This Sunday, December 18th, we'll have our kick-off informational meeting!

Where: The new Nashville Running Company.  Right next to the post office on Woodland in East Nashville.  Across from Rumors East.

What: We'll start the morning with a 5.35 mile run.   (There are several ways to adjust this route to make it shorter.)  Then we'll have a brief informational meeting about the 1/2 marathon training and the couch to 5k program.

When: Run starts at 9 a.m. (ish), the meeting will probably start around 10.

One final note:  If you are planning on running the 1/2 marathon, you should probably sign up soon.  Like now.  I think that the entry fee jumps by $20 in January.  Also if you put in the code CMMCLUB, you get $10 off your entry fee.

Another final note: This year, we are looking to have some pace group leaders.  Group leaders would take charge of a group with a particular goal time by leading the Sunday runs and hopefully even running the race at the necessary pace to hit the desired goal.  If this describes you: please sign up at the meeting, or send me (Mark) and email at millema6@hotmail.com.

By the way: This video confirms what we all know and is 100% worth the 9 minutes it takes to watch.  After watching, pass it on to your friends to encourage them to join our couch to 5k training!  (I was particularly amazed that exercise ameliorates many of the negative consequences associated with obesity...)

See you on Sunday!

This is a big running weekend in Nashville - and a busy weekend for East Nasty... Saturday, April 30 - Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon

7 am Start.  Here are a couple of thoughts:

Before the run: There is a shuttle that will take you from LP Field to Centennial Park (the start line.)   This is a great service, but it takes forever to get out of LP field after the race.  Here is my thought: park in East Nashville and jog over to LP field to grab a shuttle.  Then after your race, walk back to your car.

After the run: There is an area called the "family reunion" area or something like that. After you finish your race, meet your fellow Nasties under the letter E.  Then after you recover, head over to 9th and Russell to help out at Lee Wilson's water stop.  (If you are not running, and would like to help out at the water stop, he could probably use some help early in the morning to set up or later in the day to clean up.  Send him an email for details lwilson07@hotmail.com)

Way after the run: Everyone is welcome to join us for our post race party!  Erin and I are hosting at 314 S. 17th street.  It starts up at 4.  Bring something to throw on the grill or something to share...or both!  Here is the sign up sheet, just add your name and click "save".  But even if you don't have a chance to make anything, please come join us for an evening to celebrate 16 tough weeks of training!

Shirts: At the post race party we will unveil our brand new East Nasty shirts!  This will be our first non-technical t-shirt, and Duane has done another fantastic job designing it...  They will be $20.

Quickly looking ahead: Wednesday, May 4th...Walk with Mayor Dean

Next Wednesday, we will not be meeting at our normal time or location!

We are going to join the Mayor for his 2 mile walk over the Pedestrian Bridge at 5:30.  We will meet at 5:15 in parking lot J of LP field.  I know that this will be impossible for many people...but please make every effort to join us as we support his efforts to get Nashville active!   This is a great way to demonstrate our mission: to make running accessible to everyone in our community!  So wear your east nasty gear and let's show up en masse!  (After the 2 mile walk, we will head out for a typical Wednesday night run...)

Good luck and I'll see you guys on Saturday!

Mark

!!!!!!!!Time Change!!!!!!!!

As I picked up the completely empty gatorade cooler last Sunday, I asked some folks: "should we start at 8am from now on??"  and received a resounding "yes!"  (Especially since next week is our longest run to date)  Well, you have been heard!

For the rest of our training, we are moving our Sunday morning start time to 8a.m.

So while we might not be worried about heat this Sunday, the 8 am start will get us finished an hour earlier, and get us over to Scott Piper's amazing brunch extravaganza !

The Runs - Sunday March 27

Advanced: 15 miles.  Run the course through mile 12, run up James Robertson and back to Centennial Park via Church street.

Intermediate: 12 miles.  Run the course through mile 9ish.  Head straight across the round-about, turn left on West End - and then add one loop of Centennial Park to make 12 miles.

Novice: 11 miles.  Follow the intermediate route without adding the loop of Centennial Park.

This is just going to be a steady long run, no fast finish.  So run about 1:30 to 2:30 minutes slower per mile than your 3 mile time trial.

Remember to print out a map of the course if you are prone to getting lost!

Shirts

We are totally out of men's East Nasty shirts.  But there are some ladies still available.  If you would like an East Nasty shirt, see Drew on Sunday or Wednesday.

