We have a rather special “Member of the Month” interview to wrap up December. Although he is not currently a member of CrossFit GVA, Peter Koopmans is definitely an honorary member. In early December, Peter took on a very special challenge on World AIDS Day to raise funds for a South African charity. This organization works to support children who are victims of sexual abuse and to raise awareness about HIV in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The challenge was to complete 15 Murphs in 24 hours. The Murph consists of a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and another 1-mile run—all while wearing a 10-kg vest. For those of you who’ve done the Murph even once, you know how hard it is. Doing 15 of them in 24 hours is truly an extraordinary feat.
We caught up with Peter after his marathon to talk about his training.
When did you decide to take on this challenge?
The idea came to me about two years ago after watching a YouTube video of Dave Barry (from the UK), who had completed 24 hours of Murph to raise awareness about soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He finished 11 Murphs in 24 hours, and I thought to myself that maybe I could do one or two more than that. But on May 28, on Memorial Day, American John Sullivan did 13 Murphs, so I had to raise the bar a little higher.
Why did you choose to do “Murph” in particular?
Murph has special meaning for me. This WOD is named in honor of Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2008, sacrificing himself to save his unit. I served in the military for 21 years, the last 10 of which were as a member of the special forces. I’ve lost friends in combat and have been wounded myself, so this story touches me personally. And as they say, “Once a soldier, always a soldier”!
Are there any differences between the 24 Hours of Murph and the other challenging endurance events you’ve completed in the past?
I’ve run ultra-marathons in the mountains before, and while there are some similarities, there are also a lot of differences.
First of all, there’s the weighted vest, which adds to the rest of the gear and never seems to fit right. It weighs down on your shoulders and is never really comfortable. If you don’t tighten it enough, it moves around too much; if you tighten it too much, it squeezes your chest and prevents you from breathing properly.
There’s also the general wear and tear on the body. When you run an ultramarathon, it’s mainly your legs that do the work, whereas Murph works every muscle: legs, shoulders, arms, abs… Aside from the duration, there’s really no comparison.
How did you design your training plan?
I work with a coach, and we really started focusing on this challenge in early February. To plan my workouts, we worked backward from the event date. The heavy or long workouts were mainly scheduled for the weekends because
The goal was to complete 15 Murphs at least once within a time limit, and that’s exactly what I did two weeks before the big day: 3 Murphs on Friday, 5 Murphs on Saturday, and 7 Murphs on Sunday.
All in all, here's what I've accomplished since February to get to this point:
- 86 Murphs (+ a 9-kg weighted vest), which—if we average 1 Murph per hour—amounts to nearly 11 days of “Murping” at a rate of 8 Murphs per day;
- 5,675 unloaded pulls;
- 11,350 unballasted pumps;
- 17,025 unweighted squats;
- 6,785 weighted pull-ups (not including those performed during Murphs);
- 13,570 weighted push-ups (not counting those done during the Murphs);
- 20,355 weighted squats (not counting those done during the Murphs);
- And 97 hours of cyclic aerobic exercise (asassault bike, rowing machine, or Skierg), or about 12 days at a rate of 8 hours per day.
All of this (weighted and bodyweight exercises, plus the Murphs) amounts to approximately:
- 20,860 pull-ups;
- 41,720 pumps;
- 62,580 squats;
- And hours and hours of repetitive work.
So, all in all, my training volume was considerable.
One of my main goals was to keep my heart rate as low as possible and never push myself into the red zone, to avoid depleting my energy reserves too quickly. I wore a heart rate monitor during all of my training sessions.
Nutrition and recovery clearly play an extremely important role. How did you handle those aspects?
It requires discipline on a daily basis. I prepared my own meals, making sure all the ingredients were organic.
I also wanted to lose weight, and thanks to intermittent fasting, cutting out low-nutrient carbohydrates, and my training volume, I went from 83.5 kg to 76 kg—which, when you think about it, is almost the weight of a weighted vest.
I also had to do a lot of trial and error with my diet during the challenge until I found the right balance. It took a long time of trial and error to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and to learn to avoid foods that gave me heartburn or stomachaches…
I made an effort to improve my sleep, which was quite a challenge since I've been suffering from insomnia for years. So every night, I followed a relaxation routine before going to bed at exactly 10 p.m.
I did a lot of supportive exercises to protect my shoulders (I was particularly worried about my left shoulder, where I had been shot while I was in the military).
I also went regularly to my osteopath to correct alignment issues and to a physical therapist for deep-tissue massages.
I knew I’d put in the necessary work, but I was nervous. I started cutting back on my training volume two weeks before the event, and I felt like my body was craving activity. I had aches and pains that came out of nowhere, and on Monday—six days before the race—I woke up with a sharp pain in my shoulder. Luckily, my osteopath managed to more or less get everything back on track, and with his approval, I decided to at least give it a shot and go for it.
How did you prepare for the event logistically (equipment, schedule, etc.)?
As for the schedule, I had drawn up a plan for 15 Murphs interspersed with rest periods. The idea was to complete the first Murphs in 55 minutes and the last ones in 70 minutes. The rest time would start at 20 minutes and gradually increase to 50 minutes. In the end, I stuck to the planned start times, but all my Murphs took between 50 and 59 minutes (the last one was actually the fastest).
In terms of logistics—and especially equipment—every detail mattered. So here is a list of the things I had set up.
Oven mitts: If I had torn my hands up in the first few hours, that probably would have been the end of the adventure. So I had to find a way to stave off that danger for as long as possible. I used Picsil Falcon gloves (which are very thick) along with neoprene wristbands (Rehband) to prevent chafing, but I also applied lubricant (Bodyglide) to the inside of the gloves to reduce friction on my palms.
