I was never athletic growing up and throughout the years, most times that I started anything athletic, I would get an injury. In college, I began weight lifting and hyper-extended my left knee, which required surgery to relieve the pain and resulting “water on the knee.” That knee would flare-up often so, I stayed away from anything that would cause pressure on it. I tried to run in the past but fear about hurting my knee again stopped me. So, I started speed-walking under the belief that doing so would be the closest I could ever get to running. Read more....
I was never athletic growing up and throughout the years, most times that I started anything athletic, I would get an injury. In college, I began weight lifting and hyper-extended my left knee, which required surgery to relieve the pain and resulting “water on the knee.” That knee would flare-up often so, I stayed away from anything that would cause pressure on it. I tried to run in the past but fear about hurting my knee again stopped me. So, I started speed-walking under the belief that doing so would be the closest I could ever get to running. Read more....
I was a runner. Was is the key word. A decade ago and a 100 lbs. River city runners in Parkersburg was my club back in the day. See i had to do Parkersburg because if i didn't drive i might just collect me t-shirt and turn around. But if I drove then id run it.
Forward to Genesis. I started a weight loss journey from a high of 392 to around 310. I knew I needed motivation and genesis provided it. The weekly workouts even though they were virtual made me committed. I didn't want to let anyone down ha.
The day of the race I arrived at 7:15 for the 930 race. I decided I'd jog one of the smaller trails to make sure I could do it.... Read more...
Forward to Genesis. I started a weight loss journey from a high of 392 to around 310. I knew I needed motivation and genesis provided it. The weekly workouts even though they were virtual made me committed. I didn't want to let anyone down ha.
The day of the race I arrived at 7:15 for the 930 race. I decided I'd jog one of the smaller trails to make sure I could do it.... Read more...
My husband, Tim, and I completed the Genesis Running program in the fall of 2018 at Lewisburg under the kind and capable leadership of Jim Moore. We couldn't be more pleased with the program and the progress we saw. Let me tell you a little bit about our experience.
We are empty nesters. We have raised our children and cared for our parents until their deaths. So, now what? Read more....
We are empty nesters. We have raised our children and cared for our parents until their deaths. So, now what? Read more....
At the start of this year, I turned my sight to getting back out there and running. However, in February, I learned I had breast cancer. My running was put on the back burner. I got out there when I could but it wasn’t like the previous year. I decided to join a second class of Genesis and do the graduate class. I was a little nervous about opting for the graduate class but knew I would get the help and encouragement I needed to do it. My goals for the race this year were the same, to finish and to run the entire race. There were days that after my run I did nothing else except rest. My husband was so precious.... More.
I started the "Genius 5K " to get back into running in 2015. I had made a commitment to lose wait to get my health back. I was over 300lbs and had been diagnosed with diabetes. I started walking and told myself I was not going to be one of those crazy runners. I think it was the pride saying that. I could not walk a half mile then so I did not want to run and see myself fail. I was hardly winning the walking battle. More..
When I signed up for Genesis Running I first thought I may have bit off more than I could chew. I knew I could make it to the first class but had no idea where I was going to end up from there. At 38 years old I had not had a regular exercise routine for over 20 years. Weighing over 320lbs and 6' 4" inches tall I knew I didn't have the stereotypical runners body often associated with television ads. I have been a volunteer firefighter for nearly 22 years but lacked a physical fitness routine. As the WV Lead Advocate for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: Everyone Goes Home Program I teach other firefighters this program including the 16 Life Safety Initiatives to prevent firefighter line of duty deaths. One of the initiatives (#6) is Health and Physical Fitness, a topic I often chose to speak on quickly then move on. Unfortunately, heart attacks are the number one killer of firefighters each year. More....
Last year on March 6, 2016, my only child, my daughter, Taylor passed away at the age of 19. During that first week I told myself I had two choices; keep moving or lie down. I made the choice to keep moving but really that's all I've been doing, just moving and going through life's motions. Grief is exhausting. Some days I am so physically tired I don't feel like I can take another step. I once read the physical feeling of grief was comparable to working in the scorching sun all day while doing physical labor. This is true, it aches to your core. Of course this has eased up a bit with time. More
When my mom asked if I would be interested in signing up for the Genesis class with her, I was VERY hesitant. Neither of us have ever ran and I remember absolutely hating running in gym class. But I reluctantly agreed and signed us up. Before we started I remember reading the week by week program and looking at the later weeks and thinking "ummm yeah right"...I had my mind made up that at my weight I would hit a certain point where I physically could not complete the times...that someone this obese would just hit a wall where my weight would no longer allow me to advance like everyone else....More
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The last nine weeks have meant a great deal to me, mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. Socially, it has meant sharing the journey with my two Christian friends who started with me, as well as making new friends and discovering each week a new admiration for both of my coaches for the time and effort put in to this program. Assistant coaches Mac and Deb were also very devoted to seeing us all through this process. Spiritually, It was like God led me right to Genesis Running. More.... |
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About a week before the spring Genesis class started my friend and I decided to make a some changes in attempt to live healthier. When my friend told me she was thinking about taking a running class I said, "You don't need a running class to teach you how to run. You just run." Despite already knowing "how to run", on the day of the first meeting my friend convinced me to sign up for the spring class. I was nervous to go to the class... More
I will be 58 in October. To me age has always just been a number. I have never dreaded turning old. I am a grandmother of 3 and a mother of 2. So when you ask why are you taking a running class? Anyone can run. You need someone to tell you to run? This is my response: My mother passed away at the age of 58 of breast cancer. My dad passed away at 60 of heart disease. My husband had a heart attack at the age of 60. I want to stay healthy. I want to move. More....
