Breaking the Wall

Week starting Aug 01, 2021

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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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	40.31	Year:	3073.12
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
71.10	0.00	0.00	1.00	72.10

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 72.10

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

Sun, Aug 01, 2021

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 Angleton, TX near Houston with our friends.

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

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Mon, Aug 02, 2021

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 - 2021-08-02 05:56:04
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:32:14.20Pace7:41.18
Total 12, easy pace for me. Stephen ran 3000 in the AAU championship. It looked like his foot would give him problems, but after I massaged it he said it did not hurt during the race. However, something really strange happened. He ran with the following splits: Stephen Pachev 10 Orem, UT 14:12.21 1 44.658 (44.658) 2:24.583 (1:39.925) 4:03.438 (1:38.855) 5:55.917 (1:52.480) 8:03.295 (2:07.378) 10:16.325 (2:13.030) 12:27.772 (2:11.448) 14:12.201 (1:44.430) During his 2:07 and slower laps he periodically stumbled and almost fell over - he had a very hard time maintaining basic balance. I thought it was his foot, but he said his foot was fine. He said the heat and humidity was bothering him, which I would accept as an explanation if his laps were even 1:50, but three laps slower than 2:07, after speeding up in the third lap? And then the last lap in 1:44 by speeding up just over the last 200 with the form looking normal? One possibility is that it is rooted in his emotions. He does not like any kind of public performance, and often starts acting up by hiding under a chair when asked to give a lesson in our Family Home Evening, or a talk in church - apparently in an attempt to deal with some kind of emotional stress. So I am wondering if perhaps on occasion he can feel so much stress that he even starts losing his balance when running. This is the first time, though, that I have seen him experience it so dramatically. It is good that this happened in such a way because now we have an idea of what we need to work on. Benjamin did 9+3 with 986 meters (incorrectly measured 1000) in 2:49.
Leg 1: Distance9.000Time1:09:08.30Pace7:40.92ZoneEasy Miles
Part with Jacob and Stephen, part alone.
Leg 2: Distance3.000Time23:05.90Pace7:41.97ZoneEasy Miles
Alone.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Tue, Aug 03, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.25	0.00	0.00	0.75	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-08-03 06:12:38
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:34:01.50Pace7:50.12
12 total in between the kids' races in Humble, TX. Part of it their warm-up/distance. William, Joseph, and Jacob ran the 1500. 82 F 80% humidity more or less. Results and analysis: 52 #3086 William Pachev 08 Orem, UT 5:20.85 1 1:02.352 (1:02.352) 2:29.080 (1:26.729) 3:56.519 (1:27.439) 5:20.849 (1:24.330) Missed his PR by 2 seconds, but I like how he ran. Consistent splits in spite of a jack-rabbit start by the competition leaving him dead last in the first 200 meters or so, found a kick at the end. I could tell that his thought process was positive. This is a good first step towards recovery. 66 #3083 Joseph Pachev 05 Orem, UT 4:45.06 1 56.616 (56.616) 2:13.239 (1:16.623) 3:29.901 (1:16.663) 4:45.051 (1:15.150) A step forward, and I like how he ran. He has been having growth related hip pain lately. For a while he could not run faster than 6:00 pace, or do it for a long time. He has been very frustrated, and giving up a lot. But when he fell he would eventually arise, and he arose to be able to run a small nominal PR (he has run 5:02 1600, which converts to 4:41). The splits were Joshua Cheptegei with a pacing light level of consistency. This was achieved in spite of his competition leaving him dead last with a sizeable gap over the first 300 meters, and then having go through packs that have slowed down. 35 #3082 Jacob Pachev 06 Orem, UT 4:26.83 2 52.810 (52.810) 2:04.573 (1:11.764) 3:16.174 (1:11.601) 4:26.824 (1:10.650) Jacob ran an excellent race and outperformed my expectations with a 12 second PR. I predicted 4:32 before the race. The splits were again Joshua Cheptegei with pacing lights consistent. During the course of the race he went from last at 100 meters to taking the lead from 900 to 1100 before getting outkicked and finishing third in his heat. This run bodes well for his 3000 on Saturday, maybe a chance for top 8. I was very impressed with how the boys were able to be that consistent in spite of the racing pressure. I taught them to run as if the competition was not there until the last lap. So imagine this - a teen wearing Crocs steps out onto the track in a high profile race in front of a crowd and runs even splits according to his ability that day to get the best time he has in him. His competition leaves him embarrassingly last at the start, he had heard a couple of comments about his Crocs, but he does not care - just runs his pace, passes many, does not yield to the peer pressure to slow down when he hits roadblock packs of runners that started too fast for their fitness. I have never seen our kids do this with this level of perfection 3 in a row. Something special happened today. I have wondered why we keep bringing our kids to national meets. It is expensive, exhausting, and time consuming. I would say if the only thing that comes from it is that they learn how to follow the plan and do their best in spite of the pressure, that alone would make such trips worth it. Benjamin did 9+3 with 1K in 2:56, this time measured correctly.
Leg 1: Distance12.000Time1:34:01.50Pace7:50.12
Split 1:Distance1.800Time15:27.00Pace8:35.00ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance1.800Time15:27.00Pace8:35.00
Split 2:Distance0.250Time1:25.00Pace5:40.00ZoneVO2 Max Miles Cumilative:Distance2.050Time16:52.00Pace8:13.66
Split 3:Distance3.200Time24:30.00Pace7:39.38ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance5.250Time41:22.00Pace7:52.76
Split 4:Distance0.500Time2:51.30Pace5:42.60ZoneVO2 Max Miles Cumilative:Distance5.750Time44:13.30Pace7:41.44
Split 5:Distance6.250Time49:48.20Pace7:58.11ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance12.000Time1:34:01.50Pace7:50.12

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Wed, Aug 04, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
12.10	0.00	0.00	0.00	12.10

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-08-04 07:39:40
Workout Totals: Distance12.100Time1:35:11.20Pace7:52.00
12 total for me. Taper/recovery distances for the kids. The usual 3 miles for Julia. Benjamin is in Austin, 9+3, 1 K in 2:57.
Leg 1: Distance12.100Time1:35:11.20Pace7:52.00ZoneEasy Miles
Part with the kids, part alone.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.10

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

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Thu, Aug 05, 2021

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 - 2021-08-05 06:16:58
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:31:41.00Pace7:38.42
12 total in between the heats. Stephen and Matthew raced the 1500 at the AAU nationals in Humble, TX today. Results with analysis: 13 #3084 Matthew Pachev 12 Orem, UT 5:34.78 3 1:01.367 (1:01.367) 2:34.503 (1:33.137) 4:05.728 (1:31.225) 5:34.773 (1:29.046) Matthew - 9 age division, he made it to the seeded heat 3. Missed his PR by a second. Because of his young age and the lack of maturity, he hard a hard time navigating the fast starting pack that slows down a lot later. Thus 93 for the second lap. But still a decent performance, our highest placer of all of the boys/events. 51 #3085 Stephen Pachev 10 Orem, UT 5:47.36 2 1:01.245 (1:01.245) 2:34.919 (1:33.675) 4:10.146 (1:35.227) 5:47.357 (1:37.211) Stephen - 50th place in 11 and under. This was better than his 3000 meter death march, but still I am not happy about his progressive slowdown all the way to the 97 last lap. Some mental focus issues we need to address. But at least a step in the right direction. Benjamin is on the 9+3 with 1 K under 3:00 schedule.
Leg 1: Distance12.000Time1:31:41.00Pace7:38.42ZoneEasy Miles
Some with the kids and some alone.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Fri, Aug 06, 2021

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 - 2021-08-06 07:18:57
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:34:54.90Pace7:54.57
12 total, easy pace. Recovery day for Joseph, Jacob, and William. Back to normal mileage for Stephen and Matthew.
Leg 1: Distance12.000Time1:34:54.90Pace7:54.57ZoneEasy Miles
Part alone, part with the kids.

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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

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Sat, Aug 07, 2021

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.75	0.00	0.00	0.25	12.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2021-08-07 06:14:37
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:34:45.20Pace7:53.77
12 total, easy pace except for when Matthew made me run a 77.2 quarter on the track. I was wondering where that speed and energy was when he raced :-) Joseph, Jacob, and William raced in the 3000 today (AAU Nationals, Humble, TX). Results with analysis: 23 #3086 William Pachev 08 Orem, UT 11:10.89 1 41.512 (41.512) 2:06.905 (1:25.393) 3:32.494 (1:25.590) 5:02.437 (1:29.944) 6:34.617 (1:32.180) 8:09.925 (1:35.308) 9:44.907 (1:34.982) 11:10.882 (1:25.975) William won his heat and because of his Crocs - which were actually Amoji - made it into a FloTrack video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nneGJ7mRXbM 15 #3082 Jacob Pachev 06 Orem, UT 9:54.36 2 37.379 (37.379) 1:54.069 (1:16.690) 3:09.606 (1:15.537) 4:27.618 (1:18.013) 5:47.497 (1:19.880) 7:09.871 (1:22.374) 8:36.336 (1:26.465) 9:54.353 (1:18.018) Jacob finished 15th in the 15-16 age division with a new PR. We were hoping for 9:30 based on his 1500, but 90F heat threw a wrench into the plans. He still tried starting in the back, then making his way through the pack to take the lead at 1200 and hitting the first 1K with perfect pacing. Then the heat began to take its told, but he held on to the lead and won his heat (#2) with a new PR. 31 #3083 Joseph Pachev 05 Orem, UT 10:28.32 2 38.421 (38.421) 1:57.637 (1:19.217) 3:18.088 (1:20.451) 4:37.770 (1:19.682) 6:01.526 (1:23.756) 7:28.375 (1:26.850) 8:59.772 (1:31.397) 10:28.318 (1:28.547) Joseph got 31th in 15-16. We were hoping for 10:00 based on his 1500, and again like Jacob he was on pace through the first 1000, and even had it in shooting range at 2000, but then got overwhelmed by the heat. Benjamin did 14 miles with 1 K pickup I think in 2:57.
Leg 1: Distance12.000Time1:34:45.20Pace7:53.77
Split 1:Distance2.600Time22:03.00Pace8:28.85ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance2.600Time22:03.00Pace8:28.85
Split 2:Distance0.250Time1:17.20Pace5:08.80ZoneVO2 Max Miles Cumilative:Distance2.850Time23:20.20Pace8:11.30
Split 3:Distance9.150Time1:11:25.00Pace7:48.31ZoneEasy Miles Cumilative:Distance12.000Time1:34:45.20Pace7:53.77

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 12.00

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
71.10	0.00	0.00	1.00	72.10

Brown Crocs 4 Miles: 72.10

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

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