Breaking the Wall

Earn Your Turkey 3.95 miles

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:	2724.68
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
66.43	0.00	1.64	4.95	73.02

White Crocs 2 Miles: 73.01

Night Sleep Time: 51.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 51.00

Sun, Nov 22, 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.

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

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Mon, Nov 23, 2015

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 - 2015-11-23 07:13:41
Workout Totals: Distance12.000Time1:35:32.00Pace7:57.67

Leg 1:Distance8.000Time1:03:52.60Pace7:59.07
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance4.000Time31:39.40Pace7:54.85
With Joseph, Jacob, Jenny, and Julia. I think it was Jenny's turn to run with William and Stephen today, so she turned around early.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 12.00

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

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Tue, Nov 24, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
9.86	0.00	0.64	0.00	10.50

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-11-24 07:49:08
Workout Totals: Distance10.497Time1:24:56.00Pace8:05.47
A little bit less today to be fresh for the Thanksgiving race. Benjamin did 8, Jenny, Julia, Joseph, and Jacob 3, William 2, Stephen 1, Matthew 200 meters, and Mary 100 meters. Mary improved her time from 1:57 to 1:39.
Leg 1:Distance8.150Time1:05:22.20Pace8:01.25
With Benjamin
Leg 2:Distance1.160Time7:45.30Pace6:41.12
Ran back to meet Jenny, Joseph, Jacob, and William. Did a pickup for a little over 300 meters. Turned around when I saw them and finished with them, then added 0.5 pickup in 2:52 - one quarter out, one back on the little boy course.
Split 1:Distance0.190Time1:17.20Pace6:46.32 Cumilative:Distance0.190Time1:17.20Pace6:46.32
Split 2:Distance0.140Time0:47.30Pace5:37.86 Cumilative:Distance0.330Time2:04.50Pace6:17.27
Split 3:Distance0.330Time2:47.90Pace8:28.79 Cumilative:Distance0.660Time4:52.40Pace7:23.03
Split 4:Distance0.500Time2:52.90Pace5:45.80 Cumilative:Distance1.160Time7:45.30Pace6:41.12

Leg 3:Distance1.000Time8:53.70Pace8:53.70
With Stephen.
Leg 4:Distance0.125Time1:15.40Pace10:03.20
With Matthew.
Leg 5:Distance0.062Time1:39.40Pace26:43.23
With Mary.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 10.50

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

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Wed, Nov 25, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
9.58	0.00	0.00	0.50	10.08

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-11-25 08:20:21
Workout Totals: Distance10.080Time1:19:10.50Pace7:51.28
Benjamin did 6, Jenny, Julia, Joseph, and Jacob 2, William and Stephen 1, Matthew 200 meters. I did 10. Benjamin and I did a pickup for 0.5 in 2:30 on the little boy course coming back to the house, splits 72/78.
Leg 1:Distance1.000Time7:48.10Pace7:48.10
With Benjamin.
Leg 2:Distance2.040Time16:18.30Pace7:59.56
With Benjamin, Jenny, Julia, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 3:Distance0.500Time3:56.80Pace7:53.60
With Benjamin.
Leg 4:Distance0.500Time2:30.20Pace5:00.40
Leg 5:Distance2.040Time16:59.90Pace8:19.95
Cool-down with Benjamin.
Leg 6:Distance1.000Time9:13.40Pace9:13.40
With William and Stephen.
Leg 7:Distance3.000Time22:23.80Pace7:27.93
Alone.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 10.08

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

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Thu, Nov 26, 2015

Race: Earn Your Turkey 3.95 miles (3.95 Miles) 00:23:16, Place overall: 14, Place in age division: 1

