Happy Half-an-anniversary to me.

September 1st marks my six month anniversary with CrossFit.

It's kinda crazy to think I've only been doing it that long, since it feels like such an integral part of my life now. But it's impossible to deny the results - I'm far fitter now than I was when I started.

But there's still a long way to go. I have set for myself the goal of achieving ALL the level II skills by my one-year anniversary on March 1, 2009. Since this is the halfway mark, it seems a good time to take stock and plot my future course.

These are the skills that remain (and where I stand with them):

• 1 x BW Squat (140x5, 40# short)
• 1 x BW Benchpress (135x5, 45# short)
• 15 Ring Dips (Uh...0, if you're talking full ROM)
• 1.3 BW Ring Dip (An even bigger 0)
• 20 Pullups (12 at last attempt)
• 1.3 x BW Pullup (I've only tried this once, and I think it was with 25#. It needs to be 60#.)
• 1 Muscle-up (0, obviously)
• 30 second L-sit (0 seconds. This may be the hardest one to achieve.)
• 30 24kg Kettlebell Snatch (I could do this with 20kg on my right arm...probably not with my left)
• 45 0.5 BW Thrusters (Nowhere near. I MIGHT be able to do this with 65#. Needs to be 90#.)
• Helen <> (16:02 at last attempt)
• .75 x BW Power Clean (Needs to be 135#. Never attempted)
• 0.5 BW Power Snatch (Needs to be 90#. Never attempted)

Of the thirteen skills left on the list, a large chunk of them can be taken out simply by working towards a muscle up (six by my count - my limiting factor in Helen is the pullups). So that will be a priority - I'm thinking of doing a linear 5x5 program with weighted dips and pullups, one day a week. The other day will be Squats/Bench until I get to the goals. This leaves five miscellaneous skills. The Clean and Snatch will, I think, primarily be technique development. The KB Snatches are just strength and, I think, not THAT far away. The thrusters and L-sit are just brutally difficult. I can try to improve compression with Richard Vanmeerbeek's crazy leg raises, but the thrusters are just gonna be practice, practice, practice I think, until I can get enough gas to handle it.