#WODoftheWEEK "Murph" 3.20.2017
#WODOFTHEWEEK
RUN 1 MILE.
100 PULL-UPS.
200 PUSH-UPS.
300 AIR SQUATS.
RUN 1 MILE.
Michael Patrick "Murph" Murphy (May 7, 1976 – June 28, 2005) was a United States Navy SEAL officer who was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the War in Afghanistan. He was the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.
If you've stumbled across this blog post and do not know who Michael P. Murphy was, I highly suggest you take the time to read this Navy.com article about 'Operation Redwing,' which the movie, "Lone Survivor" was based on before reading the rest of of this blog post.
The short and gritty of it was Michael Murphy was part of a SEAL mission in Afghanistan to get intelligence when the operation went awry and a local Taliban-affiliated militia chased the SEAL group through the mountains and down ravines. Through gunfights and battles, each one of the SEALs were gravely wounded and Michael Murphy AKA 'Murph' risked his life by going out into the open to make a distress signal to headquarters. It was an honorable act and 'Murph' was awarded the Medal of Honor. The first service member since the Vietnam War to do so.
WHY 'MURPH' IS THE WOD OF THE WEEK
For the small amount of folks who may still be reading this, it was my dream as a kid to be a SEAL. It was something I thought about constantly, bought books for, pushed myself with what I knew, and thought I could do. Something I truly believed I could do...
As it happens, life takes you in some strange directions and 32 countries (and a serious girl later) I was on a much different track. But, segway aside...I live in South Boston now, a very Irish neighborhood and my box is appropriately named, 'Crossfit Southie.' Since it's an Irish neighborhood (and there's plenty of Murph's around) we do this Hero WOD on St. Patrick's Day Weekend, before Southie gets taken over by a parade of drunken teenagers for the Boston parade.
I could write an essay on, 'Murph,' but for me, there's something about doing a Hero WOD (In CrossFit, service members or first responders who perish - are considered Hero's and appropriately given a workout under their surname) that really gets me. I've done 'Murph' three times now (each time with a 20 lbs vest) and it's not about the speed or time for finishing this workout. It's about quality, it's about remembrance, it's about recognizing that others pay the ultimate sacrifice for what each of us enjoy in our lives.
The whole workout really brings a tear to my eye, and it gives me the tingles to write this even now. There's just something about running a mile with a vest, then doing 20 rounds of 5 butterfly pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats, then running another mile to make you get in the zone. Again, I don't want to write a mushy blog post here, but this is by far my favorite CrossFit workout, because it's meaningful, it stands for something and it's intensely REAL. Sidenote, I actually leaked a few tears on my first mile I was thinking about it so much. It's wild.
My time? 43:08 with a vest.
Not bad this time around, I've hit 34 minutes without a vest, but today was about pacing, it was about remembering and honoring those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you 'Murph.'
Don't forget to post your Murph times down below in the comments. Typically, most boxes do Murph on Memorial Day, but we do things a bit different at CrossFit Southie.
Shoot me an email with questions, comments, and concerns: cam@voyedgerx.com