Hello East Nasty - Here is a quick message about today's run. We are back to the start and will be running route #2. We are looking to add a couple of new routes to east nasty in the near future. We had to eliminate two of them earlier in the year because of the intersections they crossed. More to come on that down the road. Please take a look at the route down on the right and be ready to volunteer as a pace leader. It is no fun having to ask the same people to lead a group every Wednesday so be a friend and volunteer. All you have to do is make sure everyone is following the correct route and is staying out of the middle of the road.  

Thought of the week

Have any of you ever been to an ironman race and stood at the finish line and watched ? I will have to say it is one of the most exciting and inspiring things I have ever seen. When you take into account all the training that is involved combined with how long the race itself takes there is really only one word to describe it ........ amazing. I was in Louisville on Sunday watching the race and was able to see Mark Miller, Drew Sloss, Jim "Schwanny" Schwann and JP Cowan "the Blaze" with East Nasty across their chest pretty much giving it their all. They certainly did East Nasty proud so if you see one of these Ironmen around tomorrow be sure to tell them congratulations.

Drew

For you newbies, our Wednesday night runs culminate with our longest, most difficult run: The Nasty.  It's tough, but 6 miles and 6 painful hills later you can claim victory...and a "East Nasty" sticker!   And, it's tomorrow. Take a moment to review the route, even you front guys - as I (Mark) will be tapering for Ironman Louisville.

Heat

Well, I probably should have linked to these articles earlier, but I just picked up the July/August issue of Running Times and they had two articles on running in the heat.  (Including "it's not the heat or the humidity... it's the dew point.")  Since it stays hot in the south until November, and better late than never, here they are:  Running in the heat article #1, article #2

Potato to Tomato...continued

Many of you know that the transition from your first 5k to a regular Wednesday night runner can be a tough one.  To make that jump a little easier, several East Nasties have decided to continue the beginner runs on Monday nights and Saturday mornings.   These runs are going to continue through October with a goal of preparing runners for the Boulevard Bolt 5 mile race on Thanksgiving morning.   Right now, they are still meeting at Shelby Park.  6 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Saturday.  The time/locations may change, so if you want more details, send Rachel Schaffer an email: raschaff@gmail.com.

Hello there - and a happy east nasty Wednesday to you. What a great day Saturday was for east nasty. The East Tomato 5k had the biggest turnout ever and you could not throw a rock without hitting someone in an east nasty shirt. The potato to tomato group was also a big success as over 200 new runners ran in the 5k race. Today we are back to the basics. We will be running route #11 also known as "church run" and we invite all the new east nasties from the potato to tomato group to come join us. It is a figure 8 route and you can cut off the run around mile 2 if you are not up for the full 4.5 mile run. Please check out the route below so you know where we are going tonight. As always we will need some pace leaders out there as well. Kudos

A special thanks to all the volunteers who made the East Tomato weekend so special. The 5k coaches, The 5k runners, The water stop volunteers on the race course,  The water tent volunteers at the tomato fest were all huge in making Saturday so awesome. As east nasty continues to grow we will need volunteers to keep stepping up and helping the cause. For now though let us bask in our glory for a bit and get back to our East Nasty Wednesday night runs. The weather has finally taking a turn for us runners and it is a perfect time of year to head down to 3 crow after the run and have a social drink with your running buddies.

Thought of the week:

Did you know we have east nasty runners who come from all over to run with us on Wednesday night ? While most of us out there are from the east side or at least the greater Nashville area - there are some that drive an hour each way to join us for a run on the streets of East Nashville. East Nasty is such a diverse group of people and there are many who come from a ways away just to experience the East Nasty "vibe". That is why we always say - introduce yourself to somebody new. You never know where the person next to you may be from and a friendly hello may be the reason they come back. On that note a special shout out goes to Travis Millsaps, Scott Slavens and Matt Miffleton who occasionally make the drive from Murfreesboro to join us. It always a treat to have you legends from Rutherford county out there on a Wednesday night.

Keep up the good work ------ EAST NASTY FOR LIFE !!!!!!

