HELLO!!! Sorry to the six or seven of you that happen along this page from time to time in the lack of posting, but a fella has been neck deep in conference season, and it requires me to be away from my computers, and put all my focus into the new and exciting things I am learning to take back to my organization. Might be a little fun, occasionally, every now and then, thrown in there too, you know to break up the learnin'.
My most recent adventure started a couple weeks back in preparing to go to Toronto. The week of, I was a rockstar with my workouts, I actually had them all completed by Friday of that week, knowing that I would be on the road Friday and Saturday driving ( yes, but there is a method to my madness) and wouldnt really be in Toronto until Sunday. The gym in Toronto doesnt have access to a pool, so those work outs were critical to complete. So the week went like this:
Monday: 45min swim + 4km run + 20min bike
Tuesday: 2x750m swim + 45min bike
Wednesday: 5km run + 35min bike
Thursday: 6km run
Friday: 60min swim
Saturday: off
Sunday: 30min bike + 30min run
So YEAH, i even did extra when the final tally comes in!
So with all my workouts in, I could focus on hitting the open road with the family. We were planning on traveling through the US, last year we made the drive and went through Canada, and I gotta tell you, I love Canada, but holy crap is that drive BOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGG! On a motorcycle, probably awesome, in a car, not so much.
So with passports in hand, we made a run for the border. We also decided this time to leave at dusk instead of early in the morning. Mostly for the hopes that the kids would sleep more and ask "are we there yet, how much farther" a lot less. For the most part this plan worked incredibly well. The only flaw was Maine. The route we chose from the boarder to Bangor was a single lane road that passed through many mountains. At 2am, there are many, many animals that are trying to just be them at that time. We almost smacked into 2-3 deer, a couple of raccoons with glandular problems and many other startled woodland creatures that had a look on their faces like ' ahhhhh you know its like 2am right? Why are you coming up in here and making all this drama?' So our pace dropped incredibly. We made it up though once we hit the glorious twined interstates starting in Bangor. This was another plus of driving through the states, twined highways/interstates everywhere! Now there is the pesky toll system also, but Im sure that money goes directly to maintaining the interstate system, and makes sense. I really didnt mind the toll thing, because it meant we could really cruise along without a lot of start/stopping.
The sun started to rise and it was time to pull off for a break, and get some breakfast. We pulled into to a subway/gas station combo. I went into subway to fetch breakfast for the squad, and the squad got gas, and released it haha.
Now I appreciate good customer service as we all do, but the subway guy was the subway flare champion. He had more buttons then shirt, and was happy to not only explain them all, but share his life story as well. This was a little much, but like a good Canadian, I smiled and through out a couple, oh yeahs, and no ways, so that my order didnt take a wrong turn to spitsville.
Breakfast sandwiches in hand, i headed out of the subway into the gas station section to see if there were any lost squad members. The clerk comes out from around the counter and in a creepy/giggly way explains that he cant sell me any liquor until 9am.
I did a bit of a double take because I dont remember asking to buy any liquor at 830am in the morning, but maybe I did?
I go oh yeah, no problem, on a long drive anyway. He asks me what rig I am driving, and I said a Kia Sorento.
The look on his face was priceless.
He thought I was driving an 18 wheeler. I guess my long haul trucker look finally paid off! haha
He says, oh I thought you were a trucker and was going to sell it to you anyway because we are the only truck stop for miles that has liquor and not just beer.
Im not sure how this makes it better, but I stupidly say thanks anyway and beat feet out of the store.
Mental Note: look at all trucks currently in parking lot so as to not be near them on the road in a half hour.
We start knocking states down Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and finally New York state. The funniest moment for me along the way was one point in Massachusetts outside Boston. We had been driving for about 9-10 hours at this point, Daphne was getting near the end of a 4 hour shift. Our gps had not failed us once in these 9-10 hours. We were driving along looking for the exit repeatedly offered by the GPS lady, exit 8 10km, exit 8 8km, when all of a sudden Daphne goes, nope I am taking this exit, exit 12.
The GPS lady and I are shocked!! She is yelling REROUTING, REROUTING and I am half laughing and half questioning her decision making ability after nearly 4 hours of driving. Whilst trying to REROUTE back to good old exit 8, Daphne cuts off a not so happy driver, then tries to blow through a toll booth without collecting the oh so important turn pike distance ticket, resulting in her trying to back up on the unhappy cut off driver, then getting out and walking back a foot or so to get the ticket.
Comedy of Errors.
We eventually get back to exit 8 and as soon as possible switch out. Around 4pm we get to our destination in upstate New York. Hugs, greetings, a pool, a drink or two and its time for bed. I am leaving for Toronto the next morning while the squad is staying put for the week.
I will continue our road trip adventures with the #cigarSunday blog post coming shortly.
First big race of the season is in a couple of days EPIC Dartmouth, 5km run and a 5km swim. Pretty excited because friend of the show and fellow cigar smoker, Dave Zinck will be running and swimming with me. So might be a couple days before I get the #cigarSunday blog done, but keep checking back, featuring some great cigars, and a trip to a Blue Jays game that I mostly remember.
