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 Barbara Mixon, Pace Group 1
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Chicago Marathon, 2005
“I started running about 12 years ago, just trying to stay fit and trim after having a baby. I never ran more than four or five miles at a time, until I met and ran with (Blake Watts) one of the Albany Galloway members. During our runs we talked about how he had been training for a marathon. I was so impressed! I never dreamed I would even consider running a marathon, but never before had I been fast approaching '40'. So I joined the Galloway group in May, followed the training schedule, met some really great people, and completed my first marathon five months later in Chicago 2005. That's the power of this group!”
 Tina Marbury, Pace Group 2
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Chicago Marathon 2005; Boston Marathon, 2005; Atlanta, GA, Inaugural Half Marathon 2004; San Diego, CA, Rock ‘n Roll Marathon 2004; Seaside Half Marathon, FL, 2004
“Albany Run Walk, a Jeff Galloway running program is designed for the rookie runner to the Boston qualifier and everything in between. It is the most efficient, productive way to spend a weekend mornning. What else could you do to strenghten your body, mind and soul besides spending an hour or two getting that heart pumping, those legs moving, and laughing the entire way? Before I began running with the Galloway Group, I believed you should never mix running with pleasure. This group changed my way of thinking about running. You CAN have FUN and RUN! Don't believe me? Give it a try. What've you got to lose?”
 Billie Medders, Pace Group 2
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Chicago Marathon, 2005; Virginia Beach Half Marathon, 2005; Mardi Gras Half, New Orleans, 2005; Seaside Half, FL, 2005; Country Music Marathon, Nashville, 2005
“In December, 2003, I was diagnosed with osteopenia and needed to lose ‘a few pounds.’ I began trying to run on New Year's day, 2004. At first there was just a lot of huffing and puffing; but by the end of February, my daughter, Renee and I completed our first 5k race. I was hooked! The summer was spent training with Renee and other friends for a sprint triathlon held in August at Lake Blackshear. After completing that event, I was ready for a new goal. In November, Donna Crowe invited me to the fall kickoff of the Galloway Group. At that time running 26.2 miles seemed unthinkable. With the power of the group and continuously pushing "the wall" back, I can PROUDLY say I have completed my first marathon. Some of my friends tell me they wish they could run; and I know if a grandmother like me can do it, they can too. Hope they'll join us for the next kickoff.”
 Julie Roth, Pace Group 3
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Chicago Marathon, 2004; Seaside Half, FL, 2004, 2005; Boston Marathon, 2005
In January 2004, I was in a workout funk. For many years I had participated in step aerobics classes but no longer enjoyed the classes and found it harder and harder to get motivated to get to the gym. One morning, I opened up the Albany Herald and saw a BIG picture of a couple of friends of mine, Paula Bacon and Jean Ramirez. The article described Paula and Jean’s experiences running the Marine Corps Marathon and explained the Galloway Run/Walk training program they used. Because of their success with the program, Paula and Jean were beginning a Galloway Group in Albany and were looking for recruits! I have NEVER been a runner and had always bad mouthed running as boring and bad on the joints. But hey, I was desperate and I knew I needed something new for me and a group of people to help get me motivated again. So, I signed up and have never looked back. By March, I had completed the Seaside Half Marathon and then in the Fall of 2004 I completed the Chicago Marathon. That was one of the most rewarding events in my life. The sense of accomplishment and the fun of training for and completing the marathon with a great group of running friends was awesome. I was hooked.
Since Chicago, I have completed one other marathon and several half marathons, 5K’s and 10K’s. Unfortunately, I can’t say that they get any easier, but I enjoy them and the training they require immensely.
My husband jokingly calls the Albany Run Walk group my running cult! I don’t consider myself a cult member but I am a believer in the Run/Walk Program.”
 Cheryl Tolliver, Pace Group 4
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC, 2005; Seaside Half Marathon, FL, 2005; Country Music Half, Nashville, 2005
“I used to run about 20 years, 4 kids, 2 careers, 2 degrees and 40 pounds ago. I used to love the feeling of introspection and exhilaration. Then my life happened. After finishing medical school and residency and gaining 80 pounds, I became concerned about being able to enjoy life before succumbing to the diseases associated with obesity like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. So I started dieting. Then I started walking. Then I remembered the feeling of running and the rest is history. I still love that feeling after a good run or even a not so good run.”
 Ed Vance, Pace Group 4
Miami Half Marathon, 2006; Chicago Marathon, 2005
“I hated running...until May of 2005. Around that time, I realized that my waistline was expanding. Also, a health and fitness program at my clinic brought it to my attention that my Total Cholesterol was 208! That scared me. As a doctor, I diagnosed my self as an End-Stage Couch-Potato with an inoperable Fat-Butt at the age of 30. I knew I needed to do something. But when fellow physician, Jaza Marina, encouraged me to join her marathon running group, I just scoffed at her. I thought it was crazy to run even 2 miles, no less a marathon. But one day, it finally clicked. "If I train for a marathon, then I can't help but to get in shape." And the Galloway Run-Walk system did seem to bridge the gap between impossible and “do-able”. Regardless, I still thought running would be awful and hard...I was wrong. I had fun, felt great, and met some wonderful fellow runners. The best feeling was finally crossing the finish line at the 2005 Chicago Marathon in stride with my fellow runners Kim Reid, Carol Marbury and Tony, a 60 year-old Chicago-Galloway member with Emphysema. By the way, my cholesterol dropped to 168 and I’m 10 pounds lighter.”
 Diane Harris, Pace Group 5
“I remember a young girl who loved to run. It was part of the fun of childhood. As the young girl got older, the running stopped. As the years continued to go by, there were no thoughts of running. I wondered what happened to the freedom to run, and now because of age, the ability to run. That wondering created a desire in the young girl, now a 45 year old mother, to just run!
When I first learned of the Albany Run Walk group, I thought there is no way I could do that. I visited the website and read how the program worked. When I saw that the first run was for three miles, I still doubted my ability when I could not run for one full minute. With the encouragement of my husband and daughter I decided to give it a try.
I signed up for the 2005 summer trainig session without knowing anyone in the group, without knowing really what to expect. I made the commitment that if I paid money, I would run. Run I have. Marathon training wasn't my primary goal- I just wanted to run.
Historically, I have lacked motivation with maintaining an exercise routine. Now, I have been with the group now for seven months. I find myself missing running if my schedule interferes and limits my ability get in my weekday runs.
I have done several things I never thought I'd be caught dead doing--getting out of bed at 5:00 AM on a Saturday to run at 6:00 AM; running in the rain; running in the dark! But it has been great. Now I can't think of life without running. When I started I couldn't run for much more than 30 seconds, today I ran for five full minutes! It was great. I have reduced my cholesterol, improved my blood pressure, lost inches, dropped a size or two, and am developing some lovely calves.
I still have difficulty visioning myself running for 26.2 miles. But I have not difficulty visioning me, smile on my face, just when I'm just running. I am a runner! I have stronger legs. I have stronger lungs. I have a stronger heart. I am a runner...”
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