East Nasty

Flying Monkey – early in the race

It is my pleasure to introduce you to my friend, and our newest East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), Zach Layne!  I got to know Zach earlier this year in New Orleans for the Rock & Roll Half.  Zach is a great guy & a blast to be around.  I highly recommend you sidle up to him at 3CB next Wednesday night and get to know him.  In the meantime, here’s a little background to get you started.

2012 Music City Triathlon

Zach was born at Vanderbilt, but his hometown is Bowling Green, KY.  He grew up on a small farm with cows, chickens, horses and a big garden of organic fruits and vegetables. When he was 10, his family moved to Spain for a year.  Zach says that year had a lot of influence on who he is today.

Zach earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he saw “a lot of live music, some great basketball teams, some terrible football teams, and learned to handicap a horse race”.  He says that school was tough, but Lexington was fun.  He moved to Nashville in 1998 to work at an engineering firm downtown.  His family was also starting a business (All Season’s Gardening and Brewing Supply).  Zach says, “More importantly, I moved to East Nashville in 2001.  All my family lives in East Nashville, now.  We’re pretty close, literally and figuratively.”

First PW 11.2

Zach is a civil engineer, but works for a software company, Esri.  He works with local governments in Tennessee and Virginia, helping them use GIS technology to be more efficient.  He recently started doing more at All Seasons, working on the digital strategy and helping with social media.  He says, “It’s definitely more fun to talk to people about growing tomatoes or brewing beer than talking engineering or software.”

When asked about when he started running, Zach says he ran track for a few minutes in high school, but isn’t sure that counts.  He describes running as something he always did to get in shape for something else, like snowboarding, and it was always short distances.  He did some sprint triathlons in the late 90s and early 2000s, but didn’t really start running until 2011.  The second East Nasty run he did was Benji, which was the farthest he had ever run without stopping.

Flying Monkey finish

Zach’s biggest running accomplishment is finishing his first marathon, the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey, last November.  He says, “I never had any desire to run a marathon until I cheered on some Nasties at the 2011 Monkey.  It’s such a fun event; I wanted to be a part of it.  I was very fortunate to get selected in the lottery.  The time between the lottery and race day was an amazing journey filled with long runs at Percy Warner Park, ice baths, Cheyenne’s training rants, dry needles (thanks Brittany) and about 35 trips up Mt. Nasty.  My goal was to finish, preferably in under 5 hours.  I finished in 4:53.  I’m hoping for good Monkey-lotto karma again this year.”

Zach learned about East Nasty in a Lockeland Springs newsletter, but a few years went by before he came out on a Wednesday night.  He was running one cold, snowy Wednesday night in 2011 and passed a big group of runners wearing blinking lights going the other direction.   At that moment, it seemed pretty silly to not to start running with East Nasty.  He went to a Wednesday night run a few weeks later and never looked back.

2013 NOLA start

Zach’s favorite part of East Nasty is the hills.  Because he’s INSANE.  Zach says, “It’s either the hills or that this amazingly diverse and supportive group of friends gets together every week to run through a really cool neighborhood that I’m fortunate enough to call home.  It’s probably the hills, though.”  Speaking of those friends, I asked Zach’s East Nasty family to describe him:

• Andy Moss, “Zach Layne in one word: fastidious.”

• Heidi Wilson, “Zach’s love for running is only outweighed by his love of jam bands.”

• Duane Stephenson, “Zach is always around to give an encouraging word when you need it – either pre-race, or post-run at 3 Crow. I’m inspired (or maybe just dumbfounded) by the way he challenges himself – anyone who runs the Flying Monkey Marathon as his FIRST marathon ever is definitely a guy you want on your side.”

• Cheyenne Price, “If you’re NOT friends with Zach, the problem is most definitely all you, baby!  And he’s just as funny while running as he is to have beers with.  Absolutely one of East Nasty’s greatest and most contagious friends.”

2011 Tomato 5k PR dance

Asked about his most memorable East Nasty experience, Zach says, “Anytime I’m in a race, having that moment of doubt and pain and hearing, “GO EAST NASTY!”  It’s memorable for me.  Sometime it’s a close friend cheering and sometimes it’s random, but every time is memorable.  NRC has a water stop at mile 20 of the Flying Monkey.  There were a lot of East Nasties there helping.  Duane Stephenson and Lee Wilson ran with me for about a minute.  Duane stopped and looked at me and said, “OK, you’ve got a 10k left. You’ve got this. Go East Nasty!”

