From the August 2004 issue of Runner's World
Success Stories
Jimmy Brehm
Age: 32 Height/Weight: 5'11"/180 pounds
Occupation: Attorney
Previous marathons/PR: Four/3:51
Kiawah Marathon (2004): 3:40:38
Comments: "I lead a busy life as a full-time attorney, so time is huge for me. When I heard about the FIRST program, I thought, That sounds too good to be true. Now I'm 100 percent convinced. The speedwork was more than I was accustomed to, but with time I adjusted. The three different paces complement each other, and they give you a chance to recover physically and mentally. My time was unexpected. Now I think I can do better. This is definitely a program where, if you stick with it, you can get faster even though you're spending less time running."
Katherine Tumbleston
Age: 23 Height/Weight: 5'8"/ 140 pounds
Occupation: University admissions counselor
Kiawah Marathon (2004): 3:40:38 (first marathon)
Comments: "My body responded well to three days a week. I noticed a difference within a few weeks of beginning the program. I usually run to enjoy it, not to race, but the FIRST program challenged me mentally, and I looked forward to all my workouts."
Kim Halley
Age: 35 Height/Weight: 5'5"/145 pounds
Occupation: Chemical engineer (stay-at-home mom)
Previous marathons/PR: Two (10 years earlier)/3:49
Kiawah Marathon (2004): 3:56:40
Comments: "I joined the program because I wanted to prove to myself that there was life after pregnancy, but I didn't have as much time to train as I did with earlier marathons. This was so much easier psychologically, and I actually looked forward to the workouts. I've sent the FIRST training program to a lot of my friends.
Matt Graham
Age: 55 Height/Weight: 6'0" /168 pounds
Occupation: Insurance sales
Previous marathons/PR: four/3:43 Kiawah Marathon (2004): 3:52.22
Comments: "I liked running for three days instead of six, and I set a 10-K PR during the training period. The three-day plan works, and I had more time to strength-train."
Andy Goodwin
Age: 25 Height/Weight: 5'9"/160 pounds
Occupation: Mechanical engineer
Previous marathons/PR: Two/3:21
Kiawah Marathon (2004): 2:56:49
Comments: "My wife and I are busy, so we figured, Why run five workouts a week if you can do just three? The first month I was skeptical, then I started seeing results. In the marathon, I felt like I got a second wind at 23 miles. I finished strong. This program isn't a cakewalk by any means, but it fits into a busy lifestyle."
Susan Benefield-Jones
Age: 32 Height/Weight: 5'1"/106 pounds
Occupation: Maintenance manager
Kiawah Marathon (2004): 4:06:03 (first marathon)
Comments: "This program helped me build my endurance, and the faster training will help me with my 5-K races, too. I trained more efficiently, and had more time for cross-training."
