WHEW! Good week, good effort, pretty happy.
So being back on fitness pal this week, some good days and some bad days but overall, happy with how things went.
When you crunch the numbers, over 6 days, 5 of those days including work outs I averaged 1532 calories per day. So that is not too bad. I have given myself 1900 calories a day to work with, and it is crazy how one misstep can shoot those numbers up. But I have been brutally honest with myfitnesspal and adding foods and well truth hurts. Why chips, why do you have to be so salty and good, and make all the bad feelings go away, but you are so evil and fatty, salty, carby, sodiumy. WHY!!!!!!
Just breathe - breeeathe - serenity now, serenity now........
I also changed up my work out playlist this week. I have tried not listening to music while running,  but if you have the opportunity to listen to music while you do something, why wouldnt ya? 
I, being of the creating mixed tape generation, take great pride in my music selecting ability based on what the music will be used for.
My newest 'mixed tape' includes:
Complexity - Eagles of Death Metal
Cant Feel My Face - The Weeknd ( great mashup potential with Eric Claptons Cocaine)
Renegades - X Ambassadors ( this one may come out, still undecided and i am over my need to buy a Jeep)
The Impression That I Get - MMBosstones
Phenomenal - M&M
Kids In America - Foo Fighters ( Great cover)
Downtown - Macklemore
Tear in my Heart - 21 pilots ( the second part of the song is way better then the first part)
The Hum - Dimitiri Vegas
Bills - LM Lewis
Cant Hold Us - Macklemore
There is also another song I will be adding shortly by a band from PEI called The Royal North.
They are releasing a new song/video called 'Goodbye Alibi' and i got a sneak peak of the video the other day, and wow. I hope this song/video gets picked up and goes viral because it is crazy good.
Long time friend and friend of the show Donovan Morgan has a pretty killer guitar shred towards the end, i guess that is a spoiler alert. oops.
Anyway if you have a moment give them a looksee on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/theroyalnorthband?fref=nf&pnref=story

So this week the workouts went like this:
Monday: 2000m swim
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: 2500m swim
Thursday: off
Friday: 4 mile run
Saturday: 10mile ride + 4 mile run
Sunday: off
So not a bad week for a first week back to regular workouts.
I am trying to push to get my running back to 10km distance. I am really starting to enjoy running again, it is so strange that the longer distance i push, the further I want to run. 
I think i have finally decided on a fitness tracker. I think I am going with a Pebble. There are many different apps that seem to be able to track everything I am looking for, swimming, biking and running. As well as it has the sleep tracking and pedometer and acts as a watch. The price point is reasonable at 120.00 compared to similar devices that dont have as much flexibility.
I have an couple of upcoming trips to the states so we will see if there is any price difference purchasing it there rather then in Canada.
Good to see that a couple of peeps got the Big Boy Running shirts that asked for them, and have picked running events that they will be participating in. There are still some shirts with the small purple logo available, and Version3 of the shirt will be coming out soon. Those ones may have to cost a couple of bucks though.
If you want on of the free ones, you know the deal, throw me a FB message or through the blog page, you have a year to do a 5km walk or run event or sprint triathlon and a shirt is yours.
Looking for an end of season run as well, so may get another event in before the snow starts to fly, looking for any suggestions, the kicker is I dont want to travel to far for it. #diva
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

One, One swim, that is all the workouts that I got in last week. 
Gah. Brutal.
There was literally no time though, honest I swear. 
The orientation week grind got the best of me. Now the argument could be made there there were many physically demanding days and those could be considered workouts, but none were running, biking or save the one pool session, swimming. The week went like this:
Monday: Yeah right
Tuesday: 1500m swim
Wednesday: Nope
Thursday: Nada
Friday: Not bloody likely
Saturday: You're joking
Sunday: Ah eff it
As already posted previously with the lack of exercise the will power to indulge in bad food goes too. I almost feel like i am adding extra punishment to myself - like - not going to work out eh, well you eat this big mac and bag of chips - yeah see how you like it - now its going to be harder to get back into it when this is over! 
Such a brutal cycle, I know I am doing it, but i cant seem to stop it when it happens at high stress times of the year.
So with that. I am going back to MyFitnessPal App.
I havent been using it all summer, convincing myself that I could just do all the math in my head, another self deluding lie.
I have decided to go with 1900 calories a day, and 5 60 minute work outs a week with the anticipation of burning 800 calories per work out. I am hoping this will keep me honest.
I really want to try and use the next few months to get my eating back under control so that I can approach next triathlon season 10-15lbs lighter if possible. 
I dont think that is too large of a goal, but my brain has a way of convincing me to eat things I shouldnt all the time. Its a tricky wicket.
I have also decided to be more diligent with my blood sugar checking. 
Lets just say i have been a bad diabetic over the summer, and have not been checking enough.....okay, at all.
I know, I know. Im awful.
Truth hurts I guess, because i knew what it would tell me, because i knew what i was eating. Again the cheats with food are brutal.
I am going to get my meter and supplies updated this week, and go from there. Its going to be like a heroine addict jones in terms of going off all the white foods ( bread, rice, potatoes etc.). So sorry world Is gonna be cranky.
Now some of you might say, well you can have those things in moderation.
Yeah, I dont really do well with moderation.
If one is good, 20 is better. 
Hard to change that thinking after 42 years.
Like most - Im still a work in progress.
For the record I did have a #cigarSaturday last week without the required workouts. #rulebreaker
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

As i write this we are smack dab in the middle of orientation week. This is probably the busiest time of the year for me, that and the 2-3 weeks leading up to it. This year the organizing team added a lot of new events, and we really packed the first two days so that we can really welcome the first year students to their new community.
The work and hours required, really doesnt lend itself well to proper work out schedules though. Last week was #cigarSunday less and this week will be as well.
The week went like this:
Monday: 2000m swim
Tuesday: 2500m swim
Wednesday: 6.5km run
Thursday: off
Friday: 2500m swim
Saturday: ummm nope, no chance
Sunday: Ok, this was not a traditional work out, but the day was totally a work out of sorts, lugging stuff, set ups and take downs, lugging more stuff, but still not going to count it as it was not a run, bike or swim.
If I had to guess this coming week is not looking good either for a #cigarSunday but stranger things have happened.
So Day one of orientation week went fairly smooth. We had some frosh kit probs the night before, but after manually counting the frosh kits not once but twice, we finally got a number we could agree upon. We sell out every year so it is critical that we know exactly how many we have so we dont oversell. We are not Air Canada.
So up early Saturday morning, birds chirping, coffee filling the house with that nutty aroma, and the echo's of 90 pink clad OCREW ( orientation week leaders) beginning their welcome day rituals and chants.
I know some people in the town are put off by it, but i love it. 
These students come back to campus early each year, they do not get paid, if fact, it costs them money from their personal expenses to be here the week before students come back to train, rehearse and organize the activities that they facilitate. Not many people see the behind the scenes effort, or the care and dedication that OCREW members bring to orientation week, but it is so appreciated by new students, and our organization. 
Off to our welcome day trade show, it is in an ice rink with a hard plastic floor placed over the ice. Now normally i prefer being cold, but having to stand on a plastic ice rink for 6 hours, is always an uncomfortable experience. The only thing that makes it bearable is the chance we get to talk with students and parents about the services we provide.
After that, quick change and off to stake off the Cheer Off location. We have many houses ( residences) on campus, each one has a number of cheers. We review all the house cheers as a committee, make edits and the houses are allowed to participate in a Cheer Off event where they get to preform their cheers against the other houses. Off Campus won this year, so congrats to them. Then its off to get the field ready for the Giant X photograph.
While that is taking place, the final set up is done on the Beach Party. This set up takes a couple of days, and involves trucking in a beach, and putting it in a massive tent. As well as setting up security fencing, decorations, snow fencing, generator and sound and light gear.
Happy to say the all the events on Day One went off with very little issue. Off to bed for a few hours sleep then its Day Two: SUNDIE.
Sundie was quickly branded by OCREW for the sheer amount of events ( 8) in total that were being put on that day.
Starts with pancake breakfast around 8am, hosted by the University Admin, then we start moving 1100 frosh from campus to Columbus field, through town for an event called X Games. The frosh are then divided by faculty and compete in ice breaker games against other faculty teams. In the adjacent field we are setting up a local vendor fair, about 25 vendors, with tables and tents, live music and our campus food provider is setting up lunch.
Once we get that set up, I am off with a bunch of OCREW back to campus to begin the set up for our Water Balloon Fight and then Jello Slide. With a crew of 20 and some generous help from the University grounds and trucking we move 30000 water balloons from various nooks and crannies around the University to Memorial Field.
We stake off the two sides, lay out garbage bags and begin to place the water balloons ever so gently on the bags.