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
8.44	0.00	1.00	3.95	13.39

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-11-26 07:25:48
Workout Totals: Distance13.386Time1:37:24.90Pace7:16.64
Today our family ran in the Earn Your Turkey race in Orem. The goal was to maximize the turkey count. We got a total of 9 turkeys - Benjamin, myself, Jenny, Joseph, Jacob, William, and Matthew by winning/placing, Mary as the youngest participant, and all of us together as the largest immediate family - we had 11 participants. Conditions were cold and windy today, everybody's times were slower than they should have been, but that is OK, during the warmup I realized that we would likely be racing for turkeys rather than PRs when I felt the wind. Times/places: 4 miles (really 3.95): Benjamin - 20:54, 2nd overall(turkey), beat by Rex Shields (1:04 halfer) who ran 20:25. 3rd place (21:02) was Jaydn Asay, a UVU runner, 15:20 5000 PR this April on the track in Azusa,CA the LA area at the Bryan Clay Invitational. That might actually be a good meet for Benjamin to run next year for a chance to break 15:00. myself - 23:16, 14th overall, first in 40-44 age division (turkey). Not sure what to think of it. I ran around 5:40 average for the first 2 miles (using my own landmarks I measured out last year), and then the wind was just too much. Plus around 2.7 the wind blew off my Croc and I lost 5 or so seconds putting it back on and getting back into the rhythm. Joseph - 26:49, 1st in 11 and under division (turkey). We put him in the 4 mile race to maximize our turkey count, as we suspected he would very likely win it, while this would allow Jacob to win the 9-10 age division in the mile. The plan worked. Jenny - 28:07, 7th overall, 1st in 15-18 division (turkey). A breakthrough race for her. Julia 29:44, 3rd in 12-14. Last year Jenny won that division with only 30:39 and the conditions were ideal. I thought for sure with a minute faster on a day like this she would win, but there were some fast girls. Sidny Gardner won with 28:39. Sarah 33:44, 9th in 35-39 division. We were hoping for sub-32:00, but still I think it was a good performance for the weather. 1 Mile: Jacob 6:06, 1st in 9-10 (turkey, beating 11-12 division as well). Probably would have been 5:50 if it was not for the wind. He was with the 11-12 division winner at around half way mark, but ended up 19 seconds ahead at the finish. 800 meters William - 3:27, 1st in 7-8 division (turkey). Was by far not the first out of the gate, but moved into first place among boys by half way. The first girl was ahead of him still, but he passed her with about 150 to go. I do not know what happened to her as he ended up 19 seconds ahead. Stephen - 4:16, 2nd in 5-6 (pie). Lost the turkey by 0.2 to his arch-rival Luke Baird. Stephen somehow has had bad luck so far - the only kid in our family to have never won his age division at this race by the age of 5, yet he holds our family records in the 800 and the mile for the 4 and under division. Part of the problem is that he naturally is quite laid back and not exceptionally competitive. This may prove an advantage later on as this will help avoid overtraining and injuries. 100 meters Matthew 30.8, 1st in 0-2 division (turkey). Second time in our family history that we had somebody win the diaper dash. Jacob won it in 2008. This division is difficult to win as talent, natural kid's temperament, and the pure luck of being almost 3 in November trump any kind of preparation. We lucked out this time. Matthew is turning 3 in December, is perfectly obedient and enthusiastic about running, and has some natural talent, I think. And he was also well prepared. This was his third time in the diaper dash. The only other child to have done in three times in our family is Joseph. Mary, 1:22, 3rd in 0-2, youngest participant award (14 months old), turkey. Stellar performance for that age, much faster than I expected - especially given the conditions. No temper tantrums, she just ran.
Leg 1:Distance1.924Time15:23.60Pace8:00.04
Warm-up.
Leg 2:Distance5.150Time33:51.10Pace6:34.39
Split 1:Distance3.950Time23:16.70Pace5:53.59 Cumilative:Distance3.950Time23:16.70Pace5:53.59
My race.
Split 2:Distance1.200Time10:34.40Pace8:48.67 Cumilative:Distance5.150Time33:51.10Pace6:34.39
Waited for the chip to be removed, found Benjamin, then we ran back. He turned around when he saw Joseph, I ran back to Sarah and finished with her.

