East Nasty

Seaside Half Marathon

I’d like to introduce you to our newest East Nasty Of The Week (ENOW), Angela Wilson!  Since so many of us are frequent patrons of NRC & know Angela’s husband, Lee, I’m excited to share some of Angela’s story with you.

Angela & Lee

Here is what Lee has to say about Angela, ”It’s been awesome seeing Angela get into the running world.  She was a competitive diver & gymnast in the past & didn’t really enjoy running until joining the East Nasty crew, which was both social & active. Once the running store became a reality, it seemed like it was like a ‘well crap, guess I better run more!’ moment.”

Angela grew up in Birmingham, AL.  She was a gymnast, springboard diver & cheerleader.  Describing her college experience at Georgia Tech, Angela says that it was a great experience getting out of Alabama & starting over at a college not knowing anyone.  ”It definitely changed my life since I got my first job at the recommendation of one of my professors & met my husband through work.  Was meant to be!”

Lee & Angela

Angela has lived in Nashville almost 5 years.  For the past 13 years, she’s worked as a software consultant.  She goes to new companies every couple of years & helps them through a 1-2 year software upgrade or new implementation project.  Angela says, “It takes me to some cool cities, but also forces me to be on the road a lot.  I’ve been fortunate enough to be on a local project downtown at the Metro Nashville Government for the last few years, so I haven’t had to travel in a while!  Which has been wonderful since we recently welcomed our new little girl, Lila!”

Lila

Angela started running a couple of years after she moved to Nashville.  Her husband, Lee, joined East Nasty & encouraged her to start, but since she was traveling all the time, she was gone every Wednesday.  When she started the local project with Metro, she started coming on Wednesdays.

“To be honest, I had never run in my life because all the sports I did in high school required NO running!  At least no more than 2 minutes of intense running on a gym floor & with diving, no running either.  So I had to teach myself how to run even 2 miles.  I ran by myself every week around my neighborhood to “build up” to 3 miles, so I could go run with the East Nasties.  I didn’t think I would be able to make it through even the shortest East Nasty run, so I ran for months until I was able to make it 3 miles.  Then I showed up!  And all the awesome East Nasties encouraged me & made it fun, & before I knew it I was running 3, 4, 5 miles & eventually The NASTY!!!  Fellow East Nasty Julie Hackbarth ran every Wednesday night run with me & never let me quit.  She is the reason I stuck with it.  She went as slow as I needed to until I felt comfortable with my pace & could eventually speed up a little!”

Girls at beach after Seaside Half

Angela’s biggest accomplishment in running is completing a half marathon last year with a “big group of wonderful East Nasty girls”:  Lanie Brooks, Brittany Endres, Bernadette Doykos, Sara Spencer & Margaret Jones.  They went down & ran the Seaside Half & had a great time.  Angela says, “I PR’d (of course since it was my first half! with a time of 1:49)!”

Girls after the Seaside Half

When asked how she heard about East Nasty & when she started running with us, Angela says, “See last two questions above!”  Angela’s favorite part about East Nasty, besides staying motivated & active, is just the friends & community you get with the group.  She says, “It has made Nashville feel like a home away from home for my husband & I, who both love being an East Nasty!”

Angela, Lee & Lila

Lee says, “Angela’s extremely busy with her career & raising Lila, but is looking forward to getting back to running on Wednesday nights & hopefully mastering this B.O.B. stroller.”

Aside from running, Angela’s other hobbies include traveling (for fun), reading, yoga, movies &, now, mostly taking care of their new little one.

Angela, congratulations & welcome to the ENOW club!

To know East Nasty is to know that we strive to be good community partners.  We clean up trash, we donate to local schools, we host free couch to 5K training, but mostly?  Mostly we help by spending our hard-earned cash at local businesses.  And in that vein, I’d like to introduce you to our newest ENOW category:  local business!