Once the vendor fair and lunch is over, we move 1100 frosh back to campus to get changed for water balloon fight and Jello slide.
As water balloon fight erupts, Jello slide is set up.
As students finish Jello Slide and help us pick up all the little pieces of broken balloons, we move into the set up of the faculty social and mentalist.
As frosh go back to residence covered in jello and baby shampoo to get dressed up for the faculty social, we discover that the mentalist is going to be late.
A plan is put in place and executed so no one will know the difference and no one does, well, accept for now because I just told you.
We are blown away at the attendance of both faculty and students for the first ever faculty social and the mentalist starts on time.
Off to bed, end of Day Two.
So yeah, a busy couple of days, as much as i do miss my exercise routine and my food, sleep and family life gets disjointed, being a small part of helping to create memories for first years students during orientation week is very gratifying and worth it.
I am looking forward to things getting back to normal in the next week or so, wait, whats that? Rick Mercer and his show are coming to campus for two days next week. Ok. So normal might have to wait a couple extra days.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Holy crap, I feel like the last couple of weeks have been some crazy triathlon, between work needs, family needs, and trying to get any type of work out schedule in. The lead up for back to school means different things for different people, and might not mean anything to some, but for me it is pretty massive. 
From about May until August I work with a team of people who plan, promote, and execute 7 days of orientation in the form of activities, events, speakers, meals, sponsorship, community outreach opportunities, along with our regular day to day services. Throw in a week plus of training session for student leaders prior to this week and you can get into a pretty big pressure cooker.
The crazy thing is, I love it.
There is an insane amount of stress, problem solving and adaptability that goes along with this each year, but it seeing these events go off, most of the time without an issue, carries with it a great amount of pride and satisfaction.
My role in this in making these things happen is minor, one voice among many, but it is something that i love about my job.
It does however have a draw back in terms of leading a healthy lifestyle. That goes pretty much in the crapper. I am trying really hard this year to fight against it, but last week, weakness and lack of planning resulted in a shortened work out week which equaled no #cigarSunday. It also led to some preety preety bad food choices.
The week went like dis:
Monday:off
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 2000m swim
Thursday: 2500m swim + 5.5km run
Friday: 2000m swim
Saturday: 7km run + 5mile bike
Sunday: off
I am also still not sleeping well. I usually go to bed about 930pm or 10pm and then am up for the day around 2am. Sometimes i can get back to sleep around 330am, but it almost makes it worse.
Def makes for long days.
I usually wake up in a panic about water balloons. That might not make sense to most of you, but i will post some pictures next week and it may become more clear.
In the last week we also got some pretty craptacular news. My wife's aunt, who has been putting up a pretty good fight with cancer, had a bad beat and a few days later passed away.
We have had a very crappy summer for loosing people close to us.
Lorraine was one of the first relatives I met from my mother-in-law's side of the family over 20 years ago. She was a great lady. One of the most friendly, kind and humble people you would ever be lucky enough to meet.
She didnt ask for much from anyone, but would give you anything she could to help out. 
She was a true craftsperson with  needles and yarn. The picture above is a sweater she made me at my request.
I am a big dude. 
Trying to find an ugly Christmas sweater that fit me was next to impossible. I asked Lorraine in a passing conversation if should could make me the ugliest reindeer sweater she could think of. She thought I was mental, but laughed her great laugh.
She would double check a couple of times through the conversation, 'ugly, like strange?'  - yeah, like ugly that would make people stop and wonder what the heck it was!
'Okay, okay i think i have an idea'
What you cannot see from this picture is the back of the sweater, it features a reindeer butt, with a sown on tail. It used to be velcro, but people kept stealing my tail so we sowed it on.
This sweater is now and forever a one of a kind, and that is just the way I like it.
I have worn this sweater to every christmas party, it is what i wear christmas morning, and it is what I will continue to wear for every christmas to come.
It is always hard to say goodbye, but those that loved her the most take comfort in the time and memories they have of her, knowing now that she is free of the pain that she was fighting in the last few months of her life, and the joy that she had playing and creating memories with her grandson.
My father-in-law said today, that it is now all of our jobs, as friends and family, that whenever we see this 'little man' to talk to him about his grandmother, to share the stories she is now not able to, and by doing that she will never truly be gone from his life. 
I couldnt agree more, and I look forward to a time that he is older, and i can share the story about my christmas sweater, when he undoubtedly will ask me, where did you get that ugly christmas sweater.
Rest in peace Lorraine
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan