Comrade Kyellan: Kettlebell Trains YOU!

[Sylvaa]

So you didn't feel well, got punched in the nose, and still got second? That's awesome! (well, maybe not the whole nose thing, or the sick thing, but you get it). 

 

Glad you are getting back to the doctor - I hope you get back to feeling better soon!

[SkiBlue]

Man, it sounds like you've had a rough couple of weeks. I hope you start recovering soon and that June is much kinder.

[Kishi]

If you're sick, you're sick. Sick changes things, and you're really doing the right thing by respecting that.

 

You know that I've wandered in different fitness circles, and you know that I'm part of those groups still. I see them and what they do and how they comport themselves. They push and push and push until they get sick, and then they keep pushing, to injury and illness and ultimate detriment.

 

I'm not saying that you're doing that, because you're not. But you say that you're frustrated with your lack of progress. I say, you'd be fighting a lack of progress one way or another. Either you sit out this illness and let your body do what it needs to, or you fight through it, get hurt, and all of a sudden have two different factors braking your progress. It's your call, but given that the point of this work is to level up your life, an eye toward the long term is probably advisable.

 

I'm sorry that the tournament didn't go so great. Good atmosphere only does so much to temper your desire for personal excellence and the validation of it (winning), especially if you didn't perform to the degree that you wanted to.

 

Also: the sparring incident is a big part of the reason for my pedagogical preferences. You got punched in the face. That sucks. But it's what happens sometimes, and I do think it's better to be used to it and ready to roll with it than it is to let it derail you. Especially in those cases where the other guy didn't have full control, as happened this time.

 

So, the challenge didn't go the way you wanted. Sorry to see that happen. But it's not a loss. It's a bitter lesson, and if you learn from it, you can make progress in the long term. This is only a defeat if you fail to learn something from it.

[Kyellan]

You are all wonderful, thank you. I really appreciate your solidarity. You all remind me constantly why it is that I come back here every day, and it's all because of you, fellow Monks.

 

Also, in case you didn't see it, I posted in the Woot Room following my 196.6 weigh-in, because that caused me to cross the 100-lb weight loss marker. You all have had a major impact on my consistency and discovery of new things, and I truly appreciate the camaraderie and support that I've found here with you. Thank you thank you thank you  

 

I did get back to the doctor yesterday and got a supplementary antibiotic. Diagnosis: the Augmentin killed the ear infections, but didn't finish off the sinus bugs. All the other symptoms (sore throat, cough) seem to be directly caused by sinus issues and not by anything independent. No signs of strep or bronchitis or anything serious. Prescription: 5 days of zithromax to seal the deal, plus some of the good cough syrup to help me sleep. (And boy howdy, did that work like a charm.) Hopefully these are the last few days of illness.

 

I was rather reluctant to go to class last night, because I was still feeling terribly unwell and exhausted. However, I bucked up and got myself there because it was post-tournament picture day. Standing still holding a 7' tiger fork for 20 minutes while Sifu tweaked the picture was surprisingly easy, actually... I really do love the feeling of getting stronger. I'll share the photo once it gets shared with me.

 

Sifu has promised us that the next year will be significantly more challenging for everyone, which I'm looking forward to. I have a pretty good fitness baseline now, and I'm ready to get pushed. We started off with a swing kick mobility drill, which I absolutely need. Then Sifu took a bit of pity on me (I must have looked terrible) and allowed us to work on our forms for the rest of the night. I mostly worked the dynamic power of Gung Gee last night to focus my energy a bit and try to build myself up, but I did run through my sword form--surprise, I do actually remember it all.  He also told me that my score would have been a LOT better, even though I messed up the form, if I'd managed to end up facing the way I started. My biggest point loss was ending up turned backward, so that's something to keep in mind for next time.

 

Speaking of next time--also at class last night, I found out that my Sifu is actually going to compete in the sparring at the upcoming WMAF tournament on Saturday. This is kind of a big deal, because NONE of my classmates (even the ones who have been there for 8 years) have ever seen Sifu compete. He judges at every tournament, but he never gets in there, because there's never anyone in attendance at his level. So it's going to be a historic day. After some thought, I was going to go down just to witness said historic day... but I realized that it's $10 just to get a spectator ticket, which means that for $30 more, I can get a chance to redeem my sword form. So I'm going to enter just the beginner weapons division (no sparring, risk of injury is too high) and attempt my broadsword form once again.

 

Once again, thank you all. I guess it's time to start figuring out how to theme my June challenge. 

[SkiBlue]

I'm so excited that you're willing to try your sword form again! Good luck!!

[Oramac]

1 hour ago, Kyellan said:

Once again, thank you all 

 

You are welcome!  It's been great following along with your progress.  Sickness and all, you're still kickin ass.  Good luck with the sword form again! 

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

I'm with the others. Rate yourself according to your actual status. At the moment you can't give your all. But I'm sure you'll be back to your top form when you give yourself time to recover. And you're still awsome.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Congratulations on your weight loss.