I Dream of Weenie

Who better to start with than the business literally across the street from our 11th & Holly meeting place:  I Dream of Weenie!  I’m excited about I Dream of Weenie being our newest ENOW for many reasons:  I’m personal friends with the owner; I love hot dogs; & ‘Merica.

Leslie catering art opening at Art & Invention Gallery

I Dream of Weenie is owned & operated by Leslie Allen.  Leslie is from Birmingham, AL & attended Auburn University.  Like most of us, she changed majors a couple of times & took the scenic route to graduation.  She ended up with a chemistry degree, but worked in non-profits for most of her career.  Leslie says, “So I guess in a way, I am finally using my chemistry degree because cooking is like chemistry except you get to eat the final product!”

Leslie moved to Nashville in 2001, & East Nashville specifically in 2003.  She bought I Dream of Weenie in April of 2011 as an established, existing business.  It was originally opened in 2007.  After she bought the business, she moved it from its original Woodland Street location to its current location on 11th across from Beyond The Edge.

Eggs Benedict Weenie

Leslie says her biggest accomplishment at I Dream of Weenie is probably establishing Sunday Weenie Brunch.  She kept the original everyday menu since there was a loyal & established following, but Weenie Brunch is her (and her staff’s) creation.  As far as she knows, it’s the only weenie brunch in the world!  There are other breakfast dogs out there, but they do a complete menu each Sunday, including hashbrown casserole weenie, eggs benedict on smoked sausage, French toasted bun with breakfast sausage links & maple syrup, etc.  Also, they have been featured on The Cooking Channel’s show “Eat St.” where a couple of their brunch items were featured.

I Dream of Weenie

On the topic of East Nashville, Leslie says that she loves the sense of community & the originality; she loves the locally owned businesses & getting to know her customers who live & work nearby; & she loves that pretty much anything goes around here!  Leslie says, “You’ve got all types of people of all socio-economic levels, careers, & political persuasions.  And they all love East Nashville.  I would say my fave experience is the annual Tomato Art Fest.   Before IDOW, I enjoyed attending & participating in some of the activities & seeing the creativity of the art.  Since opening IDOW, Tomato Art Fest has taken on a different meaning.  It’s our busiest day of the year & gives me a chance to involve many of my friends & family in the business for a day or two.  It’s truly a great representation of the spirit of East Nashville with the quirky & creative activities, art, & food creations.”

Leslie competing in the Old Hickory Tri in 2006

Leslie first heard about East Nasty through the infamous East Nashville Listserv!  She has run with the group a few times, especially when she was training for several triathlons between 2006 – 2008.   She also worked for LLS’s Team in Training & came out to run/walk with the group a few times as they were recruiting participants for Country Music Marathon & other events.  Leslie says, “It’s been tougher to participate in the group since becoming a business owner due to my crazy schedule & the fact I stand up all day long & really want to sit down at the end of the day!”

I Dream of Weenie

ANNOUNCEMENT

Now, here’s the big news:  Wednesday night Weenie Night!  I Dream of Weenie has offered to extend its hours on Wednesday nights for runners needing to carb-up prior to heading to 3 Crow Bar.  Starting next Wednesday, May 8, I Dream of Weenie is offering a special East Nasty price of $3/per menu item (or $2.50 for the basic hot dog), so stop by after your run!.  Because I Dream of Weenie is on private property, BYOB is permissible, just be conscientious of open container laws & don’t wander off the I Dream of Weenie lawn.  A cooler will be provided.  I Dream of Weenie accepts cash & credit cards.

I Dream of Weenie, welcome to the ENOW club!  Leslie, thank you for bringing more hot dogs into our lives.  We look forward to the first East Nasty Weenie Night after the run next Wednesday, May 8!

You can like I Dream of Weenie on Facebook here & follow along on Twitter here.

Mt Cheaha 50k in 2010

I’d like to introduce you to our newest East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), Phil Zimmerman!  If you’ve been to one of our Wednesday night runs, you’ve probably seen Phil.  You can’t miss him as he’s the tallest person there.  Also, he & his wife Gretchen host the annual East Nasty Christmas Party at their lovely home on Woodland Street.

