When Iiris Saluri turned 45, she looked in the mirror and asked: “Is this really inevitable at this age?” The answer was a training plan put together by her son, today’s top Estonian decathlete Karl Robert Saluri. Seven years later, Iiris is running her way to age-group medals and preparing for the Võhandu Marathon.
The girl who hated sports
Iiris grew up in Kuimetsa, Rapla County. For health reasons, she was excused from most gymnastics classes at school. She downright hated running and skiing. Then a new physical education teacher, Liivi Kaup, arrived at Juuru Secondary School and told it like it was: the weakest link in the class was Iiris.
That made the girl seethe inside. She went home and started doing push-ups — first against a wall, then leaning on a table. At first, she couldn’t manage a single proper push-up. The idea came from the training diaries of her brother Aivar, which she liked to read in secret.
A summer at malev camp capped it off. In her unit there was a no-swearing day: every slip meant 10 push-ups. By the end of the day, Iiris had to do 100 push-ups. “Somehow I did them all,” she recalls.
In 11th grade, she ran 8 kilometers with a neighbor girl at the Türi-Paide mass-participation run. After that, she made up her mind once and for all: not another step of running. And she stayed true to her word for years.
A training plan born at the kitchen table
25 years later, Iiris began to notice changes. Her once slim girlfriends had puffed up “like yeast-dough pies”. Looking in the mirror, she realized that soon she too would need shapewear.
At that time, her son Karl Robert was also earning a coaching certificate at the Audentes Sports School. Iiris placed an order: a training plan that could be done at home in Kuimetsa, without a gym. And without running — that was non-negotiable.
At home, there was a hula hoop, walking poles and a rotating disc you can stand on and twist left and right. That was supposed to be enough.
How the training plan is structured
Robi put together a 5+2 rhythm: five training days and two rest days (Tuesday and Thursday). Reality turned out differently.
“I soon became a training addict,” Iiris admits. “On Mondays, I worried that maybe I wouldn’t be able to work out on Wednesday. Just in case, I trained on Tuesday too. On Wednesdays, I fretted about Friday — so Thursday dropped off the list of rest days as well.”
After four months, the tape measure had given its answer: no shapewear was needed after all. Iiris diligently did push-ups, squats, and abdominal and back exercises for over a year. Then she switched to running — at first Nordic walking, until one day she discovered she could get there faster by running.
The nutrition plan called for eating every 3 hours, no carbohydrates after 6 p.m., plenty of water — and, sadly, no light sauna beer once a week.
A new challenge: 3 months, twice a day
On September 6, Karl Robert sent a new proposal from the USA: three months in parallel, you in Estonia and me in the USA, every morning and evening. Iiris said yes.
Every morning and evening now includes, alongside running, 20 abdominal exercises, 10 push-ups, 10 squats and 10 back exercises. Each week the numbers go up by 5. By December, the daily volumes should be 80 abdominal exercises (4×20), 70 push-ups, 70 squats and 70 back exercises.
In the meantime, Iiris managed to take part in the Alu Suurjooks, which has been held for 30 years. She took second place in her age group — on her first time taking part.
The goal is the Võhandu Marathon next year — 100 kilometers of paddling. Daughter Kata and Kata’s spouse have already completed it twice.
FAQ about the training plan
What is the hardest part of running?
“The first kilometer,” says Iiris. “Once that’s over, I could run forever.”
Can you follow a training plan without a gym?
Iiris’s example says yes. Push-ups, squats, and abdominal and back exercises work on the kitchen floor too. A hula hoop and a pair of walking poles are a bonus, not a requirement.
What helps in a tough moment?
“I always think of the decathletes who, after two days of competition and nine events, start the 1500 meters. If they can do it, I can do those 4–5 kilometers too. After all, I only compete against myself.”
“If you’d like to be the hero of an article yourself, or want to nominate your friends as a positive example, my address is: maire.aunaste@gmail.com”
Author: Maire Aunaste
Come and work out! ArtGym
