| 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 | | 62.50 | 5.00 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 68.30 |
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 68.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 56.00 | Nap Time: 2.50 | Total Sleep Time: 58.50 | |
| | 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. Quads are sore. |
| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 1.00 | Total Sleep Time: 9.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| A.M. Was a bum, slept it in, and did nothing. Figured quads could wait until the evening. P.M. 2 alone in 15:01, 2 with Jenny in 17:52 (Julia 1.5 in 13:46), 2 with Benjamin in 15:01. Sub-8:00 average in spite of running 2/3 of the run with the kids. And I did not have to push too hard on the solo part to make it sub-8:00. The left quad was almost 100% recovered but the right quad was very sore. This was very revealing. With Five Fingers, there was more pounding on the quads. So it exposed form weaknesses more clearly. It appears that I use the right quad for support a whole lot more than the left one. This makes sense because my right glut always feels unused, and somewhat incapable of being used. So the quad then picks up the slack. But why is the right glut being weird? That is a big question.
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 6.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 9.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 9.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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A.M. 6 with Jeff in 49:08. 2 with Benjamin in 17:21. Quads feel better, but still not 100%.
P.M. 2 miles with Jenny in 18:10 (Julia ran 1.5 in 14:06).
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 10.00 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.75 | Nap Time: 0.50 | Total Sleep Time: 8.25 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.75 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.25 |
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A.M. 6 miles with Jeff in 48:01. We tried to catch the 8:00 guy at the end, but were not motivated to start chasing him early enough and hard enough, so we lost the battle. However, Benjamin helped bring my average for the run to sub-8:00 by running 2 miles in 15:56 with 0.5 in the middle in 2:59 with the splits of 1:31 and 1:28. A little later took the Fast Running Van to Computune to get the AC fixed and ran 2.25 back with Jenny and Julia in 21:38.
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 10.25 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.75 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.75 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.25 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.25 |
| A.M. 6 with Jeff, then 2 more alone, 1:01:59 at 8 miles, then some time later 2.25 with Benjamin to Computune to get the Fast Running Van in 18:55. P.M. 2 with Jenny in 18:20, Julia ran the first 1.5 in 14:11.
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 12.25 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.75 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 7.75 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 0.10 | 14.30 |
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A.M. 8 with Jeff then 2 more alone, total for 10 was 1:13:35, did explosions and a brief pickup at 5:30 for 0.2 for fun. I saw a guy ahead of me going about 9:00 and said, there is no way I can catch him before it is time to get off the trail, he appeared to be too far away. Then I said, never say never, try 5:30 instead of 6:40, and caught him with room to spare. What I found interesting is that in one way I had to work harder, but in another way I did not. 6:40 and 5:30 are very similar in some ways, 5:30 just takes more concentration. then 2 with Benjamin in 17:33. We are building an addition to our house. The Lord has poured out so many blessings, there is not enough room to receive them. The builders are laying a foundation. Our kids have been watching the process, and sometimes singing How Firm A Foundation. Then they are walking around the house and still singing it. I love that hymn, it is full of the steady sustainable energy, exactly what a runner needs. It got me through many lonely runs in Russia on a cold winter morning with thoughts of an uncertain future. P.M. 2.3 with Jenny to Jamba Juice in 20:54. Julia got picked up after 1.52 in 14:16.
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 14.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 7.75 | Nap Time: 1.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.75 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.50 | 4.50 | 0.40 | 0.10 | 15.50 |
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A.M. 10 with Jeff in 1:09:56. Did a recovery 5 mile tempo in the middle in 29:25 progressively increasing the pace. The splits were 6:00, 5:59, 5:57, 5:56, 5:33. Last mile had the quarters of 87, 86, 85, 75. Last 200 was in 34. HR was around 146-148 in the early miles, then made its way to 150-151, and in the last mile was around 157-158. During the kick it hit 172. Last 200 was hard but manageable. It was nice to feel the speed. Jeff acted like he was struggling a bit during the run, said it felt harder than 6:00 usually does, but the 34 200 kick at the end was his initiative, so that's a good sign. 2 with Benjamin in 16:48. Jenny learned than Benjamin was being taken out to lunch for his 0.5 at sub-6:00 pace earlier this week, so she wanted to earn it as well. I told her 2 miles under 16:00. She ran 15:33. Then Julia also wanted to earn the privilege. I was not sure about her fitness level exactly, and I did not want to set a standard that was either too high or too low, so I told her follow me and respond when I pick up the pace. She did not know the word "respond". So I explained that it meant if I speed up, you speed up, do not fall behind. Now I can just imagine her coming to Primary, the teacher says: "And Samuel responded to the Lord's call to serve", then asking the children if they knew the meaning of "respond", then Julia raising her little hand and giving the running explanation. After the instruction we ran 1.5 in 11:57 with the last mile in 7:55 which is Julia's PR and her first time under 8:00. High school runners could learn from her quarter splits: 2:03, 1:59, 1:58, 1:57, 2:02, 1:58. Whenever a child breaks a minute barrier in the mile, we give him a special prize. So Julia got a book and a couple of toys at Barnes and Noble.
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 15.50 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.00 |
| | Comments(2) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 62.50 | 5.00 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 68.30 |
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| Five Fingers 2 Miles: 68.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 56.00 | Nap Time: 2.50 | Total Sleep Time: 58.50 | |
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