EN in MT

Zach has a 5-year old son, so when he’s not running, Legos have become a bit of a hobby again.  Zach and his son have a lot of fun riding their bikes around East Nashville and Shelby Bottoms.  Zach loves snowboarding.  He started in ’94 and used to take 3-4 trips a year, but has scaled it down to one great trip to Whitefish, MT each year.  Zach also enjoy triathlons and says that a Half Ironman is on his to-do list.  He says, “Is there a 70.3 with a mass beach start, gnarly open-water swim, downhill bike with the wind at your back, and a run like the 11.2 at Percy Warner?  That’s the one for me.”

Zach, congrats and welcome to the ENOW club, buddy!

Ironman Louisville, August 2012

It is my pleasure to introduce you to our newest East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), Kevin Gammon!  I believe most of you already know Kevin, but if you don’t, you should make a point to get to know him.  He’s a great athlete and an even better guy.  And he’s done an Ironman!  Let’s get to know Kevin.

Kevin was born in Chattanooga and grew up in Chickamauga, GA, a small one red light town just across the TN/GA border.  He went to Berry College for his undergraduate degree and Auburn University for his master and doctorate degrees, all in mathematics (bleh!).   He earned his Ph.D. from Auburn in 2008.

Kevin has lived in Nashville for three years and works as an assistant professor of mathematics at Cumberland University.  Describing his move to Nashville, he says, ”One day I decided it was time for a change.  I quit my job at Troy University, put my stuff in a car, and took the first job I found.  Luckily, I found a job quickly (it was a small car) and it turned out to be close to Nashville.”

First marathon, Country Music, 2011

Kevin ran his first 5k in the summer of 2009 because he noticed that graduate school had not been nice to his health.  He says that he was overweight, unhealthy, and unhappy about it.  Running gave him a way to start changing things.  Even though he started running in 2009, he didn’t attempt anything more than a 5k until he moved to Nashville.  He ran his first half marathon in the fall of 2010 and says, “I was quickly hooked on longer distance running.  It led to my first full marathon, the Country Music, that summer.  I decided to keep going and did my first 50k, Stump Jump, and first half Ironman, Nashvegas, the next fall.”

Kevin’s biggest accomplishment thus far is finishing Ironman Louisville (his first) in August of 2012.  In his own words, “I barely managed to pull myself across the finish line before the 17 hour cutoff, finishing around 16 ½ hours. But I kept going long past the point when my body wanted to quit.  In fact, several caring EMS workers tried to get me to stop while on the bike course.  The challenge is the reason I consider it my biggest accomplishment.  I think pushing yourself to your limit is one of the best ways to learn about yourself. (Not to mention that sometimes the hardest races make the best stories.)”

Country Music, 2012

Kevin heard about East Nasty during his second half marathon.  He was still new to Nashville and looking for a good running group.  Through random luck, he met the infamous Chuck Hargrove, who directed him to the east side of town.  That was about 2 ½ years ago.

When asked what he enjoys most about East Nasty, Kevin says that he enjoys the feeling of community and encouragement from friends.  When he first moved to Nashville, he didn’t know anyone and was not exactly a social butterfly.  The East Nasty group took him in and quickly grew on him. Even better, the people he has met through East Nasty have encouraged him to do things he never would have thought to attempt on his own.  Kevin says, “Had I not joined East Nasty, I doubt I would have done much more than the 5k races that I started with.  In fact, four of my friends (making up the rest of The Fab Five) somehow convinced me to sign up for my second attempt at the Ironman, this time in Madison, WI in September.  I say “friends”, but the truth is a lot of these people have become like family.  It is great to have a community with the same interest.”

The Fab Five

Speaking of The Fab Five, I reached out to Daniel Hudgins prior to writing this post.  Here is what Kevin’s fellow Fab Five member had to say, “Kevin and I have a very similar background with endurance sports and running. We both began running half and full marathons around the same time, so we share a lot of stories and relate well. He has some real grit and determination that is truly inspiring. I am thankful to have a teammate like him while training for my first Ironman. He helps put what is a very intimidating event into something that is a realistic goal. We also have a lot to laugh about, which I highly value.”

