The year was 2006. The No. 1 song was “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter. My kids were two and infant, and I was tired. And then I saw “the plan.”
Scott Murr, a professor in Furman’s health sciences department and cofounder of FIRST, the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training, created the plan to help people prepare for the 6.2-mile distance on three runs a week.
Murr and his cohorts at FIRST were becoming famous in the running community for launching the Run Less, Run Faster movement, with features in Runner’s World magazine, a successful book (written with Bill Pierce; it has sold more than 250,000 copies), and hundreds of devotees who traveled to Furman to learn more about how even marathoners could train on just three runs a week.
I, like so many busy, tired people, thought: Three runs. Maybe I can do that.
So I followed the plan. Some workouts were early, before the kids woke up; others were at night, on a treadmill in a lonely gym. But I made it a priority to get in every prescribed run, and in the process, reclaimed key parts of my life that had gone missing: time for myself, goal setting, self-esteem, camaraderie, and, maybe tenth on the list, fitness.
(For the record, the FIRST team also recommends two cross-training sessions per week, but I ignored that part. Don’t tell Scott.)
Motivation: Sixteen years later
Fast forward 16 years to 2022. The No. 1 song is “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift. My kids are in college and high school, but somehow, the schedule is just as busy. As I approached my 50th birthday, with the accompanying list of injuries and maladies, my running was more casual and intermittent than ever. Then I realized what I needed to resuscitate my motivation: the plan.
After ransacking several closets, I couldn’t find it (I had ripped it out of a local magazine in 2006), so I reached out to Murr in an email with the heading “Nostalgia 10K training plan request.” Just a few minutes later, he sent it to me—the exact same life-altering plan that rescued me in 2006.
Again, I followed it to the letter—at a slower pace than in 2006, but again without the cross-training. (Maybe I’ll cross-train when I’m 60.)
And once again, having a plan changed everything. It all boils down to consistency and structure, Murr says; having a goal and a specific plan helps people stay focused.
When I didn’t feel like going, I had one thought: the plan.
When it was pouring rain, I went anyway, because: the plan.
And it worked—I became more consistent, built up my endurance, and managed to complete the 10K, even nabbing an age group award. More importantly, the training led to a notable boost to my energy level and state of mind.
For Murr, it’s just another success story built on his training plans; he and Pierce have received more than 10,000 emails from grateful runners. “I’ve been able to accomplish most of my running goals,” he says. “Being able to help others accomplish their goals has been even more rewarding.”
There’s plenty of time to get ready for the Cooper River Bridge Run on April 1 in Charleston or the United Community Bank 45th Reedy River Run on April 22 in Greenville.
Photography by Moore Gems of You Photography.
