Wednesday: Run #3.  My favorite! Where: 11th and Holly, East Nashville

When: 6:00 p.m.

What: A fun run and some good company.

READ ON...

This Wednesday East Nasty makes their commercial debut (literally) as we help advertise the Tomato Festival 5k.  How?  Here's the deal: before we start the normal run on Wednesday, the East Nasty crew is going to be a part of a TV commercial promoting the Tomato Festival 5k!  The producers need a couple shots of us circling the 5 points area, and they want to shoot it right at 6:10. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long; we'll finish the scheduled run and be at 3 Crow before you know it!  

What do you need to do?  Two things: 1) SHOW UP (even you folks who hate the heat...ahem...you know who you are...) and 2) Wear your East Nasty gear! That's it!

This should be fun!  Remember, let's keep making Wednesday nights friendly and  unintimidating to runners of all levels.  If someone looks new, introduce yourself, and make sure that they don't get lost during the run!  If you are new, there are runners of all ability levels who come on Wednesday nights.  So come join us for a great run and the best post-run social hour in Nashville!

Mark

Sunday's Run There are Greenways other than Shelby Bottoms?  Is it safe to run in West Nashville?  Will I ever see Annie Parsons again?  The answer to all of these questions can be found this Sunday at East Nasty's Summer Long run. This week's run will start at Centennial Park, circle the greenway on McCabe Golf Course and retrace our steps.  The total mileage is about 8.2.  Remember to bring your own water!   

NOTICE:  To avoid the heat, the time has been changed to 7:30.  

Tomato Festival 5k

This year, East Nasty is an official sponsor of the Tomato Festival 5k.  Tomato Festival?  For you non-Eastsiders; East Nashville plays host to a tomato festival on August 8th complete with music, artisans, a bloody mary competition and most importantly, a 5k road race!    Our goal is over 1,000 runners,  which means that East Nasty needs a strong showing!  Register here, but also convince your family, friends and co-workers to run with us on August 8th.  

Have a great weekend!

Mark

Wednesday's Run We are heading back into Shelby.  Run #2.  

If you are new to the East Nasty Crew, we meet at 6:00 p.m. at the intersection of 11th and Holly in East Nashville.  This week's run is about 3.7 miles, and there is an additional 2-mile loop that many folks tack on after finishing the scheduled run.  Barring any cooler malfunctions, we will have gatorade for after the run - but you need to bring a change of clothes (or not...) and join us down the street at 3 Crow Bar for a 2-for-1 beverage and/or some dinner!

Shirts

For those of you who were there last Wednesday, you know that we are ordering East Nasty summer gear!   We are ordering a singlet for the women (basically a tank top) and a muscle tee for the men.  Both will be in white, and we will have samples to try on this Wednesday.

IMPORTANT

1) We are placing the shirt order on Thursday; Wednesday is your last chance!

2) If you ordered a shirt last week, or are planning on ordering a shirt this week, could you please bring your $20 ASAP?!  Thanks!

Big shout out to JP Blazer for the great run on Sunday!  Thanks!  

See you on Wednesday.

Mark

Sunday's run will begin at the 37206 building at the corner of 11th and Fatherland, and will weave it's way through East Nashville.  JP has configured this route so that it will pass by many of your fellow East Nasty residences, where there will be a variety of beverages.   Here is the route.  The run will start at 8 a.m., the entire route is 10 miles, but you can cut it short at various intervals.

We'll see you there!

Mark

I don't have much to say, except I have spent the last 3 hours using a jack hammer and am having trouble typing right now... So short and sweet:

Tomorrow 6:00 p.m. 11th and Holly:  Route #1, 5k (actually...it's really about 3.2 miles).  We are going to run in the correct direction!  

East Nasty Figure 8
Find more Runs in Nashville, Tennessee

Sunday:  East Nasty Beer and Mimosa Run.  J.P. is in charge and has moved the run to 8 a.m.  It should be a blast, more details coming soon.

Mark

Summer Long Runs A weekly long run is a vital part of any training regimen.   A weekly long run of 8-14 miles provides a great foundation for 5k to 1/2 marathon training.  Also, it is a distance that will allow for an easy transition into a fall marathon training program.  

A lot of people are very intimidated by long runs, and it is usually because they run too fast.  The benefits of running long distances are achieved because of the duration of the run, not because of the intensity.  You should be running about 2 minutes per mile slower than your current 5k pace.  If you are a heart rate junkie, it should be around 70-75% of your max, and if pace and heart rate are not readily available, just make sure that you can talk during your long runs.  

Once you realize that a long run is a time to back off the intensity and converse with your training partners, it could become your favorite run of the week!

June 7

Our first long run is hosted by Amy Owsley and Jenny Dew.   They are going to take us on the trails of Percy Warner Park.   The run will begin at 8 am, at the base of the stairs at the Belle Meade entrance to Percy Warner park.   (Drive all the way down Belle Meade Blvd, you can't miss it!)  The run will be somewhere between 8 and 9 miles...much of it off-road.