When asked about his most memorable East Nasty experience, Kevin says that this actually goes back to the Ironman Louisville, as well.  He says, “Five friends (Jim Schwan, Mike Tarrolly, Daniel Hudgins, Hunter Lane, and Season Kaminski) made the long trip up to Louisville just to sit around for 16 hours and their show support.  That’s a long day.  Several people couldn’t make it but followed me online, sending their encouragement. The support I received from the group was absolutely mind blowing and took me completely by surprise.  It left me speechless.  Or it could have been dehydration.  In either case, I think that this is an example of one of the biggest things East Nasty offers: friendship and support.”

Ragnar relay team, 2012

Speaking of friendship and support, in writing this, I reached out to Kevin’s friend Eddy Rosell.  Here is what Eddy had to say, “Kevin is not only an amazing athlete in the way he pushes himself and leads by example, but he is even a better person and has been one of my best friends since I started running with the Nashville running community. It is because of him that I have pushed myself to be faster and expand my training into other areas and events. We were on a Ragnar team together last year and will be doing the same again this year. Anytime I have a question about training, I go to Kevin. He’s a great athlete and an even better person. I’m so happy to hear that he will be the East Nasty of the Week! He definitely deserves it!”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  Kevin, welcome to the ENOW club!  We’re excited and honored to have you and can’t wait to watch you and The Fab Five KILL IT at Ironman Wisconsin in September!  ENFL!

A little over a year ago, my wife suggested that we offer to start a couch to 5k program at The Next Door.   The Next Door is a 6-month residential recovery program for women in downtown Nashville.  It is an amazing organization, but at the time, they did not have a fitness aspect to the curriculum, and my wife knew many of the women going through the program were frustrated that they couldn’t lose weight.

Through a series of events, too amazing to recount, I was connected with a woman who wanted to start a fitness program at The Next Door.  I called Heidi Huerta to see if she would help.  She said “of course” and The Next Door couch to 5k program started.

Fast forward to April 27th, Suzanne Bowman finished the Country Music Marathon, in the cold rain, 7 months after finishing The Next Door couch to 5k program.  It is with pride and pleasure that I introduce you to our newest East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), Suzanne Bowman, in her own words.

Mark

2013 Country Music Marathon

I’d been running easy for almost two and a half hours, the course relatively flat for this east Tennessee girl.  I knew I’d feel ok up to that point.  After all, hadn’t I been running every day, running from the nightmare I’d put myself through for the past five years?  I don’t know how many miles I had run.  It didn’t matter, but I knew I might start hurting when three hours rolled around, and, ouch, please God, let me conquer this thing in under five hours.  But, with the exception of raw feet and a slight rash on account of a torrential downpour that Forrest Gump couldn’t possibly describe, LP Field came into view unexpectedly, as did the sun.  I ripped off my poncho, free, unencumbered, and ran across the finish line of the 2013 Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee, the place I now call home. Pretty swell considering my first full day free from alcohol addiction occurred July 28, 2012.  I began running again, thanks to The Next Door Program, who encouraged me to embrace wellness and healing of my body and soul, in Nashville, on August 4, 2012.

Do you see those black spots on your pancreas and liver?  If you don’t stop drinking, you will die.  We may have to take your gall bladder out.

My brother was a high school track star, so I ran on the track team too.  My father went to the Citadel on a football scholarship.  I played soccer for the University of Tennessee at the age of 18.  But I was not a naturally gifted athlete.  Instead, I exuded tenacity.  I learned that competition itself is less of a motivator than the simple act of physical exploration a fit body can experience while sensually moving through this beautiful earth.  I liked to run.  While running, I could pray, sing, compose, create, observe, breath, feel, communicate and love.  When I ran, I felt inebriated.  I thought I would own this gift forever.

I stare at the participants, one by one, raising their victorious arms, friends and supporters whooping, clapping.  Passing through the corral, they slow to a stop, gasping, moist smiles on their faces, the numbers on the race clock indicating their final finish time.  Remembering, shaking, I drank vodka out of a dirty water bottle.