I spoke to Gretchen before writing this post & she said, “Phil loves the neighborhood & loves the East Nasties. He is always happier after a run & has gotten a lot of his friends to become runners, too.”

Shelby Bottoms Boogie, aka Wedding Day 5k in 2009

Phil is a born & raised Nashvillian.  One of the few.  He grew up across the street from Percy Warner Park, which might explain why he caught the running bug.

In middle school Phil was a huge nerd.  In high school Phil was a huge nerd that ran.  He started cross-country & track in 6th grade & did both until he graduated.  He also participated in plays & musicals & enjoys being the only 6’3″ male tap dancer that you know.

Note to self:  get Phil to tap dance at the next EN Christmas Party.

Rock Creek River Gorge in 2011

Phil attended Vanderbilt University, majoring in Engineering & Communications.  During his senior year, he & his roommate started a closed-circuit tv show, like you do.  They showed horror movies *MST3K style & rated them on “style” & “substance” (they used different terms).  Phil was the Gore Guy and his roommate was the Bush Boy.

*Mystery Science Theater 3000

Tap dancing, b-rated horror movie aficionado by night, by day, Phil is a software consultant.  He goes to different companies in town to help them implement Salesforce.com.  He’s from a family of OB/GYN’s so he feels he succeeded just by avoiding that career.

Phil started running in 6th grade, but quit after high school.  He dedicated his college years to growing a sizable beer gut.  Then a friend convinced him to sign up for the Country Music Half in 2005.  Two weeks before the race, he ran his first trail race, Rock/Creek River Gorge, & fell back in love with running.  Since then, he has run over 100 races, including 15 marathons, five 50k’s & two 50 milers.  You know, the same amount of races you’ve run (!?!).

Race for the Cure in 2007

As you may guess, Phil has more than one accomplishment in running.  He gave me his top five:

1. “Finishing the Race for the Cure with my mom (11 years after her breast cancer diagnosis & less than one year after brain surgery) & my now-wife Gretchen
2. Winning the inaugural Nashville Beer Mile with a time of 8:57
3. Running the Shelby Bottoms Boogie the morning of my wedding with my wife-to-be & about 10 other people from the wedding party in the pouring rain
4. Completing the 2011 Mountain Masochist 50 Miler in Lynchburg, VA
5. PRing at the 2012 Flying Monkey Marathon.”

Gretchen says, “Phil became a much more serious runner when his mom was battling brain cancer. His 5K & half marathon races became 50Ks, marathons, & after her death, almost a race every month. He ran a 50K before he ran an official marathon, & I will never forget spectating that race with his parents. His mom would always yell “I love you Philip” & I can still hear her voice. As she was dying, & after she was gone, running kept Phil from drinking too much whisky & gave him a way to connect with really great people.”

Flying Monkey in 2012

Phil has been running with East Nasty for about 4 years.  He started when he & Gretchen moved to Woodland Street.  In fact, he says that East Nasty was a serious factor in moving to East Nashville:  ”I loved the fact that I would have such a strong running community in the neighborhood.  My favorite EN experience has to be the Christmas party every year.  Close to 200 East Nasties take over our house & it is such a blast.  The things I enjoy most about EN are beer & running, in that order.”

Gretchen says, “One of the reasons that I love Phil so much is that he loves being around people. Since we have moved to East Nashville, running has been a big part of our lives & we love hosting the East Nasty Holiday Party.”

If Phil’s not running, he’s reading, drinking at 3 Crow Bar, restoring classic pinball machines, or watching some b-grade horror movie.  I hope he adds “practicing my shuffle ball change” because I’m serious about getting him to tap dance at the next Christmas party.

Oak Mountain 50k in 2009

Phil, you are awesome, your wife is awesome, your house is awesome & this ENOW title is long overdue.  Congratulations & welcome to the ENOW club!

