This past Saturday at Crossfit our coach chose a workout that was named after a fallen soldier; known as a Hero WOD (Workout of the Day).  McGhee is as many rounds as possible in thirty minutes performing:

• 5 Deadlifts
• 13 Push-ups
• 9 box jumps

Corporal Ryan C. McGhee, 21, was killed in action on May 13, 2009 by small arms fire during combat in central Iraq. He served with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment of Fort Benning, Ga. This was his fourth deployment, his first to Iraq. Ryan was engaged to Ashleigh Mitchell of Fredericksburg, VA. He is survived by his father Steven McGhee of Myrtle Beach S.C., his mother Sherrie Battle McGhee, and his brother Zachary.

This is a way for the Crossfit Community to honor military personnel, firefighters, or law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Hero WODs are well known for being tough and grueling! Here’s a complete list of all the named WODs and the Hero WODs.

I used a 70# kettle bell for my first fifteen minutes and then switched to a fifty-five pounder. The push-ups are the most challenging part for me—I can hold a plank core but do them from my knees not toes, and we lift our hands off the ground while our chest is touching in a release push-up. I used a sixteen inch box which you stand in front of and jump straight up and on top of with both feet, stand up straight then step down. This was a vigorous workout and I was proud of myself for keeping a steady pace and completing twelve rounds.

I do my best to empty my mind as I workout its kinda Zen like. In this instance I couldn’t help but think about twenty-one year old Ryan and how much he might have wanted to still be here to do this WOD. I was fueled with an awareness of the preciousness of life and appreciation for the abilities of my body and mind. I am blessed and grateful to be able to DO a Hero WOD in memory of and because of McGhee and so many souls like him.

31 Aug This entry was written by Laura and published on August 31, 2012 at 7:00 am. It’s filed under Commitment, Exercise, Laura, Lifeology, Move More Eat Well. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.