Sunday March 6 Shelby Park, 9 am

The Run:

This week we are returning to Shelby for our second of three long tempo runs.  This week will be 4,5 or 6 miles at tempo pace: which is 35-50 seconds per mile slower than your 3-mile time trial pace.  So if you ran 21:00 for 3 miles last week, this week you need to run 4,5 or 6 miles between 7:35 and 7:50 pace.

Tempo runs are a great opportunity to practice negative splitting...or finishing faster than you start.  So the person above should start at 7:50 pace and slowly drop down to 7:35 pace.  For you heart rate junkies, look for 88-90% max heart rate.

The Brunch

Here is the brunch sheet.   I have been so impressed with the amount and quality of food that is arriving at these brunches!  All of your hard work and efforts are much appreciated.

Cycling Kits

5 pm Sunday @ Eastside cycles.

Running in the news...

Once again Nashville's own Andrew Bumbalough is tearing up the track.   The results below are from a meet that he just completed in Australia.

Finals                                                                 
  1 Bernard Lagat                USA                   13:08.43        
  2 Ben St Lawrence           81 NSWIS                 13:10.08        
  3 Chris Solinsky               USA                   13:10.22        
  4 Matt Tegenkamp               USA                   13:16.27        
  5 Andrew Bumbalough            USA                   13:16.77        
  6 Craig Mottram             81 VIS                   13:25.15        
  7 Tim Nelson                   USA                   13:28.09        
  8 Jeremy Roff               84 NSWIS                 13:37.48        
  9 Isaac Songok                 KEN                   13:38.43        
 10 Collis Birmingham         86 VIS                   13:42.14        
 11 Liam Adams                86 VIC                   13:44.60        
 12 David McNeill             86 VIC                   13:51.95        
 13 Youcef Abdi                  NSWIS                 13:53.00        
 14 Craig Miller                 USA                   14:01.40        
 15 James Nipperess           91 NSWIS                 14:06.74        
 16 Russell Dessaix-Chn       79 NSW                   14:07.32        
 17 Alan Craigie              83 ACT                   14:24.21        
 -- Paul Hoffman                 VIC                        DNF        
 -- Philo Saunders               ACT                        DNF        
 -- Brandon Bethke               USA                        DNF

The results page is pretty darn cool.  If you click on the men's 5000m final.  And then click on the link at the top that says "lap times"  They actually have the lap times of all the athletes as well!  It looks like Andrew was in the front group (with some really big names) until the last 800 meters.  Pretty cool.

Mark

Sunday, February 27:  Shelby Bottoms, 9 am Can you believe that February is almost gone??!!

The Run

We are back at Shelby Bottoms this week for our second (and last) 3 mile time trial.  Remember, it is always good to benchmark your fitness every 3-4 weeks, and adjust your training paces accordingly.  Sunday's time trial will establish our pace for the March 5th tempo run, and give us a goal pace for our 1/2 marathon.   (March 5:  4, 5 or 6 miles at a pace that is 35-50 seconds slower per mile than your time trial pace.)

Shirts

Sunday is your last chance to order an East Nasty shirt.  We are going to place the order on Monday.    We have a size run of both men's and women's, so come on out this Sunday, try on a shirt and place your order.

Wednesdays...

I have a feeling that we are going to have really big numbers this summer for our Wednesday night runs. This is really exciting, but it means that will we have a bigger impact in both good and bad ways.  On the positive side, I can't wait for our alley clean-up, dog-food drive, summer couch-to-5k group, and patio time at 3 Crow, not to mention the fun of running with 200+ people every week!  On the negative side, if we're not careful, bigger crowds can cause traffic congestion, parking problems and an impersonal atmosphere that forgets East Nasty's welcoming attitude!

As we move forward there will be some changes, and we need your help!  More details will be coming, but right now, we need three things:

1) Be careful, defer to traffic and be considerate to drivers.  The vast majority of East Nashvillians have been great to us - let's show them courtesy in return.  Stop at stop signs, look both ways before crossing, and run 2 wide at most... The bumper stickers say "share the road" and that's what we need to do.

2) Learn the routes and volunteer to lead a group.  Take a couple of moments to learn the route because we will be asking for more pace group leaders.

3) Meet someone new.  Never forget how intimidating it can be for a new person to join a big group like this.  Be intentional about approaching new people and invite them to join us at 3 Crow or on Sunday.

Mark

This week, 2/20 we meet at 9 am in Percy Warner Park. In the News...

