M. Met Jeff on the trail. 10.1 in 1:19:13. Did pickups. 1000 down a slight grade in 3:20.8, 800 flat in 2:33.6, 1000 up a slight grade in 3:16.6. Total of 1.75 of pickups.

P.M. 2 with Benjamin and Jenny in 17:07. Julia ran 1.5 with us in 13:19. 0.5 with Joseph in 4:36. 0.25 with Jacob in 2:38.

Eva Clogs Black Miles: 12.85
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.900.700.000.0012.60

A.M. 10.1 in 1:15:01. Met Jeff on the trail. It rained/snowed and was quite unpleasant. So we ran a bit quicker to get it over with. I ran the last 0.7 at 6:00 pace just for fun.

P.M. 2.5 with the kids running group. Benjamin did 2.5 including 2 in 15:43. Jenny ran a total of 2.5. Julia did 1.5. Joseph ran 0.5 in 4:16. Jacob ran 0.25 with Sarah.

Eva Clogs Black Miles: 12.60
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.750.000.000.0012.75

A.M. Met Jeff and Chris Bramwell on the trail. Ended up with 10 miles in 1:18:53. Jenny ran 2.5 with Sarah.

P.M. 2 with Benjamin in 16:23. Julia ran 1.5 with us in 13:07.  0.5 with Joseph in 4:28. 0.25 with Jacob in 2:38.

Eva Clogs Black Miles: 12.75
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.901.004.001.2521.15

A.M. Ran 20.4 with Jeff in 2:24:42. Did the planned 4 mile time trial. Everything went pretty much as planned. Jeff paced me with near perfection with the splits of 5:29 - 5:31 - 5:29 in the first three miles. There was only one glitch. He spaced it a bit in the third mile, so we ended up running an 81 quarter to catch up right before the 180 turn at the 3 mile mark. Then the plan was 80 - 80 - then see what happens. Jeffs erred a bit and hit 79, which would have been OK without 180 and 81 preceding quarter, but with those it was a bit too much for me. So that reduced the "see what happens" in the last 0.5 to "see if I can maintain the pace". Then we did 80, 81. After that Jeff picked it up and ran 72, while I still managed 79. This gave me 5:19 for the last mile and 21:48.3 for the whole distance. I was happy about the result for several reasons:

  • I was wearing pants, so maybe 3 seconds a mile loss.
  • Two 180 degree turns, so maybe 7 seconds total loss.
  • Even without the turns the trail for some reason (possibly more than one) naturally loses 5 seconds a mile compared to flat road races.
  • My last 5 K was 16:54. Last year I've had a good number of races where I could not crack 17:00.
  • My last mile was 11 seconds faster than the first three.
  • I beat my Thanksgiving time by 1:16 on a slower course.

Afterwards we jogged some, then ran 2 with Benjamin in 15:38 with the last quarter in 87. Then we did 2x1 mile on the trail, first in 5:37.8 and second in 5:28.8.

Jenny and Julia ran 2.5 with Sarah.

P.M. 0.5 with Joseph in 4:38. 0.25 with Jacob in 2:38.

Eva Clogs Black Miles: 21.15
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
76.474.454.253.2588.42
Eva Clogs Army Miles: 26.32Eva Clogs Black Miles: 62.10
Night Sleep Time: 54.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 54.00
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