Drew

Hello East Nasty - Well I keep hoping each week that it is going to cool off some and so far no luck. It actually keeps getting hotter as today we may hit triple digits. I say  "who gives a crap" - lets go run anyway. Tonight we will be route #10 and there will be some free gatorade / water afterwards so we should be fine. Please take a look at the route and come find me before we start if you would like to be a pace leader.  

East Tomato 5k – August 13th

Our homecoming race is 10 days away and East Nasty wants to help make this years race the biggest one so far. The potato to tomato 5k group will be out there racing and we are going to have several ways to volunteer on that day and lend a helping hand. We will be manning a water stop during the race and will need some nasties to hand out water to the runners. If you are running in the race then that is great – we will be hosting another water “tent” for the east tomato fest that last from 10:00 – 6:00 and we will need to volunteers to help hand out free water. The tent will be set up right in front of 3 crow in the middle of all the action. Again this race and the tomato fest is a big day for East Nasty – please plan on giving back a little to the best running group in the continental U.S. – You can run in the race, volunteer for a water stop or come out and cheer on the runners. Just plan on being there and wearing your favorite East Nasty shirt. We will be passing around a list tonight for those who want to volunteer for water stop during the race or the water tent during the east tomato fest.

Come out and join us tonight for a run then some socializing at 3 crow -  EAST NASTY 4 LIFE !!

Trail Runs

Trail runs have been going great so far this summer! Just a reminder we are still meeting at 7 am at the Stone Gates/Stairs of Percy Warner Park at the end of Bellemeade Blvd, and will be meeting there until the end of September. The Ultra group will continue increasing is distance for the next few weeks. Most people from the "Normal" group know the trails by now so we will be grouping up according to pace and distance for the remainder of summer.  Our runs are free and open to anyone who wants to come out.  So whether you are running 18 miles or 5 miles you are welcome to join us.

Stumpjump

The end goal of the Summer trail runs is the StumpJump 50k and 11mile race in Chattanooga, TN on October 1st.  This is a great race for those who want a new challenge and a break from the normal road races that we have access to every weekend. If you are planing on running this race please sign up ASAP. StumpJump historically sells out sometime in August. You should also begin making lodging accommodations as those will book up just as fast.

Road Trip

Looking forward to August 7th, we will be taking a trail running road trip to Suwanee to run the Perimeter trail. This trail is somewhere in the 20 mile range and could take a little over 4hrs. There is a shorter route that will take 2-3 hrs.  We will be leaving from LP Field at 5:30am and will be back early afternoon. You will need to bring your own hydration for the trail. If you do not want to come feel free to continue running at Percy Warner, however we will not be supporting this run.  If you are interested in joining us for this road trip, please email Hunter Lane at mlane52@yahoo.com.

Women's Half  Training

Ladies:  Nashville is once again hosting one of the women's half marathons, and East Nasty is once again entering a team, (led by our own Heidi Huerta)!  If you want to join the team, email Heidi (hphuerta@gmail.com), and she can give you the code you need to enter when you register.  Heidi has developed a training program for you to follow for this race.  Check out the training schedule here.   Only the Sunday runs will be done as a group, and you'll notice that there are different meeting locations for the Sunday runs.

Stay cool!

Mark

Hello East Nasties. Nice work last week on staying out of the middle of the street and obeying the rules of the road. Let's try to make it 2 weeks in a row. Tomorrow we will we be running our shortest run - route #7 ( little hollywood ). Please click the link on the right side of the page and review the route. Its a good time to have a short route as the Nashville summer heat has certainly showed up.  