Leg 3:Distance0.162Time1:23.00Pace8:32.35
100 meter 0-2 age division dash. I ran with Matthew, Sarah ran with Mary. The rest of the kids went some to Matthew and others to Mary.
Split 1:Distance0.062Time0:30.90Pace8:18.39 Cumilative:Distance0.062Time0:30.90Pace8:18.39
Matthew's time.
Split 2:Distance0.100Time0:52.10Pace8:41.00 Cumilative:Distance0.162Time1:23.00Pace8:32.35
Mary's time.

Leg 4:Distance0.505Time4:15.60Pace8:26.14
William and Stephen's race. I paced William, Benjamin paced Stephen.
Split 1:Distance0.498Time3:27.60Pace6:56.87 Cumilative:Distance0.498Time3:27.60Pace6:56.87
William's time.
Split 2:Distance0.000Time0:48.00Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance0.498Time4:15.60Pace8:33.25
Stephen's time.
Split 3:Distance0.007Time0:00.00Pace0:00.00 Cumilative:Distance0.505Time4:15.60Pace8:26.14

Leg 5:Distance1.000Time6:06.50Pace6:06.50
Jacob's race. I paced him. Benjamin acted as the official rabbit until Jacob moved into the first place overall, then he paced the 12 year old winner.
Leg 6:Distance0.105Time0:50.40Pace8:00.00
A little bit of extra jogging.
Leg 7:Distance2.500Time19:59.50Pace7:59.80
Back to the house with Benjamin.
Leg 8:Distance2.040Time15:35.20Pace7:38.43
Alone.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 13.38

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

Comments(3)

Fri, Nov 27, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.55	0.00	0.00	0.50	12.05

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-11-27 12:17:41
Workout Totals: Distance12.050Time1:35:46.80Pace7:56.91
Got some wind today. Benjamin did 10, Jenny 3, Julia 2, Joseph and Jacob 4, William 2, Stephen 1, Matthew 200 meters. Benjamin and I did 2 pickups for 0.25, one on the little boy course on a slight downhill, but with two turns, the other uphill on the big boy course.
Leg 1:Distance4.000Time32:41.10Pace8:10.27
With Benjamin, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 2:Distance1.000Time7:05.50Pace7:05.50
With Benjamin. We did a pickup.
Split 1:Distance0.750Time5:51.00Pace7:48.00 Cumilative:Distance0.750Time5:51.00Pace7:48.00
Split 2:Distance0.250Time1:14.50Pace4:58.00 Cumilative:Distance1.000Time7:05.50Pace7:05.50

Leg 3:Distance1.000Time9:11.40Pace9:11.40
With William and Stephen.
Leg 4:Distance1.000Time8:24.30Pace8:24.30
With William.
Leg 5:Distance3.010Time23:46.70Pace7:53.99
With Benjamin - pickup on the uphill.
Split 1:Distance2.760Time22:27.80Pace8:08.33 Cumilative:Distance2.760Time22:27.80Pace8:08.33
Split 2:Distance0.250Time1:18.90Pace5:15.60 Cumilative:Distance3.010Time23:46.70Pace7:53.99

Leg 6:Distance2.040Time14:37.80Pace7:10.29
Alone.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 12.05

Night Sleep Time: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

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Sat, Nov 28, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
15.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	15.00

Fast Running Friend Workout - 2015-11-28 12:16:36
Workout Totals: Distance15.000Time1:57:03.00Pace7:48.20
Total of 15 - all with Benjamin. Joseph, Jacob, and Julia did 4, Jenny 5, William 2, Stephen 1, Matthew 200 meters.
Leg 1:Distance4.000Time33:48.50Pace8:27.12
With Benjamin, Julia, Joseph, and Jacob.
Leg 2:Distance11.000Time1:23:14.50Pace7:34.05
With Benjamin.

White Crocs 2 Miles: 15.00

Night Sleep Time: 8.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 8.00

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Totals

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
66.43	0.00	1.64	4.95	73.02

White Crocs 2 Miles: 73.01

Night Sleep Time: 51.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 51.00

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