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, February 8, 2015

Phase 2; Week 1 of Training

      This week was the start of Phase 2 of training for me. Phase 1 was me building a good foundation of distance and speed. Phase 2 was the start of a 12 week training schedule (Hal Higdon Advanced). On top of the running schedule I am currently in the first week of a 30 day squat challenge.
      Before I go into what I did this week let me first say I really underestimated this schedule. Previously I have been use to running maybe 4 days a week with 2 days of straight cross training and 1 day of total resting. I am now running 6 days a week with cross training thrown in on lighter run days and 1 day of rest.  Needless to say this week beat the shit out of me, but I am up for a good challenge and I am not about to shy away from a little pain and hurting. With that being said let me show you exactly how this week went down.

MONDAY: Called for a 3 mile run in which you could hold a conversation if you were running and strength training.  I ran 3 miles in 28:45, that is a 9:37 pace. I really had problems because I wanted to speed up, but I had to tell myself it was okay that I was running a comfortable pace. For the strength training part of the workout I did my 55 squats, did some burpees, and some push ups.

TUESDAY: This day called for 6 X hill workout. The hill is supposed to be a gradual hill that is 200 to 400 meters long. It was bitter cold this day and the roads were icy so I ended up going to the gym and was forced to do the workout on the treadmill. I started with a 1 mile warm up run then would increase the incline to 12 percent and hold it for 400 meters. My legs were beat down, but I still finished the whole workout. Even though this day didn't call for strength training I still did my 60 squats and threw in a short AB workout.

WEDNESDAY: Another 3 mile run with strength was on the agenda. Once again I was forced to hit the treadmill and felt really good holding a 9:13 pace. For the strength part I did a back and arms workout. At the end of my workout I kind of felt like maybe my shins were a little sore.

THURSDAY: Called for a 40 minute tempo run. I ran my first 15 minutes at a 9:13 pace then gradually increased the speed until I was at a 7:30 pace. I finished with my last 10 minutes being a 9:13 pace again. I had some real problems with this. My shins were on fire and the pain was almost unbearable. I kept saying in my head "please don't be shin splints". I thought maybe it was because I was on the treadmill. I also took note of the shoes I was wearing, my Brooks Pure Flows. Still did my 70 squat though.

FRIDAY: Rest day from running, so i just did 75 burpees.

SATURDAY: With nice running weather I was super pumped to hit the roads again, even if it was only for a 3 mile run. Once again I was wearing my Pure Flows and the shin pain came back in full force. I was forced to do a very slow 3.14 miles. I ran a 33:04 with a pace of 10:32. When I returned home I did my 80 burpees and threw on my compression sleeves to help with my shins.

SUNDAY: Today the weather was nicer than yesterday and I headed to North Park for a 90 minute run. I decided to switch up my shoes and go with my Asics GT 2000-3's.  There was no shin pain what so ever and I felt really good for the run. The run called for a 3/1 which means I was to progressively pick up the pace every half hour. Unfortunately my Garmin battery died 5 miles in and I had to basically guess on the rest. I know I still ran 90 minutes but the distance is a guess. If I had to guess I would say 9 was the least I did and 10.5 was the max.  Either way when I finished I was not out of breathe and I have decided the Asics are going to be the go to shoes from here on out. I plan on going to buy another pair this week to rotate in. I will still use the Pure Flows but strictly on speed days at the track.

I ended this week with around 25 miles. This is one thing I like about this program. It's not so much the miles you are worried about, it's the time you are running.

Next week looks almost identical to this week except for a speed workout rather than a hill workout, and a bit longer tempo run.

How did your week go?

Until next time stay safe on the roads, and don't forget to join #Runchat tonight at 8:00 pm

4 comments:

  1. Glad the Asics are working out for you! Seems like your shins just don't like the Pure Flows. Good week running, and awesome that you still got in 75 burpees on your rest day!

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    1. Thanks, Ya I think I just needed a bit more cushion. I still love the PureFlow's but I wasn't planning on wearing them for the marathon anyway.

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  2. It was so great to see you Sunday!!
    This looks like another really good week, using a challenging plan! Keep it up!

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    1. Thank you, it was nice seeing you as well, and I still say we need to do a run together out there. I will let you girls set the pace

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