Work it Out Wednesday: Bushwick CrossFit

This past Memorial Day, Derrick and I decided to honor our fallen soldiers at Bushwick CrossFit. A CrossFit coach himself, Derrick always manages to find a new gym to visit when it's his weekend in New York, and this trip was no different. At the start of the weekend,  he'd talked to the owner at Bushwick and organized a visit to a Saturday morning class. Happy with his experience, it was only right that he invite me to attend the Memorial day workout. As dreadful as I knew the workout would be, I love doing CrossFit with Derrick. Because he's freakishly athletic, it's always fun watching him breeze through the same workouts I'm struggling through. (Prime example: in this workout, Derrick finished first in the class; I was second to last.) On top of that, its always a pleasure meeting new people. CrossFit is SO community driven; you almost immediately become part of this tight knit family. Since I did want to give myself a chance to meet some new people, I mentally prepped myself for the dreadful Memorial Day workout.

The workout was Murph, dedicated to 29 year old Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. And yes, it was quite the doozy. To honor this brave soldier, we did:

One mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
One mile run
(Some people did this wearing a 20 pound vest to really take it a step further.)

Seeing as though I can't do a single pull-up unassisted, I knew I had to break it up to make it easier. I ended up doing 20 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 squats, a strategy that many of us decided to use. I also had the option to do a mini Murph, cutting the workout in half, but I knew if I could just push myself a little harder than usual, I'd be proud of what I'd accomplish.

So I did it.

I completed Murph in a little over 52 minutes. The mile at the end was the hardest part. Just when I thought I was almost finished with the workout, I remembered that a whole mile lay ahead of me. It was hot out, I was dead tired, drinking room temperature water, and didn't know how much more energy I'd have. Derrick keeps making fun of me for it, but when I left the gym doors to complete my last mile, I was moving at a snail's pace. He says I looked like a boxer--bouncing up and down but not moving forward much at all. (Of course the first one to finish would have the most trash to talk.)

After we finished, we were greeted by a grill, a keg, and all the delicious food you'd expect at a cookout. I enjoyed a nice burnt hot dog, beer, and some watermelon and socialized with the other members who made it through this treacherous workout. The room filled with a chorus of "You did great!" "Awesome job!" "It was a tough one, great job!". It WAS a tough one, and we were all so proud of each other for completing it.

All in all, completing Murph was the highlight of my weekend, and having Derrick there to cheer me on, high fiving me after each lap of my mile made things that much easier. My experience at Bushwick Crossfit was remarkable, too. The owners and members both made me want to join the community. And the best part? It's in my neighborhood. Who knows, maybe one day I will.