I also made sure to carefully file down the calluses on my hands using a metal file.
During the challenge, I had four pairs of oven mitts on hand, and I’d switch them out before each Murph to make sure my hands were dry when I started.
Shoes: I used standard running shoes instead of Reebok Nanos or Nike Metcons. The reason is that they provided better cushioning. You might think that doesn’t make much of a difference, but when you’re running 48 km with a 9 kg vest on your back, your ankles, knees, and lower back take a real beating. The lack of cushioning in typical CrossFit shoes would certainly have been a source of discomfort at best—or even injury.
Clean T-shirts: I sweat a lot, so I made sure to put on a clean T-shirt for each Murph. That way, I avoided getting chilled during breaks.
Knee pads: I used standard neoprene knee pads, pulling them down for the running segments and pulling them back up mainly for the squats.
Headband: To keep sweat from stinging my eyes, I wore a Gutr headband, which wicks sweat away from the sides of my face. I also had a towel hanging from the cage so I could wipe my face from time to time.
Miscellaneous: Among the details that are nonetheless important are the following:
- Having a box nearby where I can put my water bottles;
- iPad or lap counter: I always had my iPad within reach to help me time Cindy’s laps and make sure I was getting enough rest between laps;
- Stack of discs under the pull-up bar: To avoid having to jump to reach the bar and do my pull-ups, I built myself a little step stool. That way, I was able to position my hands correctly and avoid tearing them—which would have happened for sure if I’d had to jump.
I also always had two people by my side counting my reps and preparing my drinks, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. They also made sure I was eating and drinking properly during breaks.
These are small details that came to mind during my months of training and preparation, but as we all know, the devil is in the details.
What did you eat during the event?
Nothing… well, nothing solid, anyway!
While I was training, I realized that my stomach (at least mine) completely stopped working during workouts, and that it wasn't a great idea to eat during breaks because my stomach couldn't digest solid food properly.
So I stuck to liquids.
In total, I must have consumed nearly 20 liters of beverages, broken down as follows.
During each Murph:
- 800 ml of a mixture of unflavored carbohydrate drink (Vitargo: 2 scoops) and BCAA (Gu: Summit Tea: 1 scoop);
- 400 ml of water.
During breaks:
- More water;
- 2 cups of extra-salty miso soup;
- 1 electrolyte capsule (Hammer Extreme Endurolytes);
- Every 3 Murphs, a protein recovery drink (Hammer Recoverite).
Were there any parts that were harder or easier than expected, and if so, which ones?
Actually, it was harder than I expected because my legs gave out very early on (after the4th Murph), and I think it was because of the breaks.
Maybe I should have paid attention to that during my preparation, but the fact is that during my workouts I took relatively short breaks, so my muscles never really had time to cool down and stiffen up.
During training, I did Murphs once every hour with 7–8 minutes of rest in between. During the challenge, my breaks were much longer (20 minutes at the start and up to 50 minutes toward the end), and that was on purpose so I could refuel properly. The downside of this strategy was that my muscles got completely stiff. As a result, my legs hurt a lot at the start of the run, and during the first few sets of pull-ups, it felt like my back and shoulders were being torn apart.
I knew that after a while I’d start to feel pain, but I didn’t think it would come so quickly. And once you’re in pain, you have to push through with sheer willpower. Suffering and accepting that suffering are part of the game, and fortunately, I was in the right frame of mind. I never considered quitting; I tackled the Murphs one by one untilthe 10th or11th, and once I reached that point, I was pretty much certain I’d see it through to the end. I’d done more than half the work; I pictured myself finishing my very last Murph and tried to smile despite the pain.
How did your recovery go after the event? Were you able to sleep? Did you feel any pain?
I was in quite a bit of pain for the rest of Monday, but as soon as I got home, I soaked in a hot bath with essential oils and Epsom salt. I stayed up until around 9 p.m. (basically, I emptied the fridge) and managed to get 6 hours of sleep, which wasn’t too bad considering my elevated heart rate. The next day I went to work, did an hour of light assault bike to flush out toxins, and by Wednesday I was feeling 100% again. I think my recovery was helped by the fact that my body had gotten used to a considerable training load over several months. By Thursday, I was back to my normal training routine.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take on this kind of challenge?
Start Early: Don't Take This Lightly! When faced with a challenge like this, most people only think about the big day, when in fact success depends on all the work done beforehand. Personally, I spent 10 months preparing.
Using a heart rate monitor: When training for any type of endurance event, I recommend using a heart rate monitor. It has helped me regulate my effort to stay within my target intensity zones.
Practice discipline: Set rules for yourself and stick to them throughout your preparation. Training, nutrition, and recovery must become your top priorities, every day.
Be present every day: There will be good days, bad days, and days that are even worse. You have to do what needs to be done every day, without exception. There’s no question of taking shortcuts or giving up.
Having the Right Mindset: You need to train your mind just as much as your body. Whether it’s to combat the monotony of training (it’s just running, pull-ups, push-ups, and squats, with a limited number of possible combinations) or to mentally prepare yourself for the effort ahead. In your mind, you have to be ready to get to work and see it through to the end, even on days when you don’t feel like it.
Have a mantra: I borrowed mine from David Goggins. When I was in the depths of pain during the challenge, I kept repeating to myself, “Stay strong, keep fighting,” over and over again.
And finally, learning to accept pain: It's going to hurt… You have to accept it and grit your teeth.
What will the next challenge be?!?
Haha!! I’m getting back into my usual workouts (CrossFit). I think I can say I have a good aerobic base, but I haven’t touched a barbell or any weights for 10 months, so I need to work on my strength, technique, and so on again. That’s what I’m going to focus on for now.
