This isnt going to be much of a work out update, because, well, I had a major flare up of gout last week in my right foot. Of course my prescription and refills ran out #awesome and it being the long weekend I wasnt able to get it filled right away so my foot ballooned like someone was stuffing a sausage until it exploded, but it just wouldnt. I dont want to say it was the most pain I have been in because i have taken a line drive softball straight to the nuticous sackitus before, but it was def the worst my gout has been in a long, long time. 
Typically once meds are on the scene it takes 3 days to get back to some normalcy. This has taken me over a week now and the meds have been a stomach lining ripping, gut churning, diarrhea spraying ( sorry that one may have been TMI) nightmare. 
I am happy to say the gout, swelling, and gut pains are nearing conclusion and I am hoping for a solid week back at the workouts.
But after my last post and some further research I kept coming back to this idea of moving to a vegetarian diet.
Those of you that know me, commence the eye rolling and chirps now haha.
But when you look at all the things that are recommended Not to eat for those that suffer with gout, meat - fish - poultry products are usually listed somewhere. So with that in mind, I decided to give the vegetarian thing a try. 
I am six days in with no meat, poultry or pork. I have def been challenged already with getting on board with quinoa. Apparently no good vegetarian can survive without the stuff haha.
And cutting up pork chops for the kids the other night without eating the crispy parts they do not like was not quite torture, but def hard to get my focus back on my curried quinoa and vegetable extravaganza that I was having.
I am going to try this for 2 solid weeks and see how I feel about it, if this is something I can commit to long term. 
It is really requiring my menu planing for home to be a bit more weeklong thinking, instead of just buying ingredients, and relying on staples that I have always made.
I did get to spend most of saturday in the kitchen this week making some things for the week. And I say with zero sarcasm that my white bean burgers that I have made are the freaking bomb. I froze them immediately so I didnt eat them all. 
In terms of work outs last week:
Monday: light gout
Tuesday: Swim with moderate gout
Wednesday: Full on gout 
Thursday: finally got some meds
Friday: no sleep the night before because in the loo all night
Saturday: better but still swollen
Sunday: almost back to normal
So at the end of the day, not sure how long this vegetarian thing will go, I am always just a donair away from going right back i suppose, I am trying to keep in the front of my mind the feeling of the gout pain I just experienced though to remind myself why I want to give this a try for a while, right now its Day 6, and I am focused on just getting through today.
So obviously no #cigarSunday again this week, so we are now in week 4 of no #cigarSunday *sigh* but I can feel the motivation taking a huge leap forward because I have signed up for a Cigar of the Month Club which will begin shipping me cigars next month!
So pumped, and can not wait to get my first shipment.
So stay tuned for that!
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

So here we are, the circle of my stupidity is coming to its rightful conclusion. Last weeks ramblings on depressive food choices, lack of exercise, and whining about a lack of coffee and #cigarSundays has ended a passable week with a big fat foot of gout.
Now those of you that are regulars to the show, probably saw this coming a mile away, because i cant seem to clue into the fact that when i hit that spiral of eating things i shouldnt i usually end up here, in intense foot pain land. 
For those that may not understand what gout is, it is a build up of uric acid in a specific or multiple joints. Now while this was always thought to be a "fat persons" disease as it is linked to rich diets of meats, wines, which do contribute to flair ups, it isnt solely the reason that a gout flare up can happen. It is a metabolic disease, and one that you are either born with or are not.
Generally anything with purine is a bad thing for you if you suffer from gout.  So what are the top ten foods you should not eat when you have gout, or hope to not trigger gout, well glad you asked:
1. Fish
2. Alcohol
3. Caffeine
4. Organ Meat ( so anything processed)
5.Fried Food
6.Beef
7.Soda
8.Rich Sauces
9.Shellfish
10.Fruit Juice
So what is recommended to eat if you do have gout, super glad you asked:
1. Vegetables
2. Cherries
3. Water
4. Coffee and Tea

It should also be known that there are some that believe the nitrates found in some some vegetables are grown also contribute to gout such as mushrooms, peas, asparagus, and spinach. 