2012 Purity Dash 10K. PR at 51:45.

I’d like to introduce you to our newest East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), & one of my favorite East Nasties, Kim Stokes-Lanier!  I first met Kim when she lead our pace group on a Wednesday night run, but I really got to know her last summer when we both coached the Potato to Tomato Couch to 5K runners.  Kim is great.  She’s encouraging, supportive, generous & knowledgeable.  You immediately like her & trust her.

2012 Birthday Dinner

If you haven’t met Kim, then you haven’t been running enough.  I talked to Kim’s husband, Rob & he said, “She is insane about running. I look out the window on the coldest, snowiest, rainiest days & say “no way!” But not her, she heads out the door and gets her miles in.”

2012 Muddy Buddy

Kim grew up as an Army brat moving every 4 years - NC, SC, NY, & MA before heading off to college.

In high school, Kim was pretty much a straight-A stoner (ha!), which is really ironic since she then went to the Coast Guard Academy for college.

2012 Cinco de Mayo Run with Rob

When asked when she started running, Kim said that she joined a boot camp group to help deal with the stress of working for a company that was becoming completely dysfunctional.  The instructor was a runner & gradually pushed most of the group into running, starting with 5Ks & gradually working up to half & full marathons.  Kim says, “It was a great group!  Got me to quit smoking after 20+ years just so I could run faster & farther (the #1 & #2 reasons on my Quit Smoking Journal).”

2012 Music Row 10K. Placed 2nd in age group.

Kim went to college at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.  When asked to describe her experience, she says, “True military academy experience with formations before every meal, room & uniform inspections daily, Fri drill review, etc. for all four years.  First year “fun” also included bracing up for meals, marching in formation to/from classes, & double-timing everywhere.  I got lucky in my year group that we got to sail USCGB Eagle to Australia when I was a sophomore & Europe when I was a junior & again as a senior.   And yes, I went through the uniquely nautical experience to become a *Golden Shellback.”

*A Golden Shellback is a person who has crossed the Equator at the 180th meridian (International Date Line).  It’s a rare status.

2012 Music City 4-miler with Rob on Thanksgiving

After college, Kim went to graduate school at the University of New Orleans, which she says, “was a completely different experience with working full-time & going to school at night with weekend group projects. Much, much tamer.”

Kim has lived in Nashville about 2-1/2 years.  She picked Nashville because she had a project putting in cell service at the Capitol & thought it would be a great city to live in if she ever got the opportunity.  Luckily for us, she was able to find a way to make that happen.

2012 Purity Dash 10K on Labor Day

If you’re friends with Kim on Facebook, then like me, you probably wonder what in the world she does for a living since she seems to live at airports.  Kim says, “Easiest way to explain it is that I help cell phones work inside buildings.  I work from home but travel a lot to help sell the equipment that goes into the building.  These days, I provide technical support to the sales team & also help to develop the programs that support sales (training/certification, competitive analysis, inventory levels, etc.).  I honestly like what I do and would probably do it for free if I could afford it.”

Kim’s biggest accomplishment in running was training for the Marine Corps Marathon last year without a training group.  She said, “Doing a 22 mile long run on your own is HARD!  I’m so glad that I’ve been able to train with the East Nasties this spring!”

2012 Marine Corps Marathon

Kim heard about East Nasty via a Google search when she first moved to Nashville.  Describing her East Nasty experience, Kim says, “I knew I needed to find a running group as part of making Nashville my home, but I didn’t know at the time how much it would mean to me.  I’ve met some of the nicest, most generous & supportive people through the East Nasty running club!  I even ended up buying a home in East Nashville after seeing how great the neighborhoods were on those first runs!  And I like being able to give back a little through the charities (shoe & clothes donations) & P2T5K program.  I hope to become one of the half-marathon pacers one of these years.”

2012 Potato to Tomato Couch to 5K Training Program

Kim’s other hobbies include reading, eating, drinking, & generally enjoying newlywed life with her husband Rob.

