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, September 16, 2015

Vacation Recap: Charleston SC

Last week the wife and I headed down to Charleston, South Carolina for vacation. Let me give you a little back story on why we went here. Last year my wife and her family went there, I had to stay home and work. When she came home she talked about how much she loved it, and even kept saying one day we are moving there. This year I finally was able to take a vacation and since in the past I have used races as a way to get away and dragged the wife along, it was only fair that she got to pick a place where we could go. I will be honest I was hesitant, but I ended up falling in love with a city rich in history and with locals that were so nice and treated us with nothing but respect.
Here is how our week played out. We drove down Sunday. The drive was not fun at all and it actually took a few hours more since we had to stop in Baltimore and DC for my wife's work. We pulled into Isle of Palms, SC around 7:30pm. Since it was getting late and we were tired from the drive we just decided to stay in and get some rest for Monday.
MONDAY: Amanda thought the best way for me to see the city of Charleston would be to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the town. I was amazed at how beautiful this city was. The houses were old but still had a newer look to them. The roads were tight but it made seem so homely. Normally I would doze off as someone was talking history with me, but here I was listening to our guide and I wanted to know more and more.
 
 
TUESDAY: We woke up and headed down to the beach and got to swim for a few hours. I use to be like a fish in the water but for some reason I kept thinking of shark attacks and only went out a few feet. After our morning swim we headed back into town and got to do some shopping and eating a delicious restaurant, 167 Raw. It was a bit pricey but the fresh shrimp was so good and they have a key lime pie that is hands down the best I ever had.
If I was back home this day I would have been at the movie screening for the movie I was apart a few months ago. I was still able to see the short film through a private link, and it came out really well. you can see me in the background as the bartender a few times in the film. The movie is entered into many film contests so we are unable to release the film yet. If you would like to see it though I have a private link and you can let me know what you think.
 
 
WEDNESDAY: Another day of swimming and more sight seeing in downtown Charleston. I will be honest I looked forward to going to town everyday and eating. I am a man who loves good food and those people down south can make some great dishes. I tried grits for the first time, I got to try she crab soup, and I got to eat enough shrimp to last me a year. Amanda and I spent a good amount of time just walking around the town and looking at the houses and all of the old historical landmarks.
 
THURSDAY: For some odd reason my wife wanted to drive to Savanah, Georgia for the day to sight see. We arrived and had no clue on what we would be doing, so we decided to do some shopping. While my wife was shopping I wondered off and found out that the city of Savanah is the most haunted city in America. They had brochure after brochure of tours and places you could go and see, unfortunately most places did tours at night and we would be on the road. We did see a cemetery that was supposed to be haunted that was close by though. We headed to a local pub to get some food and then we would head to the cemetery, at least that was the plan. Once in the pub we made friends with the staff and a lawyer for New York who had just a bit to much to drink. Our quick lunch ended up lasting about 4 hours. When we left and arrived at the cemetery it was closed. Oops, looks like we  had to much fun at the pub.
 
FRIDAY: All week I wanted to go to Patriots Point and check out the navy ships that were there. We got there a bit late and taking a tour would of been rushed and I don't think I would have been able to see everything. My wife got a crazy idea that we had time to take a helicopter tour over the boat and the city. It was my first time in a helicopter and it was awesome. I was scared since there was no door and I was riding shotgun, but the view of the boat and the town of Charleston from the air was great. We went over both forts that are out in the ocean waters.
 
 
 
 
SATURDAY: Our last day was one of my favorites, we spent most of the day at a winery and a distillery. We got to do tasting at both places and were able to purchase bottles of wine, vodka, and moonshine. We spent the last night at a restaurant that every local said we must try out, Fleet Landing. It was the perfect way to end vacation.
 
 
If you have never been to Charleston I suggest you make it a point to go there. There is so much history and good food. You will want to return just like me.
 
 
 

 
 


 

3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a wonderful time. I love to travel & love history. You've got to love those times at the local pubs. Glad you listened to your wife!

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    1. I am glad I listened also, the pub was a blast and the lawyer I met had me in tears with the stuff he would say. Good times

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  2. Charleston is very cute! Glad you enjoyed it!

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