I am sure that many of our THPL community have heard of the Murph cross-fit challenge. In the Cross-fit world workout challenges are named after a person and this one is name for Navy lt. Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, a SEAL killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Murph challenge is a rather long and challenging workout and it was one of Mike's favorites which he named "Body Armor”. The workout starts with a one mile run, followed by a combination of 100 pullups, 200 pushups, and 300 squats, then followed by a final one mile run. Today in a seemingly innocent conversation I was introduced to the idea of the Murph workout and when a challenge like this is put out there it is hard to resist. And so in spite of the normal morning workout I met Murph in the gym and gave it a good hard attempt; It really is the kind of challenge that makes time go by quickly and the heart race even more so. The end never too far away it is a great test of endurance and strength. I finished the challenge in 32 minutes, 37 seconds and from my understanding this was a good showing. And so another challenge is completed, all because of the THPL life and sticking to a plan and bringing a positive spirit and a stop watch all a testament to THPL in living color. I say thanks to Murph for creating the challenge and to my colleagues for suggesting it. A better way to end the day would be hard to find.

Loving life after completing the Murph challenge.