The Story

Preparation is everything for a good experience at CrossFit RED. Even the newbies know as you can see. If you think you can jump on a treadmill, or do a flash dance spasm to get psyched and warmed up for the WOD, you will be punked. Do the DYMO, Do the BERG, Do the CF warm up, do a little extra on top. Our workouts are short and sweet  and effective compared to most, but our warm-ups are longer, more focused and  usually like other peoples workouts. Be smart and don't complain about Crossfit injuring you- instead, comply with the necessary preparation needed to succeed. Also, don't forget about your stretches and cool down- equally important. Go to http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/ for more input and guidance on this subject. Kirk does;)

Warm-up: DYMO

WOD

"Murph"

1 mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 squats

1 mile run

Mobility: Dynamic Stretch

The Story

This is an absolutely amazing young man.  You probably have no idea who he is although in a way many of you became “acquainted” with him today …

This is Lt Michael P. Murphy aka “Murph”, and this is the story (taken from http://www.navy.mil/moh/mpmurphy/index.html):

On June 28, 2005, deep behind enemy lines east of Asadabad in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan, a very committed four-man Navy SEAL team was conducting a reconnaissance mission at the unforgiving altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. The SEALs, Lt. Michael Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz, Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell had a vital task.  The four SEALs were scouting Ahmad Shah – a terrorist in his mid-30s who grew up in the adjacent mountains just to the south.

Under the assumed name Muhammad Ismail, Shah led a guerrilla group known to locals as the “Mountain Tigers” that had aligned with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. The SEAL mission was compromised when the team was spotted by local nationals, who presumably reported its presence and location to the Taliban.

A fierce firefight erupted between the four SEALs and a much larger enemy force of more than 50 anti-coalition militia.  The enemy had the SEALs outnumbered.  They also had terrain advantage.  They launched a well-organized, three-sided attack on the SEALs.  The firefight continued relentlessly as the overwhelming militia forced the team deeper into a ravine.  

Trying to reach safety, the four men, now each wounded, began bounding down the mountain’s steep sides, making leaps of 20 to 30 feet. Approximately 45 minutes into the fight, pinned down by overwhelming forces, Dietz, the communications petty officer, sought open air to place a distress call back to the base. But before he could, he was shot in the hand, the blast shattering his thumb.

Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.

Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire.  This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy.  While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.  Severely wounded, Lt. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle…

There is actually quite a bit more to the story but I didn’t want to post the entire thing here so please continue reading his story here (I highly recommend reading “Summary of Action”, “Official Citation” and his “Biography”)

In addition to this write up there is a book about this event as well by the one surviving team member Marcus Luttrell called “Lone Survivor” and apparently there is also a movie being made based on the book.

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Workout of the Day (it was Murph’s favorite and upon his passing was named after him):

Article written by Spark Conditioning found here: http://www.sparksportconditioning.com/the-story