Remember, on these Sunday runs, you need to bring your own fluids, gels, shotbloks etc... None of this stuff will be provided!

Post Run Festivities

After the run, Jenny has invited everyone over to her townhouse to cool off in the pool; so bring your swimsuits, something to drink and enjoy cooling off after a long run!

Summer Speed Sessions Okay this is your last shot:  Summer Speed Sessions start tomorrow!  You can sign up today at Fleet Feet or on site on Tuesday.  The 6 am sessions will be at Christ Presbyterian Academy, and the 6 pm sessions will be at East Literature Magnet.  During this first session, we will learn how to warm-up, and then perform a 1 mile time trial.

Summer Long Runs

East Nasty summer long runs begin this Sunday!  Amy Owsley and Jenny Dew are our run leaders this week; and will take us on the trails of Percy Warner Park!    There is an entrance to the park at the end of Belle Meade boulevard; that's where we'll meet and the run will begin at 8 am.  The run will be somewhere between 8 and 9 miles.   If you look at the "Sunday Morning Runs" tab on this blog, there is a link to a listing of all the summer runs.  

TSSAA High School Championships

This year's TN state track and field championship had some pretty impressive performances in the AAA division (large public schools.)  Check out the boys and the girls results.   (Look at the boys 800 meters!)

Riverside

This Wednesday, June 3 - Run #6 in reverse...check it out at the bottom of the screen for a link to the map.

See you on Wednesday!

Mark

Summer is officially here.  Or at least in the mind of this teacher, the Tuesday after Memorial Day marks the first day of summer.  And summer in Nashville means heat and humidity.  So if this is your first year of running or your 20th, I need to remind you: drink lots of water during the summer.  Taking a sip out of the drinking fountain on your way out the door is not what I mean.  Hydration takes consistent, intentional fluid intake, before and after a run. Walking bridge loop - in reverse.  (Run #5)

The summer long runs start up on June 7.    Run leaders, please finalize your plans so that I can post the routes.   Especially the June runs.  Leaders - don't make me name names (J.P)!

Summer Speed Sessions start next week, Tuesday June 2.  Sign up through Fleet Feet, or just show up.  The 6 a.m. sessions are at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Brentwood, the 6 p.m. sessions are at East Literature.  The first session will consist of a 1 mile time trial, which will establish your training paces for the first half of the summer.

If you are new to our group, show up at 6:00 at 11th and Holly.  (Up the street from 3 Crow Bar and Bongo Java in East Nashville.)   If you look at the bottom of this blog, there are 6 runs and one 2-mile add on loop.  We are on run #5, but we are running it in reverse!

Current East Nasties - introduce yourself to someone new, and make sure that everyone feels welcome to join us after for a drink after the run!

Mark

Here are a couple of things: 1) Summer Run Leaders -Please finalize your route and send me the details by Memorial Day. (Most importantly all you June leaders!)

2) Memorial Day Horseshoes Party-  It's always a great time to get to know some of your fellow East Nasties.   Please post a comment or shoot me an email if you are coming.  (Or just show up...)  Here are the details.

When: Memorial Day

12:00 Grilling Starts – You bring sides and drinks, we bring meat.

2:00 Tournament Starts – You really don’t need to be good to play.

Where: 708 Porter Road (We ran past the house last Wednesday)

3) Run #4 this week.  Back to the park.  Check the link at the bottom.

See you guys on Wednesday!

Mark

Getting stronger/faster/leaner is one of the joys of working out.  The human body is amazing and watching it adapt to the stresses that you place on it as you lift, run, swim or yoga (Is yoga a verb??) is one of the truly satisfying things in life.  (Watching yourself get old and slow is one of the truly humbling things in life...but that topic is for another day...) Almost everyone who reads this blog is a runner, so you probably agree that getting faster is great.  But, sadly, there is the reality that getting faster requires doing hard workouts, and the only thing that is harder than running long distances by yourself is running hard by yourself.  

So...I give to you summer speed sessions. Every summer, Fleet Feet employs yours truly to try and make a bunch of you runners faster by teaching you how to run track workouts.   DON'T LET RUNNING ON THE TRACK SCARE YOU!  In fact, there is something predictable and fun about track workouts, and all the workouts are designed to your ability level.  Of course there is the added benefit of 30-40 other people out there with you, making those workouts much more bearable.  I encourage you to consider signing up and challenging yourself this summer.  I guarantee that you will get faster!

Details:

Speed Sessions are on Tuesdays.  You can come in the mornings or at night.   It doesn't matter.   The morning sessions are at 6 a.m. at Christ Presbyterian Academy.  The afternoon sessions are at 6 p.m. at East Literature.   You can sign up on-line, or just show up for the first session on June 2nd.   If you have any questions, grab me on a Wednesday night, post a comment, or call the folks at Fleet Feet.  

