Growing up in New Jersey, Memorial Day weekend always meant three things:
1) Heading down the shore to welcome summer and catch some rays (never with enough sunblock).
2) Marching in multiple parades at some ungodly hour.
3) Eating lots of grilled meat.
A couple of years ago, after moving to D.C., I was introduced to a new tradition and frankly, I don’t think there’s any going back: Memorial Day “Murph.”
There ain’t no party like a DCF party…
“Murph” is a CrossFit WOD named for Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005 at the age of 29.
“Murph”
For time:
1-mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1-mile Run
This workout isn’t easy by any means, and some people take the challenge a step further by throwing on a weight vest and combat boots. (Yowza.)
But like any CF workout, it can be scaled numerous ways — jumping or banded pull-ups, ring rows instead of pull-ups, pushups on a box or against a wall, and cutting the number of reps is among the many options.
I opted for banded pull-ups, but kept all other variables the same. The scaling was similar to how I did this in 2012 — for my first “Murph” I used a giant black band (3″ wide?), with a time of 54:23. This year I used less band assistance (a green and blue… about 1″ and .5″?) and got a time of 55:31. I attribute this slow-down in part to the fact that we ran a route that involved crossing streets and I got stuck at traffic lights at every single crossing — that amounted to about 2-3 mins, at least 
Anywayyy, my time is hardly important in the grand scheme of the day. ‘Murph’ has been such a wonderful way to celebrate Memorial Day. Oddly, I feel more connected to the meaning behind the holiday now than I ever did as a kid, playing at the beach or marching around in itchy shorts holding an American flag.
Some things never change, though. True to form, my CF gym hosted a wonderful potluck BBQ featuring all sorts of grilled and smoked meats as well as veggie sides and even desserts.
Though I was too late to taste it — I blame brisket-induced distraction — this beautiful Paleo fruit tart by one of my gym buddies was a huge hit. Make it, eat it, love it.
Paleo Fruit Tart by Curious Cavemanda. (Click for source.)
