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, May 1, 2014

Helpful hints for raceday

     The Pittsburgh Marathon is in 3 days, and I know some people who will be running the race for the first time.  I sat back and thought about the marathons I ran and I came with a few helpful tips that hopefully can help someone.  These tips also will carry over into smaller distances as well.

SHAUNS HELPFUL TIPS

1. DON'T RUSH
     You should know what time the race starts, so plan your morning out accordingly.  Give yourself enough time to dress, eat, and get to the start with time to spare.   The last thing you want to do is wake up and be rushing around and forget something important.  I like to lay my clothes out the night before with all my things I will take with me to the start.  On race day I like to get to the start early and know I have time to stretch and go to the bathroom if need be. 


2. FIGHT THE URGE
      What I mean by fight the urge is, when the gun goes off you will see peoples adrenaline kick in and they will go out way to fast.  Sometimes it is hard to hold yourself back but you don't want to go out at a blistering pace if you're not used to it.  Stay calm and run your pace.

3. DON'T CHANGE YOUR PL4AN
     You have trained for this and I am sure you got yourself into some type of rhythm. Do not change what you have been doing.  If you train with eating something before you run and taking a snack or drink at a certain distance, do it.  Don't decide the day of the race you are going to drink every water stop if you don't drink a lot of water on your long run. I can't tell you how many texts I got this week asking "What should I eat the morning of the race?" I can not answer that for you. Do what you have been doing during training. 

4. DON'T COUNTDOWN THE MILES
     Do not countdown the miles as you run, it will only make it seem longer. Try breaking the race into sections and count sections.  Even if your running the half break it up into 2 halves. I like to break the race down into sections of 6 miles.  Once I reach the first 6 miles I look at the clock and then set my site on the next 6. It makes the race a little more easy to endure.

5. FOCUS ON YOU
     Forget about all the other runners and stay focused on yourself. During my first marathon I kept noticing people pass me later in the race and they were not out of breathe.  They looked like they had just started the race. I later realized they were on relay teams, but it can be a real mind F#CK when you see them go by.  You have to remember full, half and relay runners are all running the same course for at least half the race almost.  Obviously a person running the half is going to be pushing themselves harder early than a full course runner would be.  Worry about your pace and what you are doing.

6. THE CROWD IS YOUR FRIEND
     If you get tired feed off the crowds energy. The fans that come out to watch races are awesome. They will cheer you on, they will hold up signs with motivational sayings, and sometimes even funny sayings.  The crowd wants you to do good and they will be cheering you on for most of the course, let the energy give you that added adrenaline you need to get through any pains and problems.

      Last but not least RUN YOUR RACE!  You have trained for this day. You have put in the miles, the sweat, and the pain. Only you know what you are capable of and how you are feeling on race day. Run your race. Don't let anyone else dictate your outcome. Once you cross that start line you have already won because you weren't afraid to start.  Of course your going to be nervous. You aren't human if you don't get nervous. Just stay focused and give it all you got. Don't worry about the time. Time does not matter, what matters is you had the courage to start. And like I always tell myself before the gun goes off...........DONT BE AFRAID OF GREATNESS! you have a chance to be great every race you run. So shut up the doubters, the people that said you can't, the people who were afraid to start and show them why you are great.

GOOD LUCK MY FRIENDS!!!!  

6 comments:

  1. Great tips! I'm not running Sunday but will keep these in mind for my next big race. Thanks, and good luck!

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  2. Thank you for this post! Fantastic tips, and nice to read something as I'm packing for the roadtrip to Pittsburgh. I will be sure to keep the note about the relay runners in my mind, I can totally see how that can mess with your head seeing someone appear so effortless. Your post will spring into my mind any time I notice that and prevent me from getting discouraged.

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  3. Some good tips!!

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    1. Thanks, I wished I would of listened to my own advice today!

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