Potato to Tomato Information Meeting

Do you have questions about our Potato to Tomato training program? Race Day questions? Then join us tomorrow evening - Tuesday, June 5th at 6:30 pm - at the Margaret Maddox YMCA Teen Center! Coaches from our program will be there to go over the program, answer any questions, and pass on sage advice. See you there!

Sign up for our FREE 2018 Potato to Tomato training here: https://eastnastyforlife.com/p2t/

Register for the East Nashville Tomato 5K here: http://www.ymcamidtn.org/events/east-nashville-tomato-5k-2018

It's back! Join our 2017 'Potato to Tomato' Training - the best couch-to-5k program in Nashville!

We at East Nasty know that if you are not a runner it can be hard to get started. We also know that it IS possible to get yourself trained from being a non-runner to being able to run a 5K in 8 week's time. That is why every summer, we conduct a FREE couch-to-5k training program. The “Potato to Tomato” is an eight-week program designed to prepare ANYONE to run the East Nashville Tomato 5K. We especially want those of you who have never run before, or are coming off a long hiatus! Beginning June 17th we will meet three times a week for training: Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6pm, and Saturday mornings at 7am. Most of teh time we will meet in Shelby Park at or near the Nature Center. After 8 weeks, we will culminate by running the YMCA East Nashville Tomato 5K race on August 12th 2017!

The 2017 Potato to Tomato program is starting soon! Come to an informational meeting at the Margaret Maddox Family YMCA in East Nashville on June 8th at 6:30pm, check out the details below and sign up! If you have any questions, email us at p2t@eastnastyforlife.com.

Who?

Anyone...unless you are currently a runner! This program is designed to help those who have yet to find the motivation to commit to a training program. If you are currently a runner, you are welcome to join us, but only if you bring a friend who is not a runner! (Runners:if you are looking for a group to run with, join the regular East Nasty run on every Wednesday at at 6pm.)

When and where?

From June 17^th through August 12, 2017 we will meet on Mondays at 6pm, Wednesdays at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 7am. Our first meeting will be on Saturday June 17 at 7am at the Shelby Park Nature Center. (Monday and Wednesday evenings we will always meet in Shelby Park at the Nature Center)

How?

During the course of 24 workouts, participants will progress from walk/runs to run/walks to steady running. Most workouts will only last between 30 and 45 minutes and we will celebrate our success by running the East Nashville Tomato 5K race on Saturday, August 12^th ...without walking!

View the Training Plan

Interested?

Sign up!  Then attend our informational meeting at Margaret Maddox on June 8th at 6:30 p.m. Or just show up on Saturday June 17th at 7 a.m. at the Shelby Park Nature Center for the first workout! You can also join our Potato-to-Tomato Facebook Group.

Cost?

Just some sweat, a few pounds and three hours a week! That’s it. The training is free, a gift from East Nasty to our community! Note: there is an entry fee for the East Nashville Tomato 5K race. IF the cost of the race entry is a financial burden, please let us know. We can connect you with resources at the YMCA to help!

Shirts

If you would like an official East Nasty Potato to Tomato 2017 tech t-shirt (not required, but they are awesome!) you can order one now until July 17th HERE. They cost $18.00 (plus a 99 cent order fee).

 

Tonight (Thursday) is our information meeting about the 2015 Potato to Tomato training.   It will begin at 6 p.m. in the teen center at the Margaret Maddox YMCA is East Nashville.   If you can't make the meeting, you can read about and register for the program here.   It's free!   All it costs you is a little bit of sweat and perhaps a few of those unnecessary pounds!   Please pass this along to anyone who wants to be a runner - but struggles to make it happen.   We welcome all ability levels.  In fact, this year we are going to have a speed walking group for those who just cannot run.

This is going to be a great Wednesday night and a great weekend in East Nashville...

Wednesday's Run

Wednesday at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.

To get us ready for this Saturday's race, we're going to take a hiatus from our route sequence and run the Tomato Fest 5k course.  (Here is the map) But remember, this is not the actual race... so run safely. There are a couple of places on this route where you will need to make a left turn - make sure that you cross at an intersection.

Wednesday afternoon, we will be joined by our Potato to Tomato training group and by former world record holder Arturo Barrios.  This is a big moment for our couch to 5kers, so be sure to offer them a word of encouragement!   On the other end of the spectrum, Barrios is the first man to ever break 60 minutes for a half-marathon. His fast running days are behind him, but he's always willing to give a few pointers for your next race...

Also, if you have not signed up for the race yet, folks from the Y will be at the run in the afternoon taking any last minute registrations.

Ragnar Relay

Also on Wednesday afternoon, a representative from the Ragnar Relay will be at the run giving out free swag and a promo code for $150 off!   Do not miss this chance if you are even thinking about putting together a Ragnar team.