Wedding Day, November 3, 2012

Speaking of Rob, here is what he had to say when I told him Kim was our newest ENOW, “She really gets a thrill out of helping other runners. She started running not so long ago & remembers how hard it can be to keep going when your feet hurt, everyone is faster than you, & you wonder what the heck you are doing. She had people who motivated her when she struggled & she likes to return the favor. Her best runs are those where she can help someone else succeed. She will come home with a big smile on her face & tell me how he or she gutted it out.  She helped train the Tomato to 5k group for the Tomato Festival 5K & she ran the whole way with them. She truly basks in the success of other runners!!  She is really an inspiring person & I count myself lucky everyday that she is my wife!!!”

2012 Country Music Half Marathon

Ditto.  Kim, you are awesome & East Nasty is lucky to have you.  Congratulations & welcome to the ENOW club!

Super Nate at Ragnar, two years ago

I have an embarrassing confession to make.  I don’t know Nate Birtwell.  Well, I don’t know him yet.  Nate, I will find you at the next Wednesday night run & I will befriend you.  But in the meantime, I got a little help with this post from someone who not only knows Nate, but holds him near & dear to her heart, Season Kaminski.

Nate & Season ran basically every run together for about a year & a half.  Then, unfortunately, they traded tit for tat with very swollen, bruised, & in Season’s case, broken ankles for most of early 2012.  In fact, Nate conquered the Death Valley Trail Marathon last year with a taped ankle.  And y’all, he didn’t just run a marathon on a taped ankle.  He ran up a 9 mile, 5250 foot MOUNTAIN on a taped ankle.  Respect.

Nate & Season at the Boulevard Bolt

Nate grew up in Rhode Island & played baseball at East Providence High School.  Nate was also a member of the track team, but shirks off any early running prowess by assuring us that he didn’t run, but instead, was a marginal shot putter & weight thrower.  Noted.

Nate graduated from Penn State University in 2003 with a degree in telecommunications, then went on to graduate school at the University of Massachusetts, earning a master’s degree in sport management in 2004.  While in Amherst, he co-founded and served as an advisor and assistant coach for the UMass Baseball Club.

Nate started running in 2009.  He had lost a bunch weight & gotten himself in decent shape, mostly through P90X, but also by mixing in a mile or so run from time to time.  When he was home for Thanksgiving, a friend talked him into running a local turkey trot.  It was Nate’s first race & the first time he’d ever run 3 miles.  It seemed like a big deal at the time & it’s when he really caught the running bug.

Nate moved to Nashville in November of 2011 & start running with East Nasty.  When asked how he found out about our little running group, he said that via the powers of Google, he looked to see what was around in Nashville & found out about a Sunday morning East Nasty run & showed up.  (Thanks, internet!)

Nate has lived in Nashville for about two & a half years.  He is an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks   He covers Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio & Michigan.  In short, he’s responsible for evaluating amateur (college, junior college & high school) players for the MLB draft each June.

Ragnar

Mad props aside for running up a mountain with an injury, Nate refuses to brush his shoulders off about his running accomplishments & quips, “I don’t really know that I’ve ‘accomplished’ much of anything”.  Okay, Nate.  Whatever.

Nate does however, give me a list of races that he’s proud of running.  His first half was the 2011 Country Music Half.  Actually, in 2011, Nate ran his first 5 miler, 10k, 15k, half, full (Memphis), sprint tri & Ragnar.  He didn’t race as much in 2012, aside from the aforementioned Death Valley Trail Marathon, which he describes as “a unique experience”.  Nate has done Ragnar the last two years & says that it’s easily the most fun event of the year for him.

Season says, “He may look scary, since he’s got the scout scowl down pat, but this guy is one of my very favorite people and one of the best listeners and friends I’ve ever had the pleasure on spending time with.”

Nate, welcome to the ENOW club!  We’re lucky to have you & hope you stick around for a long time.  Congratulations!