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

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Columbus Training Week 7

10 WEEKS UNTIL THE COLUMBUS MARATHON!!!!

That's right only 10 more weeks until the Columbus Marathon.  This week my plan was take an extra rest day and conserve some energy for my long run.  I was planning on a 15 miler for Saturday, but I was also using the other week days to bump up the mileage as well.  Lets just say this week didn't go quit as planned but I walked away happy. And I mean that in 2 ways which you will see shortly.

MONDAY: Normally I would run 4-5 miles on Monday and work on my form. This day I did 6.5 miles in the heat and humidity and still worked on my form.  I ended with a pace of 8:50 per mile.  My form is starting to come together and I have really learned a lot about what works for my body this time around with training.  I plan on continuing the form day as I call it through out training.  I have definitely added some length to my stride and I seem to be using less energy than before.

TUESDAY:  This was my first rest day.  Me and my wife went to THE YARD in Shadyside to eat dinner.  If you like gourmet grilled cheese this is the place for you.  I had a grilled cheese with chicken and some kind of barbecue sauce. It was unreal, so good in fact that sandwich was off the plate and in my stomach before my wife was on her 3rd bite.

WEDNESDAY: This day I planned for a 8 mile run. As I was running I come to an intersection with a car. I stopped and waved the car on. The car didn't go, so I waved again. The car still didn't go, so I started to cross the intersection.  As soon as I got in the middle of this assholes hood he or she ( the windows were so tinted I honestly couldn't see the driver) decides to floor it. The car hit my hip and I quickly threw my hands hard on the hood and kicked my legs to the side and safely landed on my feet.  The asshole floors it again and takes off.  I was so pissed I forgot to look at the license plate. I did call the cops and give the description of the car, and with some help from my friends I was able to locate the car and take down the license plate.  After the incident I was so pissed that I couldn't get into my run. I only made it 4 miles and had to call it quits.  Either I really pissed someone off and they wanted to hurt me, which is highly unlikely since I don't have any enemies that I am aware of. It probably was a person just not paying attention and didn't look and got scared and drove off.  My third theory is my wife got a new car and didn't tell me.  This one still remains a mystery.

THURSDAY: After the incident on Wednesday I figured go to the track, at least there no one will try to hit me with their car.  Since I have a 5K coming up in 2 weeks I wanted to work on my speed for the shorter race. This will still be good for the marathon though.  I did ten 200 meter repeats with a 200 meter slow jog in between.  I also did a mile warm up and a mile cool down. I have always been fast but I can tell I have lost a step over the years.  Now that I am really focusing on my speed this training I can see that I am starting to get back to where I was years ago. I don't think I will ever get to the point I was 10 years ago, but I may be able to come close.

FRIDAY: Rest day number 2  Knowing Saturday is my long run day I wanted to have fresh legs for the 15 miles I had planned.

SATURDAY: I set out for a slow 15 miles.  As I was running I started to plan my course.  The goal was to do my normal course and add some miles on backstreets here and there.  As I got to mile 5 I was out of water and wanted more.  I knew in 2 miles I would run by Tru Runner and they usually have water set up outside.  On this day they did not for some reason.  I knew there was a park about 3 miles away that had a fountain and I decided to change up the course and head for the park.  This was great because I knew they had water and I was starting to really need it.  The problem was it threw in a shitload of hills. After I got my water I was in Frick Park and decided to hit the trail for 2 miles.  After I came out of the trails I stopped my watch.  I decided to walk back to where my car was since it was basically 1.5 miles straight up some big hills.  I could of ran it, but I think it would of beat me pretty good. So i ended with a 12 mile run and a 1.5 mile fast paced walk.  I will say even though I didn't go for the 15 planned I am happy with the 12. It was a brutal course and my legs felt really good later in the day.

SUNDAY: Cross training at home. A lot of ab workouts and some light arm workout.

The goal for this week coming up is to continue to increase the miles while not getting hit by cars.

    I know this goes off the beat and path from running but I wanted to share a neat little thing I am doing.  My cousin @mikesmithwriter wrote about music on his blog and made a little challenge. You find another person and for 20 days you take turns sending a link to your top 10 favorite songs that inspire or motivate you.  Me and my cousin Katie are currently doing this with each other, and even though we are family just after a few days we started to notice things about each other and our taste of music.  I guess you can really tell a lot about a person from the little things.  I want to do this with someone who isn't family so if anyone is down for a neat little thing let me know.


8 comments:

  1. That is crazy that the car actually hit you! Then sped off! I hope the police at least fined him/her. Overall sounds like a great week. Those last 10 weeks will go fast.

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    1. I hope the police at least do something. I kind of hope these 10 weeks go fast, I want to do this race

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  2. About True Runner, they also have a water fountain inside! So, if you do not find the one outside, go inside, they are definitively runner friendly! Another closer location is inside CMU or on Schenley Plaza (or also the Giant Eagle on Center Avenue).

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    1. There was a couple of places that did cross my mind that I could of stopped at. I just figured head over to frick park and run the trails as I filled up. If I desperately needed the water I would of went to the giant eagle and kept on my normal course

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  3. Crazy people in the world. Glad you weren't hurt. Two yrs ago a runner was brought into the hospital where I work after being shot by some thugs "earning their gang rights." He died in the OR. That's why I prefer the trails though it does get monotonous.

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    1. It's really ashame when you have to always worry about what can happen when you are running. Makes me sick the way some people are.

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  4. I am glad you are okay! People are so rude and inconsiderate! Great job getting back out there and staying motivated!

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    1. Steffany you know I had to get back out there, I can't have you guys killing it a Columbus and me doing bad. I want Columbus to remember all the Pittsburgh people that came and destroyed the course

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