The Memorial Day Murph & Some Very Unflattering Photos

The more I learn about health and fitness, the more I realize how much my marathon running worked against me physically with regard to achieving optimal fitness in all ten domains.  I certainly had cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, and some speed, but training to run ridiculous distances did not train me for real life survival skills.  It either did not help or worked against the other aspects of fitness which include overall strength, power, flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, and accuracy.  Moreover, since spinal subluxations do not cause pain until the disc is 90% compressed, distance running can wreck the spine and knees without the runner even realizing it.  Thankfully, after years of pain, countless hours of therapies, and tens of thousands of dollars invested in various treatments, I have finally found a doctor who is slowly and tediously correcting my spine without surgery.  I have before and after X-rays to prove it.  Giving up long distance running in lieu of cross training and cleaning up my diet (closer to Paleo with fewer grains, more protein, no soda ever again; yet I'm still unwilling to give up my dark chocolate), have also really helped. 

Without my back doctor's permission, I got the wild idea around midnight, May 27, to put my home-based cross training to the test for a good cause the following morning.  A nearby CrossFit box was hosting the Memorial Day Murph on Memorial Day to pay tribute to those brave military heroes who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.  Lt. Michael Murphy's favorite conditioning workout for his work as a Navy SEAL became dubbed "The Murph".  After Lt. Murphy died while serving in Afghanistan, the Memorial Day Murph was established to pay tribute and raise money for charities that support the military and their families. 

So, while my veteran naval officer husband stayed home with the kids, I went to the CrossFit box to get a small taste of the hard core military training he must have endured.  "The Murph" is a simple workout to remember, but it is not so simple to complete. It consists of the following:

• Run 1 mile to start.
• Complete 100 pull-ups with chin over the bar and full arm extension beneath for each rep.
• Complete 200 military style push-ups with the entire torso touching the ground with each rep.
• Complete 300 air squats.
• Run 1 mile to finish.

The competitors in the Memorial Day Murph were divided into heats. Those who were particularly strong and brave wore weighted vests to simulate the heavy packs that military servicemen must lug around during their drills.   While I have done pull-ups while wearing a weighted vest, I have also pulled muscles in the process, so I scaled down the workout by skipping the vest.  I figured all the orthopedic equipment I wore was enough weight on my still-in-rehab spine.

Here's my heat at the starting line.  I'm at the end beside the tough chic wearing a bandana.

The first mile felt great. I finished 2nd behind a buff guy half my age. He was wearing a 20 pound weighted vest.  I was only carrying about 3 pounds of orthopedic gear.  By the end of the workout, I had removed both my shoes and my Cho-pat knee braces to lighten the load.

Up this hill and around the corner to finish the first mile

I chose to split the strengthening portion of the workout into 10 sets of 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, and 30 squats.  Those who have done this workout before broke it down even further. That would have been a smart move for me.

I'm hurting at this point.

Now, to illustrate just how badly it hurt by my 10th set, I bring you the most unflattering photo of me EVER!  We can all thank our local CrossFit franchise owner for taking this embarrassing photo and posting it on Facebook for all to see.  After a few sessions with the CrossFit trainer, I'm relieved to say that my form has increased tremendously as he has taught me better than any physical therapist ever did how to gain flexibility in my severely scarred (from difficult pregnancies) hip flexors.

The last mile of running was brutal.  I remember finishing the 26th mile of my first marathon in seven minutes flat thanks to some youthful adrenalin.  It took me about 40% longer to finish this last mile, and I had only been working out for half an hour before starting that last mile compared to four hours with the marathon.  I even stopped running to crawl walk up the hill.  One man, while walking out to his mailbox, saw the agony on my face during that last mile and asked, "How many miles have you run so far?"  I could not bring myself to answer, "Only one, Sir".  There is just no way to convert the strength work into road miles for someone who had been an avid runner for 21 years before taking cross training seriously.

I finished first in my heat, but certainly not first overall.  There were some brave souls, including one woman, in my heat who wore weighted vests, so I have no room to boast here. The Lord carried me through the workout as I called out to Him throughout it. The others looked to be in much less pain in their photos, too.  See how smooth and easy these more experienced CrossFitters make it seem?  Piece of cake, right?  Not for me!

All in all it was fun, but I have a MUCH greater respect and appreciation for the military than ever before.  What a unique way to raise money for our troops, too!

My whole body ached for the next few days, but my doctor said that was more due to falling down the stairs later that evening than the workout itself.  Oops.  I obviously still need to work on the coordination component of fitness.