Breaking the Wall

Week starting May 29, 2016

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

Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
64.03	1.25	6.95	0.17	72.40

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 72.40

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

Sun, May 29, 2016

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.

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

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Mon, May 30, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.16	1.25	0.00	0.00	13.41

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: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00

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Tue, May 31, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.86	0.00	1.25	0.00	13.11

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: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00

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Wed, Jun 01, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.14	0.00	1.50	0.00	11.64

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-01 08:32:36
Workout Totals: Distance11.640Time1:31:21.90Pace7:50.95
More or less a usual day. Kids ran their usual distance. Benjamin did 10.64 total. We did a pickup for 1.5 miles in 8:07, splits 2:44, 2:43, 2:40. My back felt better, and I felt more motivated to run. Benjamin said he felt the pace was hard.
Leg 1:Distance1.000Time8:31.50Pace8:31.50
With Stephen
Leg 2:Distance6.640Time50:20.40Pace7:34.88
With Benjamin.
Split 1:Distance3.500Time27:40.50Pace7:54.43 Cumilative:Distance3.500Time27:40.50Pace7:54.43
Split 2:Distance1.500Time8:07.40Pace5:24.93 Cumilative:Distance5.000Time35:47.90Pace7:09.58
Split 3:Distance1.640Time14:32.50Pace8:52.01 Cumilative:Distance6.640Time50:20.40Pace7:34.88

Leg 3:Distance4.000Time32:30.00Pace8:07.50
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.64

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

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Thu, Jun 02, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
8.20	0.00	4.20	0.00	12.40

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-02 07:52:06
Workout Totals: Distance12.400Time1:34:06.60Pace7:35.37
Today Benjamin did an 8 mile tempo run from a little above the Vivian Park to our house in 44:26. I tried to run with him, but after about 0.7 my back complained enough, so I eased off to about 5:50 pace and coasted to about 3.5, then drove and rejoined Benjamin for another 0.7 around his 6 mile mark, then drove again, gave Benjamin some water, and drove home, then ran with Joseph and Jacob. Benjamin ran into some issues with dehydration today, got a side ache, and generally was not feeling energetic. This was not unexpected - he had some volume and intensity increase over the last couple of weeks. We need to figure out how to improve his recovery. Maybe we just need to be patient - drop the volume some, and wait for his body to tell us when it is ready. On the plus side he did handle the issues better than in the past. When he crashed, the pace slowed down to 5:42 average over the last 2 miles which are on a difficult terrain and tend to be slow.
Leg 1:Distance3.500Time28:02.10Pace8:00.60
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance4.900Time35:07.00Pace7:10.00
The workout.
Split 1:Distance3.500Time20:01.90Pace5:43.40 Cumilative:Distance3.500Time20:01.90Pace5:43.40
Tempo run.
Split 2:Distance0.000Time5:46.60Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance3.500Time25:48.50Pace7:22.43
Driving.
Split 3:Distance0.700Time5:29.80Pace7:51.14 Cumilative:Distance4.200Time31:18.30Pace7:27.21
Jogged to meet Benjamin.
Split 4:Distance0.700Time3:48.70Pace5:26.71 Cumilative:Distance4.900Time35:07.00Pace7:10.00
Ran with Benjamin to where I parked.
Split 5:Distance0.000Time0:00.00Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance4.900Time35:07.00Pace7:10.00

Leg 3:Distance4.000Time30:57.50Pace7:44.38
With Joseph and Jacob.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 12.40

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

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Fri, Jun 03, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.24	0.00	0.00	0.00	10.24

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-03 08:29:10
Workout Totals: Distance10.236Time1:21:48.90Pace7:59.57
Today Joseph, Jacob, and Stephen did a 400 meter time trial on the track. Joseph got 71.9, Jacob 72.7, Stephen 1:40.1. All three ran new PRs. I did not run the 400 with Joseph and Jacob due to back pain. Benjamin was at the missionary preparation camp, ran 8 miles there with his friend Logan.
Leg 1:Distance1.100Time9:37.20Pace8:44.73
Warm-up with Joseph, Jacob, and Stephen, and Matthew and Mary in the stroller.
Leg 2:Distance0.140Time1:12.70Pace8:39.29
Joseph and Jacob's 400 - I just jogged to give them their split at 200 and back.
Split 1:Distance0.140Time1:11.90Pace8:33.57 Cumilative:Distance0.140Time1:11.90Pace8:33.57
Split 2:Distance0.000Time0:00.80Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance0.140Time1:12.70Pace8:39.29

Leg 3:Distance0.248Time1:40.10Pace6:43.63
Stephen's 400.
Leg 4:Distance0.248Time2:32.10Pace10:13.31
With Matthew.
Leg 5:Distance0.000Time0:57.80Pace0:00.00
Mary tried to run 100 but she was barefoot, and her feet started hurting from the track, so I picked her half or so way through.
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time8:53.20Pace8:53.20
Back to the house.
Leg 7:Distance7.500Time56:55.80Pace7:35.44
Alone.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 10.24

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

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Sat, Jun 04, 2016

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.43	0.00	0.00	0.17	11.60

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-04 07:12:27
Workout Totals: Distance5.000Time37:23.90Pace7:28.78
The kids ran the 1500 today at the meet at Weber High. The wind was good, but it was too warm at 11:00 AM for good times. Nevertheless, Joseph managed to run a PR, and Benjamin technically did run a PR as well. Times: Benjamin 4:20.27 (66,71,72,51) Joseph 5:11.67 (78,87,84,62) Jacob 5:22.10 (79,88,87,68) William 6:28.30 (95, ?, ?, ?) Stephen 8:19.11 (2:00, ?, ?, ?) Jacob suffered from being overheated in the last 300, could not move. William was having issues as well, some physical, some mental I think. Stephen's were mostly mental, which I think is typical for a 5 year old. Benjamin looked strong, but very awkward. He felt like he could not push. The first 300 was good - he had some competition. After that the competition dropped back, and as soon as they did he downshifted from 64 pace to 72 and stayed there until it was time to kick. Towards the end Colby Hamson closed some of the gap, but not enough to make contact and motivate Benjamin to kick harder. In the evening, Benjamin, Joseph, Jacob, and I ran some extra distance. Benjamin did a 2 mile tempo run down the canyon in 10:10, splits 5:07, 5:03. After that he was overheated, but felt somewhat better when he changed his shirt to a lighter one.
Leg 1:Distance5.000Time37:23.90Pace7:28.78
Alone.

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2016-06-04 20:27:36
Workout Totals: Distance6.600Time54:57.90Pace8:19.68
Evening run.
Leg 1:Distance3.300Time26:18.50Pace7:58.33
To the house from Canyon View Park.
Split 1:Distance0.980Time7:51.70Pace8:01.33 Cumilative:Distance0.980Time7:51.70Pace8:01.33
Split 2:Distance0.170Time0:55.30Pace5:25.29 Cumilative:Distance1.150Time8:47.00Pace7:38.26
Pickup with Joseph and Jacob when Benjamin caught up to us.
Split 3:Distance2.150Time17:31.50Pace8:09.07 Cumilative:Distance3.300Time26:18.50Pace7:58.33

Leg 2:Distance3.300Time28:39.40Pace8:41.03
Back to Canyon View Park with Benjamin to get the car.

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 11.60

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

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Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
64.03	1.25	6.95	0.17	72.40

Black Crocs 2 Miles: 72.40

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

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