Steve Murdock’s routine went something like this: Wake up at 4 a.m., run six miles, go to work for 10 hours, take a short nap, run 10 more miles, go to bed.

Every single day, for over three months, with no breaks.

Weekends were the only off-days: just 14 miles on Saturday, and 15 on Sunday.

‘The schedule taught me a lot of discipline,’ said Murdock, a junior runner on the Syracuse University cross country team. ‘It also taught me how to go to bed real early. I can’t stay up past 10, hardly ever.’

After Murdock’s sophomore season, his Achilles tendon was constantly swollen and sore. After getting it checked by doctors, he underwent surgery in February. Unable to run or train until May, Murdock knew he had to do something extreme to make up for the lost time.

Teammate and close friend, Griff Graves, had just the answer.

Graves’ father, Tom, was an All-American runner at Auburn in the late 1970s and early 80s. As a high school standout in Abingdon, Va., Griff went through his father’s harsh workouts every summer. Right away, Griff knew his father’s strict regime would be the perfect remedy for Murdock.

‘My dad is just tough,’ said Griff, a sophomore. ‘He knows so much about running, and I knew he would help Steve. Luckily, Steve is competitive so was able to stick with it.’

Griff was not the only one who could foresee how the training with Tom Graves would affect Murdock. Head coach Chris Fox teamed up with Tom at Auburn and knew firsthand just how beneficial these workouts could be.

‘(Fox) basically told me that the first summer during college that he trained with Tom, everything changed,’ Murdock said. ‘He told me that summer changed his entire career.’

For Murdock, a Clifton Park, N.Y. native, Virginia seemed like a world away. Desperate to get healthy and resurrect his college career, Murdock was willing to do whatever it took.

Every morning, Murdock would wake up at 4 a.m., frequently accompanied by Tom Graves. Murdock would run six miles on wooded trails and then go to work as a maintenance man for the local school district. For 10 hours a day, Murdock would do hard labor – everything from weed-eating in the hot sun to moving furniture for 10 hours straight. After a short nap, Murdock would run 10 more miles, this time along the roads, and then be in bed by 10 p.m.

As the summer progressed, so did his mileage. By the end of the summer, Murdock was running 120 miles a week. Prior to this summer, Murdock would typically run 35 miles a week, only once raising it to 70.

Though Tom Graves pushed Murdock to a new level, it was no surprise he was able to stick with it.

‘He has always worked really hard and did everything he was supposed to do,’ said junior runner Tricia Wardwell, a high school teammate of Murdock’s. ‘He always tried hard at practice and still does.’

Murdock became the Graves’ adoptive son, never leaving Virginia the entire summer.

His new role in the family, however, meant no days off. When Murdock went with the Graves’ on vacation to Panama City Beach, Fla., he quickly learned what Tom Gravesconsidered to be a ‘vacation.’

‘When we get there, Tom tells me I have to do 90 miles that week in 110-degree heat,’ Murdock said. ‘At least I didn’t have to work, though.’

As the months marched on, Murdock’s injury and endurance progressed flawlessly, a testament to how hard he worked and how hard Tom pushed him.

Murdock quickly became Tom Graves’ prize pupil.

‘My dad loved having him down there,’ Griff said. ‘He not only loved to see his accomplishments through his hard work, but my whole family loved to be around Steve. My whole family is die-hard conservative and Steve is really liberal, so it was an interesting mix. Steve definitely taught them some things.’

Murdock clearly learned a lot as well.

In the first meet of the season on Sept. 5, Murdock’s hard work came full circle. He finished first at the Harry Lang Invitational, clocking an impressive time of 20:28 in the men’s 6,400-meter race.

Though success has come right off the bat this season, don’t expect Murdock to let up anytime soon.

‘I just want to keep getting better,’ Murdock said. ‘I had my pre-season goal at being top-20 at nationals, and while this was a good first step, that is what I am going to be aiming for.’

restern@syr.edu