In the early days, the Country Music Marathon (full that is...) passed through the heart of East Nashville during miles 20-24.   The runners loved that part of the route because of the community support, but they complained about the hills.  So they changed the course, and for the last couple of years, the runners went out and back on Davidson when they went to Shelby Park.  This year, they've changed the course, and added five points back to the course!  In fact the course is going to pass right past our Wednesday night meeting spot!  Very cool, check it out here.

Speaking of marathons... it looks like the 2013 Boston Marathon qualification standards are getting tougher. Just another reason to join us on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings!

Finally, Nashville's own Andrew Bumbalough (Brentwood Academy '05), just finished 2nd in the USA Cross Country championships!  He will go on to represent the USA at the world cross championships, which has been called the 2nd most competitive running race in the world...(behind the Kenyan qualifying race for the World Cross Country championships...)

Update:  Insane...here are the results from the Kenyan National Cross Country Championships.  Remember, the men run 12k, not 10k.   Maybe even worse, check out the junior men!  10th place: 23:47 for 8k (5 miles)

Shirts

Ladies: You have two more chances to order an East Nasty Lululemon tank top:  Sunday (2/20) or Wednesday (2/23).  You can order a white or a black tank.  They are $30 and you will need to pay for it when you place the order.   This is new, and we will not be ordering extras, so be sure to place an order if you want one.

Guys, we have not forgotten you.  We will have a size run of the Nike tech-t that we will be ordering.  It will probably be available on Wednesday...  Women can also order a t-shirt if interested.

This Sunday's Run (2/20)

This Sunday, another 10 minute addition.  80, 90 or 100+ minutes for novice, intermediate, advanced runners.  There will be groups running on the trails or the roads.  The main advanced group will be running the red, white and blue trails.  This is a tough run - probably approaching 2 hours for many runners, so you may want to bring fluids.  The weather tomorrow looks incredible!

The Brunch...check it out, and sign up to bring something!

Remember, 9am Percy Warner Park.  See you there!  (next week we will head back to Shelby.)

Shoes

The East Nasty shoe donation program is going strong, but we need more shoes.  Specifically guys - we need your used shoes.  We have had several requests for men's shoes, and we are running low.  I know that we have a bunch of new runners, so please look through your closet and bring us your old trainers!

Mark

Thursday I enjoyed my 5th snow day of the year - after a great Wednesday night run with about 15 other East Nasties.  Some snow days in the south are a bit ridiculous, but this one was much deserved, as the roads were incredibly slick.  Remember - be safe, but if you can get to East Nashville, someone will be running on Wednesday nights!

The Run

Sunday looks to be great!  It should warm up into the 50 by mid-day.  Not quite in time for our run, but it should be 40 by run time. (Perfect!)

This week, everyone tacks 10 minutes onto last week's run.  Novice - 70, Intermediate - 80 and advanced - 100 minutes.   Like last week, there will be groups on the roads and groups on the trails.  Remember, keep a steady effort, not a steady pace.

Tanks

Ladies, you have been heard.  We are going to order Lululemon "cool racerback" tanks this year.  There will be several days to order, but you must pay for your tank before we order it! The tanks will be $30, and when you place your order, being cash or a check made to "East Nasty Running Club".  The days that you can try on and order tanks are Wednesday 2/16 & 2/23 and Sunday 2/20.

Guys - we will have singlets later this year, and everyone (men and women) will have an opportunity to order technical t-shirts soon.

The Brunch

Drew and Rod Jones will be hosting the brunch this week!  Hey ohhhhhh...   But we need to start signing up to bring stuff!  Here is the brunch sheet.  They live at 6015 Bradford Hills Drive.

Logs

By the way, we still have some training logs available.  You have only missed one month!  Bring $10 to the brunch if you are interested.

See you on Sunday.

Mark

The Run 9am Shelby Park

Running a 1/2 marathon is about being able to sustain a "pretty hard" pace for 13.1 miles, so our workouts must reflect that fact.  That is why we will incorporate 3 tempo runs into our Sunday morning training sessions.  "Tempo" runs are runs of 20 minutes or longer that are done at an 85-90% effort level.  20 minute tempo runs should be done at about 25 seconds slower than 5-k pace, and you should slow down as the length of the run increases.  For us, our pace will be between 35 and 50 seconds per mile slower than your time trial from last week.  (Easy runs are 90 - 120 seconds slower than your 3-mile pace.  Check out this post from last week if you need some help developing your paces from last week's 3-mile time trial.  Or check out the MacMillan Training Calculator.)

