We had about 80 people tackle “Murph” today!  What a great day!  It is so cool to see so many people accept that challenge and reach down deep and find that something extra to finish the drill.  Great work everyone! 

David W. sent me a note that I have to share with you all.  This is why we do what we do!  CrossFit is so much more than a workout routine. ………..it changes lives!  Thanks David for sending this in!  We appreciate you!

Bryan,

I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now how I feel about Crossfit, but today’s “Murph” workout really brought it home.

As you know, when I started on this journey back in February, I was in terrible shape, due partly to recovering from ACL surgery, but due mostly to using that as an excuse to sit around and eat garbage. I’ll never forget how you just told me “be here tomorrow morning.” You weren’t going to let me postpone it, and no excuses were going to be acceptable.

That next morning was brutal. I remember, because it STARTED with Tabata Abs. Grueling for a guy who had done less than 10 situps the previous YEAR. I also remember that I couldn’t sit up in bed the next morning. Even worse, I clearly remember thinking “maybe Crossfit isn’t for me.” However, I went back. You and several others warned me of the 3 to 4 week “burn-in” period and you were dead-on. I often felt like my body was on fire in that time, so the analogy was quite appropriate.

Less than a week in, we started the “I Am Crossfit” challenge. For some insane reason, I signed up. And I couldn’t even finish the challenge workout (as the pukies arrested me before completion). But as our class grew, and I met some new friends, I kept feeling the need to come back. Some say that I like to punish myself, I’d say that Crossfit is proof.

As I kept coming back, I started noticing the change. Part of it was physical - my standing pulse dropped drastically, I went for 3 mile runs without dying - but most of it was mental. Whereas the board used to intimidate me, I found myself beginning to welcome the challenge (again with the self-punishing). Part of it was helped by the camaraderie developed with the guys in the class, but a lot of it was manifesting out of how I felt about myself and how I was “feeling.” As time progressed, the confidence improved and I went from just wanting to complete a workout, to wanting to improve my times and my performance.

Fast-forward to this week. I saw that we were doing MURPH via Facebook and decided to look it up. For the first time in a while, I felt my stomach sink. 100 pullups? 200 pushups? 300 squats? Oh Lord. Then I saw your email, letting us know we had the option of doing just 1/2 of the reps if we wanted. When I read it, it crossed my mind. I saw a way out. You were letting us go light if we wanted (although, I personally think you were using reverse psychology). But the more I thought about it, the more determined I was to do the full workout. Even if it took me 2 hours, I knew I was going to finish it. I knew I would have an embarrassingly bad time, but I didn’t care. I knew my fellow CFers were going to go all in, and so was I.

I’m fairly certain I was the last one to run up the ramp this morning, but it was after having done the full set. And, as I suspected, my time indicated that my fitness level is somewhere between a one-legged blind man and a midget with cardiac conditions. But it didn’t matter, because I had resolved to finish and I did. No more excuses.

All of this is to say this simple thing: whereas Crossfit has definitely improved my physical health, it has improved my mental health far, far more. And I couldn’t be more grateful.

Thanks for all you do,
David W.