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

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Snow Shoes

Last week I gave some tips on how to beat the treadmill. The response from most people was that the treadmill is a foe rather than a friend. I too am not a fan of the treadmill, but sometimes the conditions are so bad outside there isn’t much you can do, until now. I don’t know if you all are like me and get emails from just about every running magazine out there with useful tips, but I came across an article with winter hacks. Most hacks were not running related and geared more for your car, but there was one that I found very useful for running. You can take an older pair of running shoes and transform them into shoes with traction for the snow and ice, and it is very cost efficient. In order to make the transformation all you need is about 12 small screws. I decided to put this method to the test and see just how good it really works. I was really surprised at just how easy it was and how well it works.

Here is what I did. First I got an old pair of shoes that still had some good tread on them. My Mizuno Wave Inspire 10’s still have a decent amount of tread on them except in the very front, which really doesn’t matter for this anyway. Then I went to my local hardware store and bought a small 20 pack of sheet metal screws. The size is a number 6 screw with a hex head and 3/8 of an inch long. The price for the 20 pack was $1.58. You could buy the screws individually for around 9 cents per screw. I decided to go with the 20 pack just in case a screw falls out I will have a few replacements. Next I took 6 screws for each shoe and with a drill screwed the small screw on the outer edges of the shoe. I did four on the heel of the shoe and two on the front mid-section. You will want to stay to the outer section of the shoe since that is where you have the most cushion. This will prevent you from running and getting the screw to go up into your foot. That is all you need to do. You not have a pair of shoes that are ready for the snow and ice. Think of the shoe as a car tire with chains. Without the chains the tire slides and has problems getting grip. Once the chains are attached the tire can roll through the ice and snow much easier. The day I made them we were blessed with another ice storm the night before, so after work I laced them up and put them to the test. I honestly didn’t feel any difference in the way I ran with them. I couldn’t tell there was anything on the shoe except for when I hit some ice or snow. As I would hit the ice patches or the snow I could feel the screw dig in. I am not going to lie and tell you it was 100 percent affective, but it was a lot better than running with nothing to grab onto the ice with. I will probably still use the treadmill on days that it is bitter cold, but if it is just snow and ice I will just lace up my newly made snow shoes and head out.


SIDE NOTE:  This Saturday and Sunday from 11-4 I will be at the McCandless DICK'S Sporting Goods. We will be there to help the everyday shopper who may be looking to buy some running gear and shoes.  Please if you are in the area come by and see me. 

8 comments:

  1. Nice hack! Also, there are the Yaktrax but this is more expensive ... I just keep my trail shoes on ice/snow and use common sense to avoid icy spots ... works until now ... fingers crossed!

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    1. I was planning on buying some trail shoes this week and giving them a test run.

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  2. I've seen this mentioned before, and always wondered how well it actually worked! All of my old shoes have some pretty high mileage on them, but I still might give it a shot!
    I do have to make a stop at Dick's for a few things - I'll try to stop out while you're there!

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    1. It's worth doing if you have a pair of old shoes that you can still get a few runs out of. If you do stop at DICK'S I will be in the shoe section. We are there to just help people select the right shoe. I am sure it won't be real crowded so anyone stopping out to just talk running and meet it more than welcomed

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  3. I've heard of that before and wondered how well it works. Good to know it works well! This year I bought the trail version of my usual shoe. I haven't been able to run in snow with them yet--during the first snowfall I forgot I bought them and wore my old ones. Oops. But I'm sure there will be more opportunities. Last year another thing that worked well for me was putting duct tape all over my shoes when the snow was deep. That kept my feet warm and dry, and I'll be doing that again when it snows again.

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    1. Good tip on the duct tape. I never even thought to look and see if they make a trail version of one of the shoes I wear.

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  4. I had heard of this. Thanks for the "try before you buy" demo! Don't know If I'll be brave enough to do it as I am very fearful of getting injured running on slick surfaces. So far, the winter has been decent.

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    1. Ya I made them with all intentions of hoping I never have to wear them. If I only use them a few times I would be happy

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