Someone asked me what a good Murph time was for an elite athlete. This is a picture of the leaderboard from the CrossFit Games when they did Murph Unpartitioned. This was five years ago, but I believe their times would not vary much now. I post these for a couple of reasons.

I’ve talked to a couple of people who felt very discouraged about their Murph times. You shouldn’t be, no matter how you did. Participating in Murph in any way is an accomplishment. We are doing it to do our best, but we are doing it for a more significant reason as well. Each year, we shoot to improve from the year before. It doesn’t have to be a vast improvement. Just look to have one. Go from elevated pushups to knee pushups. Or banded pullups to regular pullups. Or no vest to vest. Once you are there, then worry about your times. No one should be discouraged. Look at the times these men and women are putting up.

Understand that these people spend/spent 4-5 hours a day training for these events. They were in the heat of 40 people of the same fitness level to push them. Some of them can even do 100 pullups unbroken, and most of them still took almost an hour to complete it. Therefore, if you are upset with yourself because you needed two hours or because you did half Murph, don’t be. Make it a goal to improve for next year. Use it to make you better. If it was the running that slowed you down, take one day a week and just run for 20:00, and each week try to run a little further. If it was the pullups that slowed you down, each week spend a day practicing either your kip or strength on pullups. Pushups, we all can practice anytime, give yourself a daily pushup goal, and hit it! And the squats?… well, show up to CrossFit class, and those will get better!

Another reason to post the leaderboards is for those that asked for an elite time on the workout. Some of us are fueled by competition, and knowing these times can help us get better. It can show us what is possible with the application of CrossFit in the appropriate way. Now I am not saying that by coming to our CrossFit classes, you will be able to do a 40:00 Murph. These are the best of the best, and these times are pretty untouchable to us non-games athletes, but it allows us to have something to chase, and for many of us, that is all we need.

We did Murph as a gym on Monday, and I am very proud of the effort that everyone gave. We socially distanced everyone during the workout and kept our capacity in-check inside of the gym the entire time. We had stations that athletes moved through as they finished each movement, and we had staff come through, and clean/sanitize those stations immediately and then after each heat.

There are many people out there that do not want us open. That will look at what we did Monday and turn their noses up. But if you were a part of this community and you were here on Monday, you would know. We look out for each other. We help each other. We build each other up. And most of all, we keep each other SAFE.

Staying fit is a great defense against any ailment, not just COVID, so places like BWCF and other facilities like ours keep pushing on. Keep your people healthy and safe and allow them to do the same for each other. We are all adults; we all know what is safe and what is not. Go somewhere that makes you feel safe. If you are not ready to be back in a gym, stay at home and workout. Hit me up, and I will help you!

Stay moving my friends!
Richard