MURPH is a Cross Fit Hero WOD (workout of the day) created in honor of Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy. The Lieutenant was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for bravely exposing himself to direct enemy fire while he called for assistance for his team, putting his own life on the line to save that of his teammates.

The hero WOD, in his honor, was designed to put the mental toughness of every CrossFitter to the ultimate test. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attempting this beast of a WOD, you’ll recognize these 5 defining “Murph moments” that we must all go through in our struggle to the end of that second mile.

This is what a MURPH challenge looks like:

1-mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 air squats

1-mile run

And, all five steps need to be completed in a 20-lb weight vest or body armor.

1. The Murph is Coming Moment

You’ve put the work day behind you and you’re ready for your “me time.” You walk into the box with a confident and unsuspecting stride, ready to tackle any kind of challenges that may come your way…that is until you hear your coach announce the WOD: “the MURPH!” You look over to your usual workout partner to see if they just had the same pang of panic at the sound of the infamous word “Murph.” It begins and ends with a deceivingly easy-sounding 1 mile run, then 100 pull ups, then 200 push-ups then 300 air squats in the middle! You brace yourself for the pain that is coming, but is it actually possible to do all of these in one WOD?

2. The Murph Strategy Moment

Your coach sees the deer in headlights look, but he’s on it and tells you it’s time to strategize!

When you break it down, it doesn’t seem too bad, not so hard: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats, totally do-able! Then 20 more times? Just maybe…

3. The Why am I Doing Murph Panic Moment

Like a fearless champion, you nailed the first 1 mile run and you’re slowly completing the pull-ups, push-ups and squats. But now, you’re getting tired, 3 rounds in with 17 more to go, you realized that this was a mistake, an error. The pull-ups are becoming a struggle, the broken down reps are further broken down into their own mini-rep sets. You’re breathing, doing a rep, drinking water, breathing again, it feels like an eternity.

4. The Humbling Moment

You’ve endured it so far and now your quads are on fire, your T-shirt is drenched with sweat and your arms are dangling helplessly by your sides, you wonder when it will end and if you can just crawl out of the door to your car. Suddenly, you start to find some inner strength when you remember that this is a HERO workout created in the honor of Lt. Michael Murphy. You think of all the things that he had to go through when he served our country and you realized that your pain and suffering are insignificant in comparison, so you rally and keep on going!

5. The Sprint Finish (or not) Moment

Your patriotic fueled thoughts have kept you going and got you through the worst of it. Finally the end is in sight, just one more 1 mile run to go, you got this. However, this last run, this one measly mile has never felt so hard, your legs feel like jelly, but you keep going. At the end, you’re dragging your feet back into the box, like a wounded animal. Nonetheless, congratulations, you survived the Murph! You did it! You’ll remember for next time that no matter how many times you do the Murph, it never gets easier or feels less brutal, but you’ll always conquer and soldier through it!