Over the next 8 weeks, I’m participating in our CrossFit Affiliate’s, CrossFit Central, challenge for the new year: the I Am CrossFit Challenge.

This is 8 weeks of intense focus on fitness and nutrition goals.  This is 8 weeks for me to step it up to the next level.  What is the next level?  I’m not sure, but I think this will help me find it.

Before I moved to Austin, I was active but not an athlete.  I did no races, rides, group events, anything.  I went to the gym and threw some weights around, mountain biked, and snowboarded.  When I moved to Austin, I still threw some weights around, but I switched from mountain biking to road cycling, and snowboarding to snowboarding less.  I also made friends with a bunch of athletes, which made me realize that all these years, I could have actually set goals and competed in events that I only wished I could have done in college.

In 2009, it all comes together.  I’m in the best shape of my life yet, and I still have room to move up.  The I Am CrossFit Challenge is going to get me into race shape for the 2009 tri season.

My goals over the next 8 weeks:

• Log every day of eating.  Every day. (This is actually a requirement of the program, but I’m going to make it a goal of my own, because as you can see from this blog, I suck at it)
• Improve my overhead squat so I can reliably put 95 lb overhead.
• Improve my pull-ups: I want butterfly pull-ups in 8 weeks.
• Incorporate CrossFit Endurance into my training schedule.
• Test my nutrition and CrossFit training twice: at the 3M and AT&T half marathons, where I want to PR on each.  My current PR is 1:45:51.  This is in addition to benchmark workouts we do as part of our regular CF workouts.

Does this seem lofty but achievable?  I hope so.  Is it not enough?  Post thoughts to comments.

Today’s WOD:
3 rounds for time:
400m run
15 pull-ups
7 hang cleans @ 95lb

Time: 9:50 

The next time I do this, I want to do it in less time with 135lb on the bar.