Exactly one month from tomorrow ( August 13th ) will be the East Tomato 5k. This is a big deal for the city of East Nashville and it is the homecoming race for East Nasty. Please plan on attending this event. If you do not run in the race then that is ok as we will need volunteers for water stops both during and after the race. Look for more info on the East Tomato race in the near future. But again go ahead and mark your schedules and plan on being there Saturday morning August 13th. Oh yeah - it is also the race that the potato to tomato group that east nasty has been coaching will be running in and they will need our support. Big day for East Nasty without a doubt :-)

See you tomorrow Nasties  -

DREW

What's up East Nasty ? We had a great turnout for the potato to tomato 5k training on Monday night. It is not too late to recommend a friend to join the group. There was a good amount of east nasties out there helping out with the group but they could always use more so come out and join the group and help encourage some beginners to keep moving. Now onto this week's run - we will be running run #4 and this run has a few tricky intersections so as always try to remember to run on the sidewalk or side of the road and always stop to let cars go first.  Please take a look at the route and try to remember it ........ YOU may be asked to be a pace leader.

Upcoming events 

This Saturday June 25th our friends down the hill at the Green Wagon general store are hosting a summer block party from noon - 10:00. There will be local music, local food, local beer and local vendors. If you are looking for a social event this weekend then you are now in the know about what is going on in East Nashville. Check out the link here.

East Tomato 5k race

This year the race will be on Saturday, August 13th @ 7:30 am. This is the homecoming race for East Nasty and chances are over 1000 will be running in the race this year. It is still 2 months away but we want to help make this race a big event as it takes place on our turf. Look here for more information on this race as it gets closer.

Sunday Trail Runs

Our summer trail runs are in full swing - they will meet at 7am, under the stone gates at Percy Warner Park this Sunday.

Thought of the week

Are you a fair weather runner ? I would say that we pretty much get to experience it all here in middle Tennessee. It gets cold here, it storms here on a regular basis, and it definitely gets hot.  Well just in case you did not already know this - God seems to smile on East Nasty. In over 3 years of our existence we have never had to cancel a run due to weather. Now there have been a few times when we had to delay the start a little and there are also some runs that taken place in the rain - but they are rare. Take last week for example - it stormed off and on all day long but right around 5:45 the clouds cleared and it was dry for the next 2 hours. Why do I mention this ?  Well for no reason except letting you know that rain or shine, hot or cold, light or dark -- we will be out there at 6:00 pm getting our run on and you should be there too!!!!

That is all ---- see you tomorrow then ....... East Nasty For Life !!!!!

DREW

Hello East Nasty -- Hope all of you are doing well. Last week we ran the nasty and it was brutal out there. It was hot and hilly and I am  pretty sure it was the hardest run I have done all year. Well good news - tomorrow we are going to do run #2 which is much shorter and easier than the nasty. Please take a look at the route as we are going to need some pace leaders out there. Couch to 5k

We have over 100 people signed up for our potato to tomato 5k program.  I have a feeling that before the end of the week we will have close to 150 new runners.  We could definitely use a couple more coaches/mentors.  If you think that you may want to give back in this way, please talk with me (Mark) tomorrow, or send Holland an email at dutchrunnerchickusa@gmail.com.  Even if you can only commit to once a week it would be helpful. The couch to 5k program starts next Monday - June 20th down in Shelby Park.

Trails

Sunday Trail Runs

Our trail runs will meet at 7am, under the stone gates at Percy Warner Park this Sunday.

Thought of the week

The man behind East Nasty - The Mark Miller is on vacation this week. Starting next week Mark will be leading the potato to Tomato group on Wednesday nights. So guess what that means for you? That's right nasties for pretty much the rest of the summer the Jones brothers will be running the show out there. Not sure if that is good news or bad news for you. Not sure if it is good or bad news for East Nasty to be honest with you. Just the same though I wanted to let you know there will be a new sheriff in town tomorrow night. I think for my first Wednesday night in charge we are going to start off by going down to 3 crow for some drinks first then maybe do some running afterwards - Who's with me ? ........ Ok I made that up :-)

Hope to see you out there with us tomorrow at 6:00 pm ------ East Nasty For Life !!!!

DREW

Tomorrow is The Nasty.    Our longest, hardest run, but well worth it...  Familiarize yourself with the map, because we tend to get a little bit spread out on this run... Couch to 5k

We have over 100 people signed up for our potato to tomato 5k program.  I have a feeling that before the end of the week we will have close to 150 new runners.  We could definitely use a couple more coaches/mentors.  If you think that you