But at 42, I began to drink every day.  I had a great time at first, the thrill I was always looking for:  living life with no inhibitions, the volume on everything turned way up.  For the next five years, alcohol became my obsession.  My conduit to God disintegrated.  I lived in a fog, my lens cloudy.  I lost my health, and my memory and capacity for rational thought.  I alienated myself from friends and family, severing a relationship that had spanned over 20 years.  In the end, I was homeless, penniless, stranded, and soulless.  All that mattered was that next bottle, and to disappear into it.  My fitness level reflected my addiction.  My once vibrant athletic body was overweight and bloated, my skin jaundiced and malnourished.  I could no longer run or do a single push up.  My diet consisted of vodka, beer, and anything, healthy or not, that would stay down.  Every morning, vomiting and trembling, I waited outside that liquor store cursing those blue laws that insist that such establishments not open until nine AM.

It was during these painful sober mornings I knew I needed help, but with no job or resources, no treatment facility would accept me without payment, insurance, or a long waiting period.  But standing outside a hospital at four o’clock in the morning having just been released from jail for the tenth time since the summer of 2008, I watched with watery eyes the living starting their day, in their cars, insurance paid up, going to actual jobs, coming home at the end of the day to a place they call home, where there is no sleeping outside.  Shaking and sick, I prayed for the first time, “God, please don’t let me die.  Bob and Judy Bowman did not love this little girl to exist like this.  You didn’t make me aware of all of creation to stare at it through this dirty window I now look through.  I’ll do whatever it takes.”

At the Knoxville Area Mission:  Can you loan me a couple of dollars?  I’m sick.  I’m scared.  You can’t have alcohol on these premises.

The next day, I received a call from The Next Door, a program that not only treats alcohol and drug addiction, but teaches its clients how to live.  Upon arrival, I met some residents who told me there was a group that would run the following morning and that it’s part of a wellness program that includes yoga, circuit training, and of course, running.  They were, in fact, training for a 6K (that race, the first I had participated in since fall of 2007, was the Heroes in Recovery 6K, 2012 at Leaper’s Fork).     

My first morning, my first run, in Nashville, seven days after giving up alcohol, I was hurting after a quarter of a mile.  But the next morning, I did it again, and the next day, and the next day… until three months later, and a 5K, I ran for an hour.

My father after a high school track meet:  Train in such a way every day so that you reduce “course fatigue.”  The faster you run, and the better shape you’re in, the less time you spend on the course.   

During the next six months, I made new friends, sober friends in fitness, who I want to give thanks for being there during those first precarious days of my recovery.  Thank you, Jen, for God allowing you to share your knowledge and passion for health and fitness. Thank you, Heidi, for your motivation, friendship, and gentle coaching.  And thank you East Nasty Running Club for including me, your advice, and encouragement.  I finally did it:  26.2!  God gave my gift back to me in three-fold.

Today, I have a new prayer:  to once again feel the moisture of an early morning on my skin; to experience the pride of acrid sweat and the soil beneath my shoes; to smell the honeysuckle in the mist; and to see the fog ascending through the gap parallel to a road I’ve run many times everywhere I’ve been.

Now, when I run every day, I am living as Thoreau would approve, “to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”  I don’t want money.  I don’t need possessions.  I don’t need drugs or alcohol to mask pain, boredom, or frustration.  I don’t need them to feel good.  When I live “deliberately,” I live for truth, soul, beauty, sweat, purpose, harmony.  I run to see God face to face.

Suzanne Bowman

Recovering alcoholic

Nashville, Tennessee

May 5, 2013

Suzanne, thank you for sharing this.  Your story is an inspiration, as well as a reminder of how important it is for us to be good stewards within our community.  I asked Heidi Huerta to give me a sentence or two about you and about her experience coaching at The Next Door.  Here is what she had to say:

“Words can’t express what an inspiration Suzanne Bowman has been to me from the first day I met her at The Next Door.  Her tenacity, intelligence, focus, and ability to be open and vulnerable are traits I admire. Her recovery has set the bar even higher. She sets out with a goal in mind and that tenacity kicks in. I truly believe there is nothing she can’t accomplish.  Suzanne has significantly changed my life and I am forever grateful. I am proud to call her my friend! Run Suzanne Run!! xoxo”

Suzanne, congratulations on your sobriety and on RUNNING A MARATHON.  Welcome to the ENOW club!  We’re honored and pleased to welcome you into the fold!