Ahhh who doesnt love a good set of air quotes. I was in a meeting this week and one of the other folks used air quotes 5 times in a row. Yes, I counted. My favorite is when someone does air quotes and misses the thing they are trying to quote, saying the word, then using the air quotes over dead air.
Its the little things.
In terms of the work outs this week it was another wonky week. It seems to me that every week has been a wonky week either because of work, family and friends or the awful freaking weather that seems to have descended on Nova Scotia and the maritimes. Today it is raining. Which might be a good thing if there wasnt 3 inches of hard packed ice covering all the drains around town. 
Sitting at my window now, I would not be one bit suprised if the animals from the farm down the road started to pass by my two by two.
Last week I really wanted to try all 3 disciplines again back to back to back, but the weather didnt help and had to abandon that goal, so it became my goal for this week, which i am happy to say that I did today, and i am freaking tired right now. 
Here's how the week went:
Monday: off
Tuesday: 1x750m + 1x1500m
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 1x750m + 1x1500m
Friday: 1x750m + 1x1500m
Saturday: 20km ride + 5km run
Sunday: 750m swim ( 16.02min) + 20km ride ( 36.42min) + 5km run ( 41.41min)
The last time i attempted to do all 3 back to back to back my times were swim 18min; bike 46min; and run 42min.
So aside for the run my other times are starting to come down, and I am pretty pumped!
All of my 750m times this week were close to 16 min and one was under at 15.50min.
I know i can get my run time down, and that will most likely be something that i will focus on over the next couple of weeks.
But its all fun and games until you start looking at triathlon wetsuits online. Now i have no idea if i would actually go through and purchase one because i would look like a big sausage trying to bust out of a casing, but for the open water swims, i dont know if i will get away from needing one. I am not so worried about the cold water, but i hate, hate, hate, hate hate jelly fish. 
Having done a lot of swimming in the ocean and some scuba diving there is nothing that freaks me out more the running into the stinger(s) of a jelly fish. I totally freak out. 
For me its like cats.
I am allergic to cats. If i am in a house and there are cats, they will come to me like i am made of catnip. Same with jelly fish. They can sense my hatred like the Emperor to Anakin Skywalker. Unfortunately i dont have a cool light sabre to use, just a high pitched scream and profanity. Both of which dont seem to bother the jellyfish at all. weird.
Anyway the search goes on, I am sure i will probably get one and figure out how to stuff myself into it. I can see some pam cooking spray and a shoehorn in my future.
He may not be fast, but he sure smells buttery.
With that i take my leave to bury myself in a 28g bag of all dressed ruffles chips, and possibly have #CigarSunday in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!
Slainte
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Is there anything worse then a sick male? No, no there isnt. Admittedly I am the worst when I am sick. I am whiny. I complain about everything. I make everyone around me miserable. #mansick
The fact that i get zero sympathy from friends and family only heightens the #mansickness and pushes me to realms of whiny otherwise thought unachievable. Puppies looking to go outside and play have nothing on the level of whiny i can achieve. Little children waiting in line at the grocery store and wanting a kinder suprise would stand in blank faced awe at the whininess tidal wave that i can crash down on all those around me with tsunami like devastation. #mansick
Okay that might be a bit of a stretch, but you get the picture, pretty, pretty whinny.
I have been able to still get 3 swimming sessions in this week and am pretty pumped with the results thus far.
Monday: ( beginning of #mansick) 3x750m swims
Tuesday: ( worsening #mansick) 1x750m swim 1x1500m swim
Wednesday: off ( full blown #mansick)
Thursday: (still #mansick but Nyquil to the rescue) 1x750m swim 1x1500m swim + ( possible run or bike tonight)
For those that have been following along this is the first week that i have tried doing the Olympic swim distance of 1500m instead of my usual 3x750m Sprint distance swims.
I have to say, even despite the devastating #mansickness that has crept over me, I am really happy with the distances and times I have put in this week.
All of my 750m distances were right around the 17 minute mark, a little above or a little below.
The 1500m distance I was really pumped about. Secretly i have been thinking about the Olympic distance triathlon so this was a first test to see if i could do the swim part in relative time to the Sprint time. Both 1500m distance swims came in between 34-36 minutes, so fairly consistent with my 750m times.
I dont know if i would be biting off more then i could chew with the Olympic distances but it will be in the back of my mind over the next couple of months as I continue training.
Just a little update for the week.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan
aka #mansick

What a week. Coming off a really crappy week last week, I wasnt sure what to expect out of myself. Especially with the doctor telling me to let go of the swimming for awhile so that my back could get better. GAH. 
So here is how the week went:
Monday: Bike 14 miles + 3km walk
Tuesday: Bike 10 miles + 5km run ( really low speed)
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 2x750m + 1x500m plus warm up swim
Friday: Bike 13 miles + 3km run ( faster pace)
Saturday: Bike 13 miles ( fastest time yet 37:41) yay! + 3km run ( decent pace)
Sunday: *swim - aiming for 2x750m plus warm up
Still having some back pain and a tinge of gout flare up, but the gout meds are doing great to keep things under control.
Have added in a ton of stretching to try and loosen up my back.
I also had a okay week with the nutrition side. I ended up home 3 out of the 5 work days with snow storms and inservice days. These are the hardest days, especially after super bowl when the house if packed with all kinds of bad for me type treats. #torture.
Admittedly i have no will power and a brain that can reason anything away in terms of killing bags of chips.
I was still under my daily calorie goals each day so that is something, but there were some pretty close calls that is for sure.
I am hoping this week i can get back to 3 solid work outs in each discipline but not going to push myself as i dont want to be dealing with the back again.
There is nothing more frustrating then having a crappy back, especially in winter. Nova Scotia as i am sure most of you know got completely dumped on this week for snow.
Now we do get a plow to do our driveway.
I tried shovelling once, just to see how long it would take.
The answer: 6 hours and days on my back afterwords with spasms.
Anyway, our driveway is clear and the guy that did the plowing was an artist in terms of the way he cleared and piled the snow.
The town roads not so much.
Driving around town is like what i can only assume riding in a well rutted bobsled track might be like.
There are chunks of ice that were not plowable, or as trucks drive over the hard packed snow, rip up patches and pieces so that average cars are left bouncing around like the Jamacian bobsled team. Everytime i get in the car to head somewhere i feel life saying: feel da rhythem, feel da rhyme, get on up, its bobsled time, cool runnings!
But the worst, the absolute worst plow job i have ever seen EVER is the James St. Tim Hortons Drive through. Simply, its fooked.
There are crazy ice grooves, high ledges and a serious of pot holes. When i bounced and shimmied my way to the window i was on such an angle my head was almost inside the window, i could see what color the drive through gals shoes were.
If you need a Tim's fix, go to the hospital one, or park and go in. It is not worth the axel on your car.
On the up side, my tea was steeped deliciousness.
Until next week, 
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan