Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jun 09, 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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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
73.46	0.00	0.87	0.00	74.33

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

Mon, Jun 10, 2024

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

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-10 08:46:02
Workout Totals: Distance13.000Time1:49:35.30Pace8:25.79
13 total, easy pace. Benjamin tried a tempo run, after the first mile in 5:09 he locked up again, slowed down to 5:40, then jogged, and ran two more miles in 5:15, and 5:19 uphill.
Leg 1: Distance11.000Time1:29:05.30Pace8:05.94ZoneEasy Miles
Part with Benjamin and Jacob, part alone.
Leg 2: Distance2.000Time20:30.00Pace10:15.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Mary, Bella, and Leigha.

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

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Tue, Jun 11, 2024

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.46	0.00	0.87	0.00	13.33

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-11 09:25:49
Workout Totals: Distance13.331Time1:48:56.00Pace8:10.29
13+ total. Paced Bella in a workout. It was supposed to be 600+200 at her target 800 pace of 96 per lap. Mary was supposed to do it as well, but she kept falling behind. I told them to follow my pacing in the first lap and then kick if they still had energy. On the first one, Bella followed my pacing for the first lap in 96, but then had only 52 for the last 200 and finished in 2:28. Mary fell behind shortly before the end of the first lap and just jogged. So I gave them another 600 meter interval. However, it was a disaster. Bella was falling behind and I stopped her at 200 in 49. Mary did not even try. I gave them a motivational talk to follow up on the family home evening lesson this week - learn to do hard things without letting yourself feel miserable. It seemed to do some good. Bella ran 94 for the first lap - I paced it just a bit faster on accident and also I could tell Bella was doing fine and did not need it to be slower, she slumped a bit in the last 200 out of habit (50), but it was a lot better than her earlier interval. Mary was able to do the first lap in 94, which was her assignment. Jacob was trying to do 3x1000 in 2:55 evenly paced. On the first one he did 2:58 splitting 69,71,38. And then he started getting panic attacks. He tried to start the interval 3 times all ending in a failure with 35,38! His assignment was to restart the interval if he was not holding the pace. Then I told him to just run 400 as fast as he could, and it went well - he did 31,34 - 65, except he pulled a hip flexor tendon and could barely walk afterwards. I then went for some more distance, and ran into Jared Ward on the trail. We ran a few miles together.
Leg 1: Distance0.500Time5:29.60Pace10:59.20ZoneEasy Miles
Warm-up.
Leg 2: Distance0.373Time2:28.60Pace6:38.39ZoneThreshold Miles
600 with Bella.
Leg 3: Distance0.373Time4:09.10Pace11:07.83ZoneEasy Miles
Recovery.
Leg 4: Distance0.124Time0:49.40Pace6:38.39ZoneThreshold Miles
Stopped Bella after 200.
Leg 5: Distance0.125Time1:19.50Pace10:36.00ZoneEasy Miles
Recovery.
Leg 6: Distance0.373Time2:24.20Pace6:26.60ZoneThreshold Miles
600 with Bella.
Leg 7: Distance1.125Time9:33.40Pace8:29.69ZoneEasy Miles
Part with Bella, part alone.
Leg 8: Distance10.338Time1:22:42.20Pace8:00.00ZoneEasy Miles
Part with Jared Ward.

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

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Wed, Jun 12, 2024

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-12 09:07:24
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:39:49.30Pace8:19.11
12 total, easy pace. Jacob was able to run 4 miles.
Leg 1: Distance10.000Time1:19:59.50Pace7:59.95ZoneEasy Miles
Part with Jacob, part alone.
Leg 2: Distance1.000Time9:58.70Pace9:58.70
With Mary and Leigha.
Split 1:Distance0.000Time0:00.00Pace0:00.00ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance0.000Time0:00.00Pace0:00.00
Split 2:Distance1.000Time9:58.70Pace9:58.70ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance1.000Time9:58.70Pace9:58.70

Leg 3: Distance1.000Time9:51.10Pace9:51.10ZoneEasy Miles
With Bella and Jacob.

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

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Thu, Jun 13, 2024

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-13 09:35:08
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:36:19.30Pace8:01.61
12 total. Easy pace.
Leg 1: Distance10.000Time1:18:27.10Pace7:50.71ZoneEasy Miles
Alone, I think.
Leg 2: Distance1.000Time9:45.00Pace9:45.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Leigha.
Leg 3: Distance1.000Time8:07.20Pace8:07.20ZoneEasy Miles
With Jacob and Bella.

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

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Fri, Jun 14, 2024

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-14 08:19:11
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:38:22.40Pace8:11.87
12 total. Easy pace. Jacob is starting to recover from the injury.
Leg 1: Distance10.000Time1:19:03.90Pace7:54.39ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Leg 2: Distance1.000Time9:26.30Pace9:26.30ZoneEasy Miles
With Leigha and Bella.
Leg 3: Distance1.000Time9:52.20Pace9:52.20ZoneEasy Miles
With Mary and Bella.

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

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Sat, Jun 15, 2024

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2024-06-15 07:54:08
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:39:50.50Pace8:19.21
12 total. Easy pace. Matthew did a mile interval down the canyon in 5:36 alone. Stephen ran it in 6:39. I just ran easy to let my hamstring heal. Jacob did easy 8.
Leg 1: Distance7.000Time56:11.70Pace8:01.67ZoneEasy Miles
Part with the kids, part alone.
Leg 2: Distance3.000Time24:28.60Pace8:09.53ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.
Leg 3: Distance1.000Time9:35.20Pace9:35.20ZoneEasy Miles
With Mary, Bella, and Leigha.
Leg 4: Distance1.000Time9:35.00Pace9:35.00ZoneEasy Miles
With Mary and Bella.

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
73.46	0.00	0.87	0.00	74.33

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

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