Pint Night

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so that means pint night at Nashville Running Company.

The Festival

Of course we want you to run the 5k this Saturday morning, but if you miss the race, you need to come down to 5 Points to enjoy the festival.  As you may know, it is almost a requirement that the temperature and humidity are both over 90 for the Tomato Fest.  So every year East Nasty has a water stop for the festival.  At our booth outside of 3 Crow Bar we hand out the extra water from the race, and keep 3 coolers full of cold water to hand out to festival goers.  It is a great way to give back to the community that we love, but we need your help. We still need a couple more volunteers to take a 2-hour shift where you do three things (1) hand out water, (2) sell the soon to be released summer East Nasty tees, and (3) explain to people what "East Nasty" means.  It's really a lot of fun, and a great way to meet people.

Sign up for  shift here.

ENFL! - Mark

Hello East Nasties! After a busy couple of weeks, including the Tomato 5K and the Music City Mile (congrats to everyone who ran in those events!), we are back to a bit of normalcy this week.

Wednesday Run

This week we are running Route #8: Rick's Market - about 3.8 miles. We meet at 6pm at 11th & Holly. (Our morning run meets every Wednesday at 5:50am, also at 11th & Holly). Be sure to check out the map and learn the route. Each week we need volunteers who know the route to be group leaders. It's pretty simple - just pick the pace you normally run at and run the correct route so those behind you know where to go. That's it. If some runners get ahead of you that is their own problem. Speaking of runners getting ahead of route leaders: A lot of you runners sandbag your pace time - you start in a slower pace group and then speed up way past it. Especially in the 8:30-9:30 range. Try starting out in the next faster group.

Cups

Each week a volunteer cleans the cups that we all use after the run. East Nasty uses plastic cups so that we don't produce the trash from throwing away 200+ plus paper cups every week. Would you help us by volunteering to clean the cups one week? Again, it's pretty simple: 1) Take the cups home after the run. 2) Wash them (by hand or in the dishwasher). 3) Bring them back the next week. Easy stuff. Please sign up for a specific week here.

5K to 5 Miles

Our '5K to 5 Miles' program has started. This is a great next step for you guys who just finished your first 5K and are ready to add a little milage and/or train for the Boulevard Bolt 5 mile race on Thanksgiving. The group meets in Shelby Park on Mondays at 6pm and Saturdays at 8am. For more details contact Rachel (rachel@schafferlawfirmtn.com) and/or Mike (michaelclark700@hotmail.com).

Lasty Nasty

Dont feel that you're quite fast enough for the main group? Then the 'Last Nasty' group is for you! "We might be last but we have lots of fun encouraging each other!" They adjust our Wednesday evening runs to accommodate 15+ minute milers. Find them on Facebook here and introduce yourself.

Shirts

We still a few Tomato shirts left in women's sizes S, M, L, and XL on sale for $10. We also have only a few of our new green cotton blend Ts ins women's sizes L and XXL available for $20. See Duane after the run to purchase one.

See you tonight! ENFL! -Duane

Welcome to Biggest Week of the Year for East Nasty!

It is East Nashville Tomato Fest week, which of course includes the East Nashville Tomato 5K this Saturday at 7:30am. There are going to be several opportunities on Saturday for you to participate and volunteer. Come be a part of our favorite week of the year! This is a long post - but contains everything you need to know about  this week. Please read the whole thing!

The Route - Wednesday Aug 8th

First things first – the route this Wednesday will be the East Tomato 5k race course. Here is a map. Many of us will be running in the race so we will get in a practice run on the course. We will be joined Wednesday night by our Potato-to-Tomato 5K Training Group that has been meeting 3 days a week all summer in Shelby Park. Please be sure to introduce yourself to these runners, congratulate and welcome them to the big East Nasty family as they have all trained very hard for the race this weekend.

The groups will start at different times tomorrow night but needless to say we will have a large group of runners out on the roads. It is very important to obey the rules of the road. Run on the sidewalk or on the left side of the street, do NOT run more than 2 people across and do NOT run out into the road in front of oncoming traffic. This is a very fun night and a big week for East Nasty – please do not ruin it for others by running in the middle of the road or jumping out in front of traffic and getting us into trouble with the police.

Our morning run meets at 5:50am and starts promptly at 6am. The evening run meets at 6pm. Both runs meet at our usual spot - the corner of 11th & Holly in front of the yellow ArtEmbrace house.

How can I participate on Saturday Aug 11th?

There are several different ways to be a part of East Nasty’s homecoming event this Saturday:

1) Run in the East Tomato 5k race. The race starts at 7:30am just off of the 5 Points intersection and there will be East Nasties all over the place. All we ask is that you wear an East Nasty shirt during the race. See more on shirts below. The Potato-to-Tomato Group will meet at out normal Wednesday night meeting spot ( 11th & Holly ) at 7:00 am for a warmup and then head down to the start of the race together.