Now a good chunk of the first no fly zone foods are cut out either because of allergies, self-imposed exile, recent sour belly or because of the diabetes ( 1,2,5,7, 9 and 10). 

I have been thinking about something over the last month or so. I dont even want to say it, because I know how much crap I am going to get from people that I have given crap to over the years. But there is one conclusion that would make all the sense in the world at this point in my life with all the different ailments I have, and what I am trying to achieve before my body clock winds down. 
I think i should try being a vegetarian. 
That is so painful to write, but when I look at what I have eaten in the last week or so, the large part of what this latest round of gout can be attributed to from that list is the volume of meats that I have eaten that are high in purine. 
I love meat, but I think it might be the only way to really give my diabetes, gout and activity level the priority they deserve. Gonna have to have a think on this, will make a decision by next week, once i have had the chance to do some more research.
Last week went like dis:
Monday: off
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 10mile ride + 1.5mile run
Friday: 750m swim +250m kicking 
Saturday: 20mile ride + 2mile run
Sunday: 3.75mile run 
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

I have been a very delinquent blogger. I would like to say it is for some amazing reason, like i have been to some region of the world helping the downtrodden rise from the oppression, but the truth of the matter is that I have been a lazy, a little winter blah, and extremely unsuccessful at achieving my work out goals the last couple of weeks.
There are so many excuses as to why, work, snow shovelling, winter, kids extracurriculars, new morning schedule because of other peoples work, blah, blah, blah.
But the biggest change I can blame is cutting coffee after the whole sour belly episode. Even though I was only on the stuff for about 3 months, it was helping put some momentum in my morning. Since going cold turkey with the dark oily brewed gold, I have only made it out of bed on time to work out twice. Now I am not saying that the coffee itself is the reason that I am not making morning work outs, but getting up to have the coffee that has been gently perking when the timer clicks on in the darkness of the early morning, and the dark roasted scents beckoning me from my slumberous cocoon where I am wrapped up like a toasty warm cinnamon bun saying gently " hey buddy, hey fella, its time to get up and jump start your day with a cup of hot, deliciousness that will make everything else in life seem a little bit better". When you have had that, and now are in some self imposed exile, it kills the spirit a little.
It think that coupled with the new rules for #cigarSunday achievement has my attitude in the craper. We are now going on week 3 of not getting the appropriate amount of workouts in and Im def starting to get cranky about it and start falling into the worst cycle. Forecasting the week, seeing that i wont get the right amount of workouts in ( cranky); then cutting work outs that I could do but because i dont get the prize dont do them ( crankier); then because I am not working out and feeling shitty, eat all the things I shouldnt for the instant gratification of eating those things ( crankiest); then seeing myself side on in a mirror ( there goes 10$ to the swear jar).
So work outs have been:
(2weeks ago)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 750m swim
Wednesday: 13mile bike 
Thursday: 5km run + 750m swim
Friday: 5km run + 750m swim
Saturday: off
Sunday: off ( knee popped out of place)
(last week)
Monday: off
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 5km run + 750m swim
Thursday: 13mile bike + 1000m swim
Friday: 5km run + 750m swim
Saturday: off 
Sunday: 13mile bike + weights
So yeah, also a couple weeks ago my knee decided that it wanted to Quebec and separate itself from the rest of my leg and popped out of place. Not sure how to describe the pain, but imagine an action figure ball joint for the leg or arm popping out of place and swinging free and how much force you have to use sometime to get that back into place, how it can slip out again and you have to really reef on it to get it back into working condition, couple that with getting kicked in the crotch and bending your fingers back 5 notches past sore.
Anywho, i popped it back in but left me pretty gun shy on doing any running for the next while, which stinks because i was woking my speed back up and getting the incline upto 5-6. 
So yeah to sum up the last couple weeks, 5 pounds of crap in a 2 pound bag.
On the upside, Deadpool comes out this week and while I was never a huge fan in comic book form, Ryan Reynolds version looks pretty funny from all that I have seen in the trailers and testicular cancer ads that he has done. What says valentines day more then a comic based movie? Nothing.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan