We are sad to announce that Eric is resigning from his coaching position at Albany CrossFit and CrossFit Clifton Park.  We wish him well in all his endeavors.  Here is his final thoughts:

A famous guiding question from my favorite strength and conditioning coach, Dan John, is the following: You may get another injury, but do you have another recovery?

The point is to get you to see the forest for the trees. In the course of sports and training you get injured. I’ve experienced multiple tears, strains, breaks and hospital visits for my back, shoulder and knee. Most recently my wrists have given me trouble. So much so that I had to endure an Electromyogram (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Study of my arms. Not pleasant at all.

But the results were revelatory. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and a nerve compression on the radial side of my left wrist. The neurologist and I had a long talk about the factors that have contributed in my prognosis: diabetes, keyboard use (I am a novelist) and training. Essentially, it boiled down to this: Stop training the way you do. No more Oly lifts. No more hyperextension of the wrist, and you can keep writing and the wrists should get no worse.

I’m at my last recovery.

A more bitter pill I have yet to swallow. But those are the facts. I have a family to support and a writing career blooming. I cannot risk my hands. Therefore, I have to walk away from CrossFit. It’s not that I don’t believe in the philosophy, methodology or training. It’s simply that the wear and tear I’ve put on my body from years of intense demands have caught up with me. My wrists have tapped out, and I have to heed them.

So this is my goodbye. I’m not enjoying it and I’m not happy to be delivering it. I’ve had a blast this past year at ACF/CCP, and it’s a shame that the party cannot continue with me. But I know it will rage on in my absence. You are all in good hands, and I now must go heal my own. Thank you for the trust you have given me and the limits you have allowed me to help you push through. Carry on. In the sage words of Nietzsche:

“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.”

Listen and believe. Be well.

Eric

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

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