Monday, May 12, 2008

A (Somewhat) Difficult Decision

I have decided not to attend the RKC Cert in LA...

This has come after a lot of internal debate but for me at this time is the right decision. It was made easier by the fact that I have other options available to me, options that are closer to home. I had a really great weekend except that my son continues to struggle with seizures daily. My wife and I continue to consult with his doctors and continue to try to adjust his medications but so far we have not been able to get them totally under control.

Under these circumstances, I can't imagine leaving them even for a few days to fly off to the West Coast to get certified. The time away might not seem like a lot to some, but when you typically work 12-13 hour days each week (including commute time), the time you have at home become precious. My wife absorbs the strain of dealing with these seizures each and every day while I'm sitting in an office over 30 miles away. She needs some relief and time off. And I don't want to burn some of the few vacation days that I get to fly out to Cali, to do my own thing.

Therefore, until RKC comes to the East Coast, I will be putting this on hold. In the meantime, I will be attending the AKC's Fitness Cert in about 2 weeks here in NYC. I have also stumbled across Steve Cotter's new IKFF cert being offered not too far away in Hartford, CT later this year which I may attend.

Getting certified is my way of being able to share the joy and benefits of training with kettlebells. I will continue to train and continue to see my snatch numbers climb as well as start to introduce new movements into the mix. This is only the beginning and I fully intend to search out every opportunity that happens to pass my way to further my abilities and strength and health.

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P.S. Yesterday I had a few minutes to myself (only a few) and I decided to play around with some 1-Arm Long Cycle Clean & Jerks with a 16kg. I am totally new to performing Jerks so this is something I'm going to continue to work on.

So I set my Gymboss for 3 minutes and peformed 5/5 continuously for the 3 minutes concentrating on my form and breathing. This went rather well. Probably because it was rather light but nonetheless it did what I intended. I will probably bump up to the 20kg next time out and stick with the 3 min. Then decide after that whether to bump up to the 24kg or stick with the 20kg and just increase time. Not sure yet. Swing 'em high y'all!!

6 comments:

Franklin said...

Its heart breaking to hear your son continues to struggle so. As the loving father and husband you are, your decision, though difficult, is completely understandable and admirable.

I'm glad you are continuing to train hard. This is the best you can do for yourself and family .. staying strong physically and mentally. As for the Jerks, they are fantastic all body conditioning lift that are very easy on the forearms and elbows.

The section on jerks on the Brett Jones DVD is superb and I will be shipping this back to you tomorrow. Please hold onto my DVDs for as long as you like.

Taikei Matsushita said...

Win the one that is most important to you and your family!!

Aaron Friday said...

You don't need it unless you want to train others. Personal quest? Of course. Necessity? You are quite strong and will continue to improve with the significant resources you have available to you right now.

Take One Stripper Pole said...

:( ... totally understand and I will go email you now,

Howie B said...

Thanks all for your support. It is difficult for me to abandon any goal that I set for myself. But sometimes life forces you to retreat for a bit, regroup and restrategize. All about being flexible and rolling with the punches. This will be good nonetheless. Thanks again.

Franklin said...

Abandon sounds too harsh .. to me your training had you right on target towards obtaining the RKC Cert. Its the training towards the goal thats the most important and you certainly haven't abandoned that. When the time is ready to participate in a Cert you will be all that better prepared ..

Keep up the great work!