Pain First...
Working out with Tim has taken me places that I would never voluntarily go myself. Recently this man, whose sanity I will occasionally question, introduced me to a workout that he called "The Murph".....
The Murph is a cross fit training routine named in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy. My understanding is that this routine was one of his favorites.
(Sadly, Lieutenant Murphy made the ultimate sacrifice for his country while stationed in Afghanistan in 2005. God bless him.)
So after a 500m swim Tim and I made our way over to Rock Chalk Park to do the Murph:
1 mile run
100 pull ups -- 20 sets @ 5 reps
200 push ups -- 20 sets @ 10 reps
300 squats (no bar) -- 20 sets @ 15 reps
1 mile run
Tim is the max effort guy of this not so dynamic duo. I'm more like the reluctant hero -- (quick, to the bat couch) --- but anyway. Tim stressed to me that there are to be no breaks in between sets; pull ups into push ups into squats and back into pull ups.
"You think we can do the entire workout in 45 minutes?" Tim asked.
"I think you should quit smoking crack." I replied.
"Right!!!! Let's go." said Tim... (Dah da-da DA!!!!)
I ran the first mile in 7m 6s; it wasn't graceful, but it was done. However I am proud to say that that was my best time since I started running with Tim.....It was a good pain. Now, on to the weight room.
It only took about three sets into the Murph for me to realize that there was no way I was going to be able to do the pull ups. I changed over to a modified pull up, which is basically me lying on the floor and pulling up on a bar laid out on a squat rack. With one third of my body weight eliminated from the pull up I was able to continue.
The pushups and the squats I just managed to gut out......But only because Tim was there to push me. I would have stopped at 10 sets had I been by myself.
To make a long story short it was a difficult routine. I was ready to quit at set number eight, by set fifteen I really had to ratchet down mentally to keep going. It was ugly....But we got it done.
The fatigue I felt took up every square inch of my body....I was more than ready to lay on a bench, curl up in a ball, and take a nap.
"Okay, ready to run?" Tim asked.
Uh.....God.
I was so tired that I couldn't think of a good smart ass remark. I barely managed to mutter, "Ayuh....."
So the first run was bad. But the second run was hell from the very first step.
"C'mon Tom!!!"
Huff, huff, grunt....."Ayuh."
Picture a screaming, slurring drunk, one legged man attempting to perform a ballet routine and you might get a general idea for how I at least felt that I may have looked when I ran that horrible mile.
With every step I took I just knew that both my ass cheeks were going to explode. I almost felt sorry for those who would be within range of the blast area once my fiery ass cheek grenades detonated.
Another part of me felt very sorry for myself. I mean, after all, one cannot wear blue jeans comfortably without ass cheeks to hold them in place. I grimaced at the thought of a life with suspenders and overalls in them.
(Yeah, this is the kind of crap I think about when I'm in pain....I guess it's how I cope.)
It was the longest 9 m 40s mile of my life.
I am not going to be able to move tomorrow, I thought. I was bent over, hands on my knees and ready to fall over. I hurt......
But then Tim mentioned coffee......and suddenly all was right with the world.
Coffee Later...
Nothing makes the world a sunnier, happier place than a really good cup of coffee. As tough as the workouts are I look forward to them because I know that afterwards we get to go out for a cup of joe....
Does that mean that I've been conditioned? This whole thing suddenly has a kind of Pavlovian feel to it.
Eh....Whatever. I just know I get coffee --- that's good enough for me.
So Tim and I have decided that we are going to try and hit every single coffee shop that Lawrence has to offer.
So far we have hit:
Dunn Brothers -- salted caramel -- two happy Pino's (Tim and I are half Filipino, in case you didn't know)
Starbucks -- annoying self absorbed prick aside (customer, not barista) the coffee was good. I would say though that it's a little too mainstream for us. 1 and a half happy Pino's
Alchemy -- very aptly named. It was like watching a chemist at work. Great entertainment value with very tasty results. 2 very impressed and happy Pino's
Scooters -- Not bad. It's a drive through that can work well in a pinch. 1 and a half happy Pino's.
J & S coffee -- if you're looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, then the Grasshopper is the drink for you....It's almost too sweet --- almost. 1 and 3/4 happy Pino's
Henry's -- Maybe I caught them on a good day, but it seems that Henry's had the strongest coffee that I have had compared to every where else I've been. A very good dark coffee with two shots of espresso. 2 happy and very wide awake Pino's.
Honestly, Tim and I would make very poor coffee house critics.....We just love coffee too much. The coffee would almost have to be the equivalent of boiled worm dirt for us not to like it......(But with enough cream and sugar I believe that even boiled worm dirt could possibly be made acceptable.)
I think Tim and I have achieved the proper balance. Gut it out and get through a tough and occasionally shitty workout --- then reward ourselves with coffee. Yeah, I can live with that.
But I will say this about the workouts. No matter how tough they are we both walk away feeling great about what we accomplished. We both know that, in time, the workouts will get easier -- and that's what keeps us going. (And, no, not all the workouts are like the one I just mentioned.)
So even if you took the coffee away, it's still a good day....
But if we can have coffee........ Well.... :)
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