I dont like people. I say this alot. I also follow up with, I like the people I like. This confuses people when I say this but I think anyone that has worked in any type of customer service positions probably gets this more then others may. 
When you have worked the many different jobs that I have over the years you start to figure out people, the things they say, body and face language, whether they are genuine or to what level of integrity they hold themselves in their action or inaction. So you start to set up guards when meeting people and depending on the level of drama someone brings with them, you can immediately assess whether you want to hang out with this person on semi or regular basis or not at all.
I am not someone that needs a lot of friends, when i look at who i still keep in touch with on a regular basis i have come to realize i have pockets of friends from various times in my life, Facebook def helps with keeping tabs on people that aspect, and i wonder if that wasnt around would i still keep in touch with as many people as I do now.
I also dont believe that having a friend, if they are a true friend, requires constant or consistent communication. I have various friends from childhood, university, work life,  that i have not spoken to in a number of years but if the opportunity arose where we could get together there would be an immediate reconnection that time would not have been able to dull or disintegrate. 
In University I was lucky enough to meet up with 5 other people that shared interests, loved a good time, could totally geek out when it wasnt cool to do so, and didnt take things too seriously. My days in University were def better because of these people and although we are spread out around Nova Scotia and beyond, it wouldnt matter, because the moment we would be given the opportunity to be together it would be like no time passed.
One of these 5 folks is Dave. I think everyone has a Dave from their University days, and I wont go to far into what makes Dave, Dave, but even with the passage of time, job, marriage, kids etc. Dave at his core is still the same person. We both are professed geeks and have a lot of the same interests as we pounce into our 40s and as mentioned a few weeks back have decided to try the Epic Dartmouth 5k swim at the end of June.
Dave and I were both life guards, swim team members at our high schools, taught lessons etc. etc. etc. so swimming the 5k seems like a great chance to test our 40+ year old dad bods.
As mentioned in a previous blog post we had the chance to break bread at a Halifax eatery a month or so ago and conversation moved to what we were planning for the summer. We decided then to do the 5k swim, as a test of our 40ish endurance but also to have the opportunity to swim together and participate in the same adventure. 
Luckily Dave was in the Nish for a leadership conference and we were able to hit the pool to see how we matched up in terms of pace and distance. We elected to do a 2500m swim due to time, but also to see how compatible we were going to be. 
I am the slower of the two of us, but it was great to have Dave push the pace at times and we ended up putting in a 51minute time on the 2.5k which for me was about 9 minutes faster then my previous attempt.
We both felt great after the swim, and had more energy so it bodes well for the swim at the end of June. 
There are obviously differences between open water and pool swimming but we are both pumped to give it a go. So training continues.
We also had the chance to do a 5k run the following morning. Dave said that he hadnt gone farther then 3k before, but I kept telling him not to worry he could get to 5k because my pace is incredibly slow. My wife calls my pace a trot and I am inclined to agree and also, I am a pretty pony.
This was my first out door run of the year so it was nice to have someone else to run and chat with.
Our route was very flat ( the landing for those with knowledge of the area) but it was a great first run with the scenery and nice to show Dave a different part of Antigonish. We posted a 41minute time, which is a little slower then what i had been doing on the treadmill but decent. 
Dave was pretty pumped to have met the goal and i think realized that you dont have to go flat out when running these races, if you are just doing it for yourself it really doesnt matter how fast you go.
The rest of the week went like dis:
Monday: 2500m swim
Tuesday: 5k run + 20km bike ride
Wednesday: 2x750m swim + 5km run
Thursday: off
Friday: 2500m swim with Dave
Saturday: 5km run with Dave
Sunday: off
So overall a great week, for the work put in and for the friendship and support as well.
I am really looking forward to the swim at the end of June, finishing any race is an awesome feeling, but getting to finish a race with friend makes it that much better. Plus we both like cigars, with the race being on a Sunday...well that is going to be a well deserved #cigarSunday.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Ok. It was me. I Farted at the gym. It was loud. I was suprised. I did not expect it to happen, but I am getting older, and my internal security management let one escape the compound. 
This was a worse case situation for me. 
In the past I have gone hours holding onto a #demonbreeze, suffered incredible stomach pain keeping in a tooter, I could clench cheek with the best of them, and rarely in my 40+ plus years did a duck mistakenly quack. A bear mistakenly growl, or a fart ghost free to howl, you get the picture.  I would rather fall off 100 treadmills and suffer that embarrassment then fart in public. Im strange. I know.
