Who Am I?

I am an avid runner and have been running since I was 15 years old. I began running low to medium distances while on my high school track team, running the 800 meter and 1600 meter races (I was a sub 5 miler and a 2 minute 800 runner). In addition to the track team, I also joined the cross country team. After high school I still wanted to run and decided to start doing road races. I have probably ran a couple hundred 5k races (16.29 PR)along with many 10k's as well. In 2009 I decided to step up my game and try to tackle my first marathon. I will be honest; the only reason I did this was because my father ran a few and I wanted to show him that I could do what he did. I trained poorly for my first one and regret it. If you are going to run a race, train like you want to win. I still continue to run marathons and other distances as well, and every race is a chance for me to better myself.
I started this blog to hopefully communicate with other runners and to shed any knowledge I may have about the sport that can help other runners. I believe running is the best sport and can be a great stress reliever. I encourage all runners to spread the word of our sport and show people why running is so good and why the community of runners has such great people. You can follow me on twitter @byrne1324 or find me on facebook- Shaun Byrne

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Run Injured Free and Gain Efficiency


     As 2014 begins many people have posted their goals for the year and most seem to start with an injury free year. I too would like an injury free year. I can tell you from experience freak accidents can happen that you are not able to control. However, if you can up your odds for that injury free year, would you?

     James Dunne (Twitter: @KineticRev) wrote a great article on 6 ways to improve efficiency. I encourage all of you to read this article: http://www.kinetic-revolution.com/running-technique-6-ways-to-improve-efficiency/

      I will not go into detail of each technique because I would rather you read the article for yourself and have it explained by the writer, James Dunne. James does say that these techniques will help prevent injuries and also improve your efficiency. From my own experience I have to agree 100 percent with him on this.

JAMES DUNNE'S 6 WAYS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY

1. Avoid over-striding

2. Run Tall
3. Relax your shoulders

4. Strengthen your glutes and core

5. Don’t bounce or twist excessively

6. Control your breathing

    In my opinion, these techniques are very useful. I used to run very tense and had no control over my breathing. Since I have asthma, this made running very difficult. Once I learned how to control my breathing and relax, I was soon running with ease. This is my first year in which I have really started strength training and have noticed a significant difference in just a few weeks. My times are improving and I have noticed less cramps. I do not think I bounce a lot when I run, but today while running at the gym I started to watch other runners and noticed a good amount of people slumped over and bouncing while running. I also noticed that they didn’t last half of what I did and they looked to be in way more pain than me. As I grow as a runner I am always trying to improve and find a way to stay injury free. Keeping these techniques in mind I honestly believe I will be doing both.

     Maybe you use other techniques or can add some more insight on some of the techniques in James Dunne's article. Please share with us.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 10, 2014 at 9:42 AM

    Thanks for sharing this Shaun! There is so much every runner can do to improve their form. For me, it all starts at the hips!

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    1. UnknownJanuary 10, 2014 at 9:46 AM

      Crazy you say the hips because during my first marathon my hips are what prevented me from running a good time.. The pain I got in them was excruciating. I really need to start working on my hips for my marathon in May

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