Hey! My name is Kacy McKenzie and I am the Run Club coach for Fit4Mom West Knoxville. I am from Cleveland, TN but have been a Knoxville resident since transferring to UTK in 2008. I grew up playing volleyball and basketball in high school then was fortunate enough to snag an athletic volleyball scholarship to play for a local TN college. After finishing my freshman year of college, I found out I had a severe congenital heart defect that had gone undetected my entire life. I ended up having an intense but 100% successful open heart surgery at 19 years old. After my surgery, I ultimately decided to throw in the sports towel and transfer to UTK to finish my schooling. I graduated from UTK in 2010 with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Child and Family Studies. After college, life took off. I joined the workforce, met my husband, got married and the next thing I knew I was a mom to two boys born 15 months apart. For me, motherhood was magical, emotional and hard in the best way. After Covid ended the world as we knew it and my husband came home to work, all while I was being a full-time mom to two littles and working from home part-time, I found myself feeling so overstimulated I couldn't see straight. That's when I took a chance and went to F4M's grand opening. I was so pumped I could go somewhere with my boys and be around other people! I IMMEDIATELY felt like I was a part of something. I felt welcomed, I felt understood. I laughed with moms just like me. I jumped in with both feet and joined F4M that day and haven't looked back. During this time, I also went for a run one day. I did it to have some time alone, away from work and my boys. As you can imagine, with a past heart defect and a weak set of lungs, I was a terrible runner, hated it in fact. But, for once, I didn't care. I kept running because I cherished that time with myself. I ran and ran and ran and the next thing I knew- I LOVED IT! I learned I could run at my own pace and that miles were miles, no matter how slow. Since then I have ran two half marathons and numerous 10ks and 5ks. I'm still not a great runner by any means, but I love it and want to help other moms feel like they are a part of something too. In my book, running miles together is one of the best ways to do that! Come run with me!