Happy Canada Day!
Sean "bigboyrunning" Ryan
My most recent adventure started a couple weeks back in preparing to go to Toronto. The week of, I was a rockstar with my workouts, I actually had them all completed by Friday of that week, knowing that I would be on the road Friday and Saturday driving ( yes, but there is a method to my madness) and wouldnt really be in Toronto until Sunday. The gym in Toronto doesnt have access to a pool, so those work outs were critical to complete. So the week went like this:
Monday: 45min swim + 4km run + 20min bike
Tuesday: 2x750m swim + 45min bike
Wednesday: 5km run + 35min bike
Thursday: 6km run
Friday: 60min swim
Saturday: off
Sunday: 30min bike + 30min run
So YEAH, i even did extra when the final tally comes in!
So with all my workouts in, I could focus on hitting the open road with the family. We were planning on traveling through the US, last year we made the drive and went through Canada, and I gotta tell you, I love Canada, but holy crap is that drive BOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGG! On a motorcycle, probably awesome, in a car, not so much.
So with passports in hand, we made a run for the border. We also decided this time to leave at dusk instead of early in the morning. Mostly for the hopes that the kids would sleep more and ask "are we there yet, how much farther" a lot less. For the most part this plan worked incredibly well. The only flaw was Maine. The route we chose from the boarder to Bangor was a single lane road that passed through many mountains. At 2am, there are many, many animals that are trying to just be them at that time. We almost smacked into 2-3 deer, a couple of raccoons with glandular problems and many other startled woodland creatures that had a look on their faces like ' ahhhhh you know its like 2am right? Why are you coming up in here and making all this drama?' So our pace dropped incredibly. We made it up though once we hit the glorious twined interstates starting in Bangor. This was another plus of driving through the states, twined highways/interstates everywhere! Now there is the pesky toll system also, but Im sure that money goes directly to maintaining the interstate system, and makes sense. I really didnt mind the toll thing, because it meant we could really cruise along without a lot of start/stopping.
The sun started to rise and it was time to pull off for a break, and get some breakfast. We pulled into to a subway/gas station combo. I went into subway to fetch breakfast for the squad, and the squad got gas, and released it haha.
Now I appreciate good customer service as we all do, but the subway guy was the subway flare champion. He had more buttons then shirt, and was happy to not only explain them all, but share his life story as well. This was a little much, but like a good Canadian, I smiled and through out a couple, oh yeahs, and no ways, so that my order didnt take a wrong turn to spitsville.
Breakfast sandwiches in hand, i headed out of the subway into the gas station section to see if there were any lost squad members. The clerk comes out from around the counter and in a creepy/giggly way explains that he cant sell me any liquor until 9am.
I did a bit of a double take because I dont remember asking to buy any liquor at 830am in the morning, but maybe I did?
I go oh yeah, no problem, on a long drive anyway. He asks me what rig I am driving, and I said a Kia Sorento.
The look on his face was priceless.
He thought I was driving an 18 wheeler. I guess my long haul trucker look finally paid off! haha
He says, oh I thought you were a trucker and was going to sell it to you anyway because we are the only truck stop for miles that has liquor and not just beer.
Im not sure how this makes it better, but I stupidly say thanks anyway and beat feet out of the store.
Mental Note: look at all trucks currently in parking lot so as to not be near them on the road in a half hour.
We start knocking states down Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and finally New York state. The funniest moment for me along the way was one point in Massachusetts outside Boston. We had been driving for about 9-10 hours at this point, Daphne was getting near the end of a 4 hour shift. Our gps had not failed us once in these 9-10 hours. We were driving along looking for the exit repeatedly offered by the GPS lady, exit 8 10km, exit 8 8km, when all of a sudden Daphne goes, nope I am taking this exit, exit 12.
The GPS lady and I are shocked!! She is yelling REROUTING, REROUTING and I am half laughing and half questioning her decision making ability after nearly 4 hours of driving. Whilst trying to REROUTE back to good old exit 8, Daphne cuts off a not so happy driver, then tries to blow through a toll booth without collecting the oh so important turn pike distance ticket, resulting in her trying to back up on the unhappy cut off driver, then getting out and walking back a foot or so to get the ticket.
Comedy of Errors.
We eventually get back to exit 8 and as soon as possible switch out. Around 4pm we get to our destination in upstate New York. Hugs, greetings, a pool, a drink or two and its time for bed. I am leaving for Toronto the next morning while the squad is staying put for the week.
I will continue our road trip adventures with the #cigarSunday blog post coming shortly.
First big race of the season is in a couple of days EPIC Dartmouth, 5km run and a 5km swim. Pretty excited because friend of the show and fellow cigar smoker, Dave Zinck will be running and swimming with me. So might be a couple days before I get the #cigarSunday blog done, but keep checking back, featuring some great cigars, and a trip to a Blue Jays game that I mostly remember.
Happy Canada Day!
Sean "bigboyrunning" Ryan
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