Breaking the Wall

Week starting Jun 21, 2015

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
69.71	0.50	0.25	1.00	71.46

White Crocs 1 Miles: 7.00	Nike Double Stroller Miles: 2.04	White Crocs 2 Miles: 56.29

Night Sleep Time: 44.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 44.00

Sun, Jun 21, 2015

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 in Cypress,TX. Then visited Sarah's family in Conroe, TX. Hot and humid.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 7.00

Comments(3)

Mon, Jun 22, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
7.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	7.00

Travel day. Drove from Cypress,TX to Los Lunas,NM with a detour to Fredricksburg,TX. Missed a head-on collision by a few minutes - the police was there, the ambulance not yet. Could not find anything in the news about the accident - it happened in the afternoon around 1 pm CST on Highway 290 2.7 miles east of the I-10 W junction between Fredricksburg, TX and Junction,TX. There was a large house moving semi-truck involved, and a red sports car - we could not see anything else. We could not get passed it and took a 30 mile detour. Right as we turned around we saw the ambulance.

Got in 7 miles. Joseph and Jacob did 4, William 2, Stephen 1, Julia 1, Jenny 2, Sarah 1, Benjamin 7. Over 1000 miles in one day with 9 kids. Quite an eventful day.

White Crocs 1 Miles: 7.00

Night Sleep Time: 5.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 5.00

Comments(3)

Tue, Jun 23, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
8.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	8.00

Second day of driving. 600+ miles total. Drove from Los Lunas, NM to Orem. Got in 6.5 miles before we started, and 1.5 more on the road - total of 8. Benjamin ran all of it with me. Joseph and Jacob did 4, William 2, Stephen 1, Julia 2, Jenny 2, Sarah 2.

Night Sleep Time: 5.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 5.00

Add Comment

Wed, Jun 24, 2015

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

Nice to be back home. Total of 12. Benjamin did 10, Jenny 4, Julia 2, Joseph and Jacob 4, William 2, Stephen 1.

Nike Double Stroller Miles: 2.04	White Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00

Night Sleep Time: 7.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 7.00

Add Comment

Thu, Jun 25, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
10.65	0.50	0.00	1.00	12.15

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-06-25 07:31:58
Workout Totals: Distance12.142Time1:35:25.90Pace7:51.58
Total of 12. Kids ran their usual distances, except I had Joseph and Jacob cut their mileage to be fresh for the USATF Region Meet. Took Joseph, Jacob and Julia to the track so they could feel their race pace for 1500. They each ran an 800. Julia did it in 3:08, which I thought was good. Joseph and Jacob were struggling, they barely broke 3:00 while their target was 2:48. The trip to Texas took a lot out of them. Benjamin and I did some intervals as well down the canyon for him to feel the pace of 3000. 2x0.25 at 4:40 pace - I was able to keep up with Benjamin on both of those. Then we did 0.5 - he ran 2:20, I got 2:31.9. He was also feeling fatigue from the trip.
Leg 1:Distance4.165Time33:13.10Pace7:58.54
Warm-up with Benjamin
Leg 2:Distance1.435Time9:10.00Pace6:23.28
2x0.25 + 0.5 with Benjamin down the canyon. Benjamin's 0.5 was 2:20.
Split 1:Distance0.250Time1:10.40Pace4:41.60 Cumilative:Distance0.250Time1:10.40Pace4:41.60
Split 2:Distance0.125Time1:14.60Pace9:56.80 Cumilative:Distance0.375Time2:25.00Pace6:26.67
Split 3:Distance0.250Time1:10.90Pace4:43.60 Cumilative:Distance0.625Time3:35.90Pace5:45.44
Split 4:Distance0.310Time3:02.20Pace9:47.74 Cumilative:Distance0.935Time6:38.10Pace7:05.78
Split 5:Distance0.500Time2:31.90Pace5:03.80 Cumilative:Distance1.435Time9:10.00Pace6:23.28

Leg 3:Distance2.400Time19:51.60Pace8:16.50
Back to the house with Benjamin.
Leg 4:Distance0.950Time8:45.00Pace9:12.63
Warm-up with Joseph, Jacob, and Julia to the Orem High Track.
Leg 5:Distance0.496Time3:08.80Pace6:20.65
Julia's 800 interval.
Leg 6:Distance0.496Time2:59.40Pace6:01.69
800 interval with Joseph and Jacob. Jacob fell back a little.
Split 1:Distance0.496Time2:58.30Pace5:59.48 Cumilative:Distance0.496Time2:58.30Pace5:59.48
Split 2:Distance0.000Time0:01.10Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance0.496Time2:59.40Pace6:01.69

Leg 7:Distance1.200Time11:07.50Pace9:16.25
A lap around the track and then back to the house with the kids.
Leg 8:Distance1.000Time7:10.50Pace7:10.50
Alone.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 12.14

Night Sleep Time: 7.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 7.00

Add Comment

Fri, Jun 26, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.90	0.00	0.25	0.00	13.15

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-06-26 07:25:34
Workout Totals: Distance13.148Time1:44:50.50Pace7:58.44
Total of 13. Benjamin did 4, Joseph and Jacob 2 with 400 on the track in 86 to get a better feel for their race pace. I think they felt better than yesterday. Jenny and Julia ran 2, William 1, Stephen 1. In the evening Benjamin won 3000 in the USATF Regional meet in 9:22.57. He beat everybody, including the 17-18 year old division. Second place in the heat was the winner of 17-18 division in 9:42. His name is AJ Eckmann. The temperature was around 95 F at 7 pm when the race started. There was one redeeming factor - the sun is not as high as 7 pm, so 95 F is not quite as bad as it could have been. Benjamin did things backwards in the race. His opening lap in 67.6 would have been perfect for a 1500. His next lap was 72.9. AJ was on his tail at this point, and looked strong, so I told him to ease off a little and let AJ lead - he did. He was around 2:59 at 1000. Then AJ completely fell apart and led that lap in 80.9. Benjamin sped up when he saw the split to 74 and dropped AJ for good. He ran something around 76,79,78, and 34 after that. His split at 2000 was 6:11 (3:12), and 3:11 for the last 1000. He ran a little faster than his split in the BYU Robison Invitational 5000, which is all I was really hoping for today given the hot conditions and the trip to Texas.
Leg 1:Distance3.000Time22:45.60Pace7:35.20
Alone.
Leg 2:Distance0.950Time8:16.70Pace8:42.84
With Joseph and Jacob to the track.
Leg 3:Distance0.248Time1:26.10Pace5:47.18
400 with Joseph and Jacob.
Leg 4:Distance0.950Time8:20.20Pace8:46.53
Back home.
Leg 5:Distance1.000Time9:03.60Pace9:03.60
With Stephen.
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time7:26.90Pace7:26.90
Alone.
Leg 7:Distance4.000Time32:00.80Pace8:00.20
With Benjamin.
Leg 8:Distance1.000Time6:39.20Pace6:39.20
Alone.
Leg 9:Distance1.000Time8:51.40Pace8:51.40
With William.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 13.15

Night Sleep Time: 7.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 7.00

Add Comment

Sat, Jun 27, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
19.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	19.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-06-27 06:20:52
Workout Totals: Distance18.000Time2:12:03.50Pace7:20.19
19 total for the day. 1 more with Stephen in addition to what was recorded by the Fast Running Friend. Kids raced 1500 in the USATF Region Meet. It was hot again. The races started at 9, young kids first. At first it was somewhat manageable, then it got worse. Fortunately the distance was only 1500. Benjamin ran 4:22.09, 1st place splits - 71.8, 68.9,70.8, and the kick in 50.4. He beat the 17-18 age group again. Unfortunately by the age of 15 USATF meets are starting to get very sparse - most kids race just in high school meets. Fortunately, there is still competition on the roads, the distance is not limited to 3200 and there is prize money which you can take if you do not care about high school or collegiate running. Jenny ran 5:57.66, splits 1:30,1:32,1:40, and 1:15 for the last 300. The heat bothered her a lot, she could not think clearly. She made a good effort in the first 800, but then lost it. Julia ran 6:19.66. Splits 1:37, 1:41, 1:45, and 1:16 for the last 300. She really did not have much juice today, but it was a little better than two weeks ago. Joseph ran 5:26.25, 1st place. Splits were crazy - 78, 93,89, and 66 for the last 300. The race was full of drama. Preston Corbin started out very fast, and Joseph went with him. I told the kids earlier to not allow themselves to slow down when the kid in front slows down, and just do whatever it takes to pass so they do not have a road block. Joseph took was overzealous in following that advice. While headed for what ended up being a 78 second lap about 350 meters into the race he sensed the pace dropping and he started passing Corbin on the curve. Corbin would not let him, so they both accelerated to a full sprint. After about 50 meters Corbin ran out of steam and Joseph took the lead. With about 400 to go Corbin surged and tried to pass Joseph. Joseph accelerated. For a while they duked it out, then with about 300 to go Joseph opened a gap. McKay Wells in the mean time accelerated and caught up to Corbin with about 200 to go. Joseph seemed now to be running out of steam, but he held on on the final stretch. Corbin ended up second with 5:27.46, and McKay finished 3rd in the heat winning the 8 year old division in 5:27.63. I think this was a decent result for Joseph given the trip to Texas, the hot weather, and the erratic pacing. Jacob struggled today. He ran 5:42.69, splits 86,92,93, and 71 for the last 300. He said he was feeling tired from the start. I think the trip took a lot out of him, and on top of that he was not responding well to the heat. William ran 6:31.72, a new PR, worth 7:04 mile. 2nd place after McKay in the 8 and under division His opening lap was 1:39, I missed his other splits because I was watching Joseph and Jacob when he ran by. My ability to multitask during a race is very limited. I think William is ready to attack the 7:00 barrier in a time trial soon, and if he gets it, this will be quite remarkable for us. Jacob got it a month before his 7th birthday, but William still has over 3 months left before he turns 7. There is one record of Jacob that he is not going to get, though - breaking 7:00 before losing his first tooth.
Leg 1:Distance12.000Time1:23:56.50Pace6:59.71
Leg 2:Distance6.000Time48:07.00Pace8:01.17

White Crocs 2 Miles: 19.00

Night Sleep Time: 6.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 6.00

Add Comment

Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
69.71	0.50	0.25	1.00	71.46

White Crocs 1 Miles: 7.00	Nike Double Stroller Miles: 2.04	White Crocs 2 Miles: 56.29

Night Sleep Time: 44.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 44.00

Debt Reduction Calculator

Featured Announcements

Most Recent Entries:

New Kids on the Blog
(need a welcome):

Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):