Hey guys, not sure if you knew this about me but I really enjoy CrossFit.  It’s a place where I can be a complete idiot while intoxicated by nothing more than coffee at 6am.  It’s an outlet for stress, and the source of many of my best friends.  It has the added benefit of negating the impact of cupcakes and some of those late-night bowls of Cinnamon Life.    

My “Box” is CrossFit Jax out of Atlantic Beach, FL.  Hate to brag but this is literally the best gym in the world.  I have been to zero other CrossFit gyms, but I really feel like it couldn’t get any better than this one.  And to you skeptics: it’s definitely not a cult…

Crossfit Jax is a military-heavy crowd.  Naval Station Mayport is about a mile away, and Jacksonville is a legit military town.  So it doesn’t surprise me that this gym takes workouts commemorating fallen service-members – oft referred to as “Hero WODs” – very seriously.  The co-owner, Chris Russell, is a retired Navy vet who served with some of these fallen heroes. 

There are many amazing CrossFit workouts out there, but “The Murph” stands alone. 

“The Murph” is named after LT Michael Murphy, whose story has been told by writers infinitely more talented than me.  The book and movie “Lone Survivor” covers it pretty well.  The Murph is typically completed on Memorial Day Weekend, and so while one particular hero carries its namesake, this workout honors all who have fallen in service to our Country.  

The actual workout is just the worst: a mile, followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats.  And once all of that is done, you run another mile…all while wearing a 20lb vest. I personally don’t wear the vest cuz the workout is hard enough with the weight I bring to it naturally.  But to each their own.  

Don’t bother complaining about how hard The Murph is.  That conversation will go something like this: 

Anyway.  This is not a workout most people can just “do.”  You have to train.  The first time I set out to complete it, I had to teach myself how to do pull-ups.  Since then, I’ve done the Murph about five times, and unfortunately last year was by far my worst effort.  This year, I resolved to do better.  

For the last few months, I put the heavy weights down and leaned in on cardio days.  It goes against everything I believe in (get swole, rock the guns, etc..), but I had a goal in mind.  Going into Memorial Day, I was ready.  

Gym members were strongly encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time to warm up.  In typical fashion, I rolled in about 10 minutes before the start, and spent about half that time in the men’s room.  Look, we all have our routines.  

I didn’t bring water but I did bring this drink called Prime.  In my house, Prime is liquid gold.  Evidently the evolution of sporting drinks goes something like this: the garden hose, bottled water, Gatorade, Body Armor, and now Prime. Multiple 10-year-old baseball players have promised me it helps them hit “dingers.” Naturally I had to try it.  

At 0700 we stood for the National Anthem.  Then, in accordance with a “Shirtless Murph” pact that was made, I took my shirt off.  A bit on that…

I know what you’re thinking: I have pasty, albino white skin and need to put my shirt back on. But life is short and people can (and probably should) put on sunglasses.

Everyone ready? Ok. 3, 2, 1…go! 

1 Mile Run: 

I took off with a fast pace.  Why?  Because that’s usually when the coaches take pics that end up on social media and I like being in the front of the pack for those action shots.  Duh. Nobody needs to know where I actually finished. 

I completed my first mile run in about 8 minutes.  Not great, not bad.  But I did it without any walking, and that was a personal success for this pale-skinned, cardio-hating dessert guy.  

100 pull-ups, 200 sit-ups, 300 air squats: 

After the run it’s time to start chipping away at the heart of this workout.  Like many, I break this up into 20 rounds of “Cindy”: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats.  Everyone is different, but here are my thoughts: 

The first 10 sets were manageable.  For me, set 11 of 20 is where this workout really begins.  From there, it’s a grind to the finish.  You have to dig deep, and you get quick glances of others doing the same.  Thankfully, I had coaches who were oozing with positivity.  That, and a playlist of 90s Hip Hop.  I was lacking motivation but then… Whoomp! (There It Is).  

I finished this portion of the workout at 38 minutes and 53 seconds – so just over half an hour of pull-up/push-up/air squat misery.  I wanted to puke.  It might have been the workout, but it also might have been that Prime I drank.

1 Mile Run: 

Feeling drained?  No problem, now just run a mile and you’re done.  But alas, that second mile just hits harder.  Perhaps 300 air squats had something to do with that.  I begin to run, but something is weird.  My legs.  Feel.  Like.  Jelly. 

The goal was to finish this thing in less than 50 minutes, and I knew it was well within reach.  I kept a steady run/jog pace until the last 200m, where I emptied the tank to the finish.   I’m sure I was very dramatic as I crossed the finish line. I kinda blacked out.

Final time: 48:54.  Nearly six minutes better than last year. 

When I got home the kids asked me if I “won my race.”  I explained to them that times and scores mean very little with The Murph.  This was an opportunity to explain why they had the day off school. When I told them that many people who died for our Country were just a few years older than them, it reminded me: war is horrifying.  The sacrifices are real, and they’re often made by kids.  

So yea, to me The Murph is special.  It’s about training for weeks and even months for the sole purpose of completing a workout that will push your body to its limits.  The experience is symbolic of the very people it honors: those who were put in situations they surely didn’t want to be in, but persevered nonetheless.  

In my house, there’s two names that must be shared on Memorial Day.  

• Spc Brett “Hersh” Hershey, US Army.  A friend, mentor, and the kind of guy who had no problem watching Pirates of the Caribbean during a wild Frat party.  He was killed when an IED hit his vehicle in Afghanistan.  He was 23 years old.  

• GySgt Ryan Jeschke, US Marine Corps.  He was a friend and family of family. He was killed in Afghanistan when he was shot in the back by someone he was trying to help: an Afghan police officer.  

The Murph is special because it’s a tangible means of honoring the fallen on a day meant for just that.  It entails manifesting your appreciation for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice through exercise.  The Murph is special because it’s not about me at all…  

It’s about them.