2) Volunteer at the race. Our good friends at Fleet Feet Sports are sponsoring a water stop at mile 2 on the race course and our peeps at Nashville Running Company are helping out at the finish line. If you're not running in the race, we need some East Nasty volunteers to help them pass out water, help on the race course, and cheer on the runners. Contact Amanda (amanda@eastnastyforlife.com) or Drew (drew@eastnastyforlife.com) to volunteer. We need you!

3) Work the East Nasty 'water tent booth' during the East Tomato Fest. From 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday. East Nasty will have a tent set up right in front of 3 Crow Bar and we will be serving free water to anyone who is thirsty during the Tomato Festival. It is our way of giving back to the community as a thanks for letting us run on the neighborhood streets. We need volunteers to work a 2 hour shift. The volunteers will be passing out water, selling shirts, refilling coolers, getting ice, and spreading the East Nasty cheer. SIGN UP FOR A SHIFT HERE. Be sure to wear an East Nasty shirt. Contact Sarah Shearer for more details: sarahkshearer@gmail.com

4) Come and hang out. Even if you can not run in the race or volunteer please still try to come out to the Tomato Fest for a bit and spend some time with your running buddies. There will be live music, contests, art, parades, food and drink, free water and all things tomato all day long. Again all we ask is that you wear one of your East Nasty shirts with pride.

Speaking of Shirts...

We have 2 new shirts now available for you guys.

1) The 2012 Tomato tech shirt is now available for purchase for $20 at Nashville Running Company. These are high quality Pearl Izumi white tech shirts with our logo and Tomato 5K art in red.

2) Our 2012 cotton tri-blend t-shirt will be available for purchase for $20 at our Tomato Fest booth on Saturday. This years shirt is green, super soft, and comes in both men's and women's sizes. We will have a preview of them at the run on Wednesday evening. (We may have the shirts available for sale on Friday evening somewhere in 5 Points - if so, we will announce that here and on our Facebook page.)

A very exciting and fun week for East Nasty indeed. Please see Mark Miller, Drew Jones, Amanda Tungett, Sarah Shearer, or Duane Stephenson with any questions you have regarding this weekend. We will all be there at the Wednesday night run.

Hope to see all of you this week out there in Full Force  — EAST NASTY FOR LIFE – Yahhhhhhhhh  !!!!!

Drew (and Duane)

Don't forget to register today for the Tomato 5K race! Today, Friday June 15th, is the last day for discounted early registration. Register today and save $10 before the price goes up tomorrow!

Shoe Drive

June 6th is our second shoe drive of the year.  Please take a moment tonight to clean up any old running shoes that you have, and bring them to tomorrow evening's run.

Couch to 5k

Thursday is our informational meeting for the 2012 Potato to Tomato training program.  It will take place at the Margaret Maddox YMCA at 6:30 p.m.   This meeting is not mandatory, but it is extremely helpful.  If you can't make the meeting, just show up at Shelby Park (outside the nature center) at 6 p.m. on June 18 ready for the first run.

For all you regular Wednesday runners - make an effort to invite one person to join us this year!  Most of us have a story about how running has changed our lives - so let's pass it forward!   Click here for more information.

Calling All Sponsors

For several years now I have had a vision to have a one-mile race in Nashville, and finally it's going to happen!  On Thursday, August 16 Nashville will finally get a road mile.   There will be 7 races, culminating with elite men's and elite women's races.  Right now we are looking for some sponsors.  If you or your company would be interested in sponsoring this race, please let me know.  Email me at mark@eastnastyforlife.com.

Wednesday Run - Evening AND Morning editions!

"These go to 11..."

This week's Wednesday run is Route #11: Churches.  It's a figure 8 course, so take a moment to check out the map. Also, Wednesday June 6th is National Running Day!

The evening run meets at 6pm at 11th & Holly. The morning version meets at 5:50am at the same place.

After the run it's Pint Night at Nashville Running Company in 5 Points. You can also "preview this weekend's Trunk Sale with 30-40% off Spring and Winter gear."

Mark

Couch to 5k

Part of our mission statement at East Nasty is to make running accessible to everybody in our neighborhood.  One way that this mission manifests itself is in our free couch to 5k training every summer.  (We call it "Potato to Tomato")    The details for this year's program are outlined here, but we need coaches.

Last year we had around 250 participants, so we would love to have 20-25 + coaches.    We meet on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from June 18 until the race on August 11, and are looking for coaches who can make at least 2/3 of the training sessions, and are willing to pace their group during the Tomato Fest 5k race.  If you are interested in becoming a coach please email Mark at millema6@hotmail.com.

Wednesday, May 16

This week we are back to Rick's Market...Coldest Beer in Town.  Take a moment to check out the route, and be sure to volunteer to be a leader!