Now it is also important that we learn to run this pace at the END of a race.  So we are going to tempo at the end of our runs this week:

Novice: 2 miles easy + 3 miles tempo + 1 mile easy

Intermediate: 3 miles easy + 4 miles tempo + 1 mile easy

Advanced: 4 miles easy + 5 miles tempo + 1 mile easy

As with every run, slowly build your speed.  Warm up very easily, and when you begin your tempo running, allow your pace to slowly increase so you can finish faster than you started.  We'll do these runs on the greenway, since every quarter mile is marked and it is easy to monitor your pace.

*** Super important - it is better to err on the side of too slow than the side of too fast!

KIPP Academy

KIPP's track team is getting ready to start.  Last year, we raised money to get them uniforms and warm-ups - but most of the kids still practiced in their school clothes.  So this year, we are having a clothing drive. We need you to search through your closets and pull out all your old running clothes, race t-shirts, sports bras, shorts etc...  Better yet, pull out all your running clothes that are too small (KIPP is a middle school...), and bring them this Sunday, or next Wednesday.

Brunch

Duane-o is hosting this week.  414 North 17th street.   (The North part is important!)  If you can, please sign up to bring something - here is the brunch sheet.

See you on Sunday!

Mark

1/2 Marathon Training Session #4:  Time Trial Location:  Shelby Park.

Time: 9 am

Workout: 3 mile time trial

Every year, runners come up to me before the 1/2 marathon and ask, "what pace should I shoot for?"  Or they say "How fast should I be running my long runs?"  Answer: I have absolutely no idea!  One person's easy run in another's sprint.  Now, if that same runner can provide me a recent race result or time trial, then I can get pretty specific with my advice.

So that's what we are going to do this week.  We are going to run a 3 mile time trial, and that will give us a benchmark to train for the next month.

The Run:

This week we will meet at Shelby Park to run between 5 and 8 miles total, but 3 miles will be hard.

Novice: 1 mile warm up + 3 mile TT on path + 1 mile cool down

Intermediate: 2 mile warm up + 3 mile TT on path + 2 mile cool down

Advanced:   3 mile warm up + 3 mile TT on path + 2 mile cool down

How will this time trial help you?

1. Determine Training Paces. The pace at which you can run 3 miles (or a 5k) is useful in determining your training paces.  Below are some generally accepted training paces based on your 3-mile pace.  (Your 3-mile pace is called your "I")

I Pace - your 3 mile TT pace.

F Pace - 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I pace

T Pace (Tempo) - 30-40 seconds per mile slower than I pace

Long Runs - 90-150 seconds slower per mile than I pace

Easy Runs - 2 minutes or  slower per mile than I pace

"Normal" runs - 1 to 2 minutes per mile slower

2. Make Predictions.  Your 3-mile time can help you make predictions about future races.  For example, theoretically you can run a 1/2 marathon about 10% slower per mile than your 3-mile pace.  (This is for similar course profiles. For example, this time trial from Shelby Bottoms does not translate very well to the Country Music Half because of the hills.)  If you want to investigate how race results can make predictions for other race distances, check out the MacMillan Running Calculator.

The Brunch

One of the great blessings of my life recently has been to get to know so many great East Nasties.  And the best way to do that is outside of the runs.  So if you are new, try to make one of the Sunday morning brunches - it's a great place to make new friends.  If you are an old standard, check out the brunch sheet and sign up to bring something!  The brunch this week is hosted by Andy Moss & Heidi Wilson @ 1111 Forrest Ave.

See you on Sunday!

Mark

Our second 1/2 marathon training session is tomorrow (January 9). The Run

Novice : 50 minutes + 2 hills

Intermediate: 60 minutes + 3 hills

Advanced: 70 minutes + 4 hills

At this point in our training, these runs need to be easy - conversational.  If you find that you cannot talk, you are going too fast.  For you heart rate junkies, you need to be running under 75% max heart rate.  (Preferably under 70%)  And you just need to get up the hills.  These are not hill sprints.

The Brunch

One of the most unique/enjoyable parts about the East Nasty 1/2 marathon training are the brunches.  Every week we go to a home and enjoy a pot luck brunch together.  It's the best way to get to know your fellow runners, and to refuel those muscles.  This week we are being hosted by Phil and Gretchen Zimmerman.