I had just gotten off the bike and i was shaking out my legs before hitting the tread mill, and on the second leg shake, i shook loose a honker. Even with my ear phones on i could hear it. I quickly turned to make sure that no one was in the general direction to which i farted because i would never purposely fart in someone's general direction in less i was atop a battlement and speaking with a french accent. 
There was on one behind me, but there were 2 other people on the bikes, one older and one younger rider. Both had headphones on, and if they had heard it were not indicating they had. I quickly moved to the paper towel station so i could wipe down my bike and get the hell out of there.
As i did the fitness studio emptied of sweaty Zumba enthusiasts, all enthusiastically chatting about the session they just survived. 
Cowardly I hung close to the paper towel station, knowing that they were unsuspectingly going to walk through a fart cloud of evil. 
Timing is everything in this world.
At the moment that the zumba crowd hit the fart cloud of terror, the creeping mists of hate also hit the two bikers, both turned and looked at each other with revulsion and disgust. The zumbaists moving quicker so the cloud would not permanently attach itself to the breathable fabrics and the bikes peddling like mad to get away from or at least move the air currents around to dilute the poison filled air.
I caught eyes with one of the zumbaites and mutually did a ' some people eh?' headshake in reference to the bike people.
I caught the end of the parade of zumbatonians and headed off in shame to the treadmills.
Moral of the story, do not eat donairs at any time during the week while working out OR always time your gas releases while you have someone else to blame in front of large groups of zumba enthusiasts.
The rest of the week went something like this:
Monday: off
Tuesday: 2500m swim
Wednesday: 18 mile bike ride
Thursday: 5km run
Friday: 250m warm up + 2x750m swims ( both below 16 minutes)
Saturday: 6.5 km run + 20k bike ride
Sunday: Mothers Day
My Epic swim partner is going to be in town this week so really pumped to do a pool session with him and start looking at how we will pace out the 5000m swim at Epic Dartmouth at the end of June.
Luckily you cant smell squeekers underwater hehe.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Not a bad week, not a good week, but put in the work I needed to with the constraints of it being a very large event weekend at work.
This is the first time i was able to get outside with any one of the disciplines for triathlon. So on Saturday i went through all the different parts of my mountain bike ( the roads are not nice enough yet for the road bike) and checked the breaks, tires, chain, gears etc. to make sure i could get on the road for Sunday morning. I planned a route just a little over 20k with some small and medium climbs and some paved and unpaved sections. I was pretty disappointed with my route selection and will most likely stick to paved roads next time. The road conditions on the non paved sections are still really torn up from winter and I had to slow right down to avoid some pretty deep pot holes, ledges in the gravel or big piles of gravel that were dumped and not flattened. I also had to sit for most of the climbs because the shocks in the front of my mountain bike would make any standing riding feel like i was on a teeter totter. So there is my excuses for posting a time of 1:12:08 for my first outdoor ride. Fairly disappointing but hopefully no where to go but up. My next ride will be on all paved so we will see if it goes any better. 
I also had a life/death experience on this ride. 
I had just gotten about a kilometer into the unpaved section, my attention focused hard on getting around the ruts and potholes when i hear an ungodly 'HONNK' from my rear tire. I turn to look and I stare into the eyes of the devil. I have never seen a creature look upon me with so much hate before. What i did to spur on this attack, I may never know, but this goose did not like me.
I was very suprised to see this goose of terror running alongside my back wheel, trying to take a chunk out of my tire, more suprised to see it gaining on me to where it was a beak length away from my ankle. My fight or flight instincts kicked in and i started to peddle like a madman to get away from this winged honking evil beast. 
The beast sped up as well.
It was not giving up in its chase. Maybe it had the taste of flesh before and was starved for another chomp. Maybe i had interrupted some ancient goose river ritual and was to be executed. This goose was out for blood.
I down geared and sped off like Indian Jones making it on to the plane in the nick of time, the dust kicked up from my tires, confusing the goose, as i kept the hammer down i could hear several angry " ill get you next time" type honks as i peddled out of sight.
I am not sure what i could do differently but this is almost the same spot that 2 donkeys took a keen interest in me during the training for the Half Marathon for nothing in support of no one. I hope this doesnt turn into a 'Evan Almighty' type situation, because i am no good with tools.
Anyway that was quite the way to end off the week of workouts.
The week went something like this:
Monday: 1x250m warm up swim + 2x750m swims
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 20km bike + 5km run
Thursday: 5km run
Friday: 2500m swim
Saturday: off
Sunday: 20km outdoor bike
Still really struggling with the nutrition of it all, bad food just tastes better. We will see how that part goes, I want to say i will get better at taking healthier options but everything is always better with bacon, and that includes bacon.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan