CrossFitters celebrate Memorial Day by doing Murph -- one of the hero WODs.


"Murph"

For time:

• 1 mile Run


• 100 Pull-ups


• 200 Push-ups


• 300 Squats


• 1 mile Run

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a 20-pound vest or body armor, wear it.

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

So yea, I was pretty scared going in, but I had a game plan: 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 squats repeat 10 times.

My friend Greg invited me to his CrossFit gym up in Baltimore so we could do Murph together, and I was very glad to have the moral support.



Sixty-five people showed up to do the workout. 65!!! So there was definitely a lack of space on the pull-up bar. We broke into two heats to do the workout but the bars were still crammy.

My new game plan was to knock out the pull-ups as fast as possible.

I ended up doing 25 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 squats and repeating that until the pull-ups were done and then knocking out the push-ups and squats.

Twice during the push-ups my arms just sort of gave out, and I collapsed on my face. My legs held up surprisingly well through the squats, but that last mile was brutal.

The lactic acid in my legs made moving my feet in a forward direction seemingly impossible. I saw lots of people walking during that last mile and I was so determined to run the whole thing.

I swear I have felt better at mile 26 of a marathon than I did at the end of that mile, but I ran every step, even though it was pretty slow.

I finished the whole thing in 44:18.


Me and Greg post-Murph

And today, I'm very, very sore. My calves hurt, my shoulders are tight, but man Murph was a fun and awesome workout. And I have until next Memorial Day to work to improve my time.