My name is Amy. I am a recent graduate of the Genesis learn to run class (December 2016). Here is my story. I had tried on and off to run on my own in the past, but always made the mistake of thinking “more is better” and ended up sidelined with injuries, including a stress fracture that left me in a removable cast for ten weeks. When I began the class last fall, I wasn’t at all sure that I could do it. What I found was that all of the other new people felt just like I did (and we made it)... More
Charleston Distance Run – 5K – First Race – September 3, 2011: Sweat poured off of my body. I do not even remember the last time I sweat so much and felt so much satisfaction at the same time. I do not mind the sweat today or the exhaustion that I feel. It is a strange mixture of exhaustion and energy that course through my body. My legs only ach slightly, my chest heaves to catch a breath, but I have the biggest smile on my face! The best words come from my Dad: “Sarah, I am so proud of you!” It makes my smile grow so much bigger. More
Late summer 2012, Coach Matt came to my workplace and did a presentation on the Genesis training program. I watched and listened intently; I took the handouts he provided. The fall session started a few weeks later and I did not sign up. I wasn't ready for the physical and mental discipline of being a runner. I kept telling myself I couldn't add another thing to my to-do list. I was already watching what I was eating, trying to excel at my job, and trying to maintain a good, happy home for my husband and our feline child. How much can one person endure? I kept saying maybe next time.... More
I haven't really shared this with anyone but close family and friends. I never wanted anyone to really know but I think it is time that I begin to share my story about what God is doing for me because I want to give Him all the praise and all the glory. I know that if He will do it for me than he can do it for anyone that may be reading this or may hear about my story. I have lived with pain my entire life. Pain in my hips, legs, ankles, feet, arms, and hands. The pain gets so bad sometimes .... More
I have sworn most of my adult life (and probably even younger, if the truth was told), that I don’t run. If I was running – you better run too because something was chasing me! So what made me change my mind? My husband is full time military so he runs daily - almost all of my best friends are runners – from 5K to Boston Marathons, and they all brag about the “runners high” and what a great stress reliever running is to them. I finally gave in and agreed to give it a try. I decided I better find out what I was getting myself into though... More
During my Father’s illness, I forced myself to keep going because my family needed me. I had to continue working, caring for my husband and son as well as helping my Mom take care of my Dad. We treasured every moment that we were able to spend with him even though caring for him was difficult. As the disease slowly deteriorated my Daddy’s body and mind, my depression increased steadily. When we said good bye to my Daddy in 2008, the emotional strain physically impacted my body and resulted in significant weight gain and high blood pressure. Words cannot describe how miserable I was. More
A little background... I have been overweight since I was in the 4th grade. Always the "fat girl", I never felt like I fit in. Even as an athletic cheerleader and softball player, I still saw myself as fat and not good enough. After over 20 some years of emotional eating/food addiction, something happened that lit a spark in me to step outside of my comfort zone and dedicate myself to something that I have ZERO faith I could do. A dear friend and co-worker of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer early on last school year. More...
Funny, it’s hard to know where to start but then that’s really what it’s about. Genesis is such an accurate name. It really is the beginning of new life. I remember when my wife told me about the C25K program. I’ve had bad feet all my life and running was never something I had even considered. However I was intrigued that a program could take you from doing nothing to running a 5K in just 9 weeks. When we checked in the first day and I gave my name, coach said “Oh yeah, you’re the guy that doesn’t think this will work”. More....
Though I had just completed my beginning Genesis Running Class Session, I had run off and on prior (even had participated in one 5k race). However, as I soon learned from the class, little did I know about the art of running and the joy that it could bring to my life.
Prior to Genesis, I viewed running as a chore … something to dread … and endure until it was finished. I did nothing to train or prepare my body or my mind with regard to running. More...
Prior to Genesis, I viewed running as a chore … something to dread … and endure until it was finished. I did nothing to train or prepare my body or my mind with regard to running. More...
My name is Glenna Taylor. I have been on a weight loss journey my whole life going up and down. When I hit 40 years of age and I was still in the same rut of not moving forward and not challenging myself, it caused me to evaluate my past failures and achievements. I started weight watchers and exercising. I hated exercise, but it was a necessary evil that I needed to embrace. After about 75 lbs loss, there I found myself in yet another rut. Something has gotta give. The barriers were always in my head. I had always admired the runners and their look of focus and peace in the moment. They had a commitment that I lacked. Year after year, I told myself that I was gonna do a 5k. Each year passed and I hadn't done what I planned. More...
I signed up for the running class with my wife, with a mission in mind to encourage her because she has always said, ”I can’t run”. Guess what? She found out that she can run and I’m so proud of her for pushing through the class like a champion and I look forward to seeing her cross the finish line on race day. My son and daughter are both great runners, and my daughter and her boyfriend will be joining us on race day…Our whole family now enjoys running together and we keep track of each other’s progress like little kids. We will be celebrating my 53rd birthday on race day, and we are looking ahead for other races to run as a family. More...
My Genesis journey began well before I ever realized it. I am a survivor of a rare form of multiple myeloma with amyloidosis. After 10+ years of a smoldering disease that went undetected and affected my heart, lungs, eyes, skin, and ability to walk; followed by 6 months of weekly chemotherapy, and a successful stem cell transplant on December 28, 2011, I began setting goals. I set forth a new goal of hope and determination for each year of survival. By God’s grace and mercy, I have achieved and continue to achieve each of these goals. Baby steps…More....
Are you a Genesis graduate with a story to tell? Please send it to me and we'll share it and inspire others.