Here's the best part: all 1/2 marathon trainees are welcome to join us!  Zach Barnett is our brunch-master and every week he will put together a google doc where you can get all the details.  So check out this document, and remember, it is a pot-luck, so please just type in what you are going to bring and press "save" in the upper right corner.   (Note: if you can't bring something one week..no worries!  Please still join us! The food is great, but the real point of these brunches is to get to know some of your fellow East Nasties.)

P.S.  We do need hosts.  So please either find Zach, or email him (zpb@hotmail.com)  if you are willing to host!

The Weather

While it is hard to get going when it is cold, cold weather running is actually safer than hot weather running. Use your own discretion if you have a long way to travel of course, but don't let the frigid temps scare you because we will be running every Sunday.  Hints: wear a hat, gloves, don't wear cotton next to your skin.  And when the streets are slick, run in the grass as much as possible.

See you on Sunday!

Mark

P.S.  There are 9 sweatshirts left and bring $10 for your training log!!

2011

Here are a couple of last minute reminders as we enter into the new year.

1) 1/2 Marathon Training begins January 2! This week we are meeting in Shelby Park in the parking lot near the nature center.  9 a.m.  Here is the training program.  Take a moment to look it over to see if you have any questions.

Just to clarify: our Sunday runs are organized, the Thursday interval sessions are on your own.  If you want a little more structure for your interval training, join Drew and I at Fleet Feet's Winter Speed Sessions.  Winter speed will not start until February 15th, so more details will come soon -

2) Our training logs are in...almost. Our 2011 training log looks awesome!   It's going to be a great way to record your running story (because that's what it is...just part of your story) as we travel through this year.  They'll be $10, and I'll have one to show off this Sunday.   Bottom line: don't buy some generic training log!  Ours will be available very soon.

3) Resolution to King. Do you have friends who are nervous to try running?  Or they think that they might embarrass themselves? Do those statements describe you?  Well our couch-to-5k program begins this Monday, and it is a great way to introduce yourself to the wide world of distance running. Currently there are 64 people signed up!   So encourage your friends to join - or show up yourself and become a running mentor.  6 pm at the corner of 11th and Holly.

4) Resolutions Any good ones?  I am going to try and do yoga twice a week.  We were given a Tara Stiles DVD, and even her easy stuff is crazy hard.  She basically folds herself in half... So it's going to be a long haul for me considering that I am the least flexible person in the world.  So leave a comment, and let us know what your resolutions are!

Happy New Year.

Mark

Hey guys and Annie - Thanks for all the kind words!  It has been a blast for me to slowly brainwash you guys to create a new society of people who actually enjoy running!

Annie is correct, I don't get paid, and it reminds me of an article I read several years ago called "the death of the hobby."  The point of this article was that unless there is an ultimate financial pay-off, people have stopped doing things.  Even many of my best friends, with great intentions, have tried to make East Nasty a money making proposition for me.  My goal with East Nasty is to build a community of runners who support and encourage each other in running and in life, not to create a source of income.  You cannot simultaneously focus on community building and personal gain; one of the two has to take priority. (Ask my friend Randy who started an inner city school...)

A side benefit, of course, is the creation of a platoon of followers who do my bidding.  ("Gee Brain (Drew), what are we going to do tonight?")

One of my main long-term goals is to make East Nasty a self perpetuating group.  To begin this process I am going to give you guys some opportunities to lead.  More details to follow - but as a teaser: many folks have expressed interest in continuing Sunday morning runs - so this may be your chance to sign up to be a run leader!

Pre-Race Reminders/Helpful Hints

1. You don't want to stuff yourself tonight.  Carbo-loading is a bit of a myth.  Eat a normal balanced meal tonight, and then eat something in the morning.  I would suggest some oatmeal, coffee (if you normally drink coffee) and a banana about 2-3 hours before the start.

2. Pick up your East Nasty shirt from Fleet Feet, and tomorrow wear it with pride!

3. Make sure you get to the starting line with plenty of spare time.  The lines for the bathrooms are ridiculous.  Also, if it is chilly in the morning, wear an old shirt that you are willing to part with, and throw it to the side of the road as your body warms up.

4. Hang out after the race at the family reunion area under the "E" for a Nasty group photo.

5. If you are planning on running for over 80 minutes, take in calories during the race!  Go to the fleet feet booth at the expo and buy yourself a gel, shot bloks or sport beans.  "Eat" these calories about 45-50 minutes into the race.

6. Drink water/cytomax every 15 minutes.

7. Did I forget anything?  Post a comment!

Good luck!  Trust your training, and remember that everyone is hurting during the last 3 miles.

Mark