Mark

We are running my favorite route...in reverse.  Run #3.  Check out the link at the bottom of the page. I have enough run leaders for the summer, thanks guys!  We have a fun summer of Sunday runs ahead of us.  Currently in the pipeline are: The Chuck Hargrove 12 mile Autobiographical Tour of Bellevue, JP's 9-mile Sunday Morning Mimosa Challenge, and the Harris Metro Center Run O' Death.

Also, remember the Memorial Day Horseshoes Tournament.  It has nothing at all to do with running...but it'll be fun!

When: Memorial Day

12:00 Grilling Starts - You bring sides and drinks, we bring meat.

2:00 Tournament Starts - You really don't need to be good to play.

Where: 708 Porter Road (We will see it on the run on Wednesday, but it now has a fence in the front yard)

Also, say "hi" if you see a newcomer on Wednesday night.  I have had a lot of questions about the openness of this group, and the answer is a resounding YES!  Running can be intimidating for novices.  All of us started running at some point, and (hopefully) can highlight a person in our past who encouraged us in our journey.  You can be that person for someone else!

See you on Wednesday!

Mark

"Now what?" People are interesting.  We train hard preparing for a big race and after the race, regardless of the outcome, good or bad, we feel a let down.   I guess that it's only natural;  after preparing mentally, physically and emotionally for any big task, after it's over, what do you do with yourself?!

I have a friend who was a world class wrestler.  He finished 4th in the Olympic Trials, and competed internationally for 20+ years of his life.  After injuries ended his career, he felt lost and depressed for probably 2 years...wondering what to do with his life.

I guess this is a good reminder that we must learn to find our self-worth outside of what we do.  We are not our vocation.  In America we tend to define people by their career ("Oh David, he's that lawyer"),  by their accomplishments ("Bob finished first in his class at Yale"), by their time ("Zach is a 4:05 miler!") - or negatively by any of those categories ("Boy, that Sam guy can't keep a job, dropped out of college and couldn't break 30 minutes for a 5k if he had to!").  Worse yet, we define ourselves by our career, accomplishments, awards and 1/2 marathon times.

Searching for personal worth from these sources leads to major emotional swings, because accomplishment will never fully satisfy our need to feel valuable.  You feel only as good (or bad) as your last success (or failure).  In my opinion, people are valuable because they are people;  and we all reflect the divine.   Without this recognition, we will always swing through the pendulum of feeling great about ourselves (when we do things well), to feeling bad about ourselves (we we fail ourselves or others)...

But back to the original question, what now do we do?  Well I have three suggestions:  first 1)  rest and enjoy; then 2) keep growing, learning and challenging yourself; and finally 3) pass your knowledge/passion/wisdom along to the next generation.

That's where life took my friend the wrestler.  He learned to appreciate his past as a wrestler, he took on new challenges at Teach for America, and now he is having an opportunity to pass his love of wrestling along to a younger generation.  (Oh yes, and he has rediscovered his personal enjoyment of wrestling by finding other former wrestlers to grapple with on the weekends!)

Luckily....I can help with all of these... :)

1) Pass on the Passion. Girls on the Run:   Girls on the run gives 3rd through 6th grade girls an opportunity to train for a 5k.  I would love for East Nasty to get involved.  Ladies, if this vision resonates with you, please consider becoming a running buddy.   Guys, I would love East Nasty to show up en force this Saturday (tomorrow) to volunteer for the Girls on the Run 5k in Shelby Bottoms!   The race starts at 7:30, as a volunteer you need to get there by 6:30.    Let's support this great organization!

2) Challenge yourself in a new way. Summer Speed Sessions: When is the last time that you ran one lap of the track as hard as possible?  This year, Fleet Feet's summer speed sessions is focused on making you a fast miler!  If you have never trained for or raced a mile, it is a beautiful combination of speed, strength and stamina.  Perhaps (in my expert opinion) the perfect race.  Not only that, but your mile time, has a direct correlation with your potential in longer races.  A faster mile PR will eventually produce faster 1/2 marathon PRs.

3) Rest and Enjoy: Memorial Day horseshoes tournament.  My friends Drew & Casey Sloss (originators of the name "East Nasty") and I have been hosting a Memorial Day Horseshoes Tournament for 4 years.  It is slowly becoming the East Nashville event to see and be seen.  Well...that's not exactly true, but it's a great time with good friends.  Consider yourselves invited!  Here are the details:

Location:  Drew and Casey's House  708 Porter Road, 37206 (We'll run by their place next Wednesday on the run!)

Time: 12:00 Grilling begins - we'll provide meat and buns etc... you bring the other stuff (drinks to share, chips and side dish if possible!)

Tournament:  2:00 - the tournament begins.  Believe me, you do not need to be good at horseshoes to play!

This is a rain or shine event - last year we had rain, this year we've ordered shine.

I hoep to see you at Shelby bright and early tomorrow morning!

Mark