The Angry Typist

Murph is a CrossFit Hero workout is to honor the legacy of U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

Murph was introduced as a CrossFit Hero workout on Aug. 18, 2005, and has become a long-standing tradition observed by CrossFit and a broader global community of athletes. Thousands of CrossFit gyms program Murph each year on Memorial Day as a way to honor Lt. Murphy and all others who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.

RX’D (as written)- For time:

• 1-mile run
• 100 pull-ups
• 200 push-ups
• 300 air squats
• 1-mile run

After being in CrossFit for over two years, I participated in my first Memorial Day Hero workout. I did two dry-runs.

INTERMEDIATE (aka Half Murph)- For time:

• 1-mile run
• 50 pull-ups – (scaled) Bar with toes on Box
• 100 push-ups
• 150 air squats
• 1-mile run

TUESDAY 20MAY2025 @1800

My first dry run I partitioned the reps as follows:

Two Rounds

• 50 pull-ups
• 50 push-ups
• 75 air squats

Pull Ups – Pull ups to a barbell with toes on box was a complete disaster. I could not get past 15 without multiple breaks. I had to adjust to pull up to bar on heel instead in the middle of the first set (time waster). The second round was even more of a disaster as I could only do 10-15 at a time.

Push Ups – Thanks to Uncle Sam push ups is probably one of my strongest events. The first round of 50 went fairly uneventful and so did the first 25 of the second set. However fatigue set in and I had to take multiple breaks on my knees, wasting valuable time to finish the rest. And honestly I have no idea what I was thinking because even in my prime my maximum number of push ups in 2 minutes (Army Physical Fitness Test) were 87-93 reps. So … ahhm … yea.

Air Squats – I waisted a lot of time with failing of arms in the first 75 and just really couldn’t find my rhythm until the the second set of 75. Again, wasted a lot of time.

It was quite the reality check – took 42 minutes.

SATURDAY 24MAY2025 @0930

My second dry run I partitioned the reps as follows:

Three Rounds

• 20-15-15 pull-ups (on heel)
• 50-30-20 push-ups
• 50-50-50 air squats

Pull Ups – I was able to complete each round without a break although the last 15 was still very challenging

Push Ups – The 3rd round of push ups were still difficult but I was able to relieve the strain with a a few down dogs

Air Squats – Focused in what works best, the three rounds of 50 were a breeze

A remarkable improvement, shaved 7 minutes off & completed it in 35 minutes.

MONDAY 26May2025 @0820

The atmosphere was laden with a mix of excitement and pride. Previous heats were already busying themselves on the rig doing pulls up, or push ups or air squats. I groggily got on the air runner to walk for 15 minutes as a warmup.

The smell of bacon & French toast floated in from the bottom of the ramp. The music was blaring, and I watched all the participants coming in & out with a quick glance at the clock. New heat was set at 20-minute intervals, and my plan was to start at 0820 and be finished before 0900.

The first round went without a hitch, and I felt like I was going extremely fast, perhaps too fast. The second round of push ups was starting to fatigue my arms and even though I was using the air squats as a brief rest it did not help my last round of push-ups.

On the second 1-mile run I really tried to pick up the pace in the last 800 meters, but I think I burnt myself out with the breakneck pace of the rep portion. I still managed to improve my total time from the second dry run … by a whole minute! Wrapped up my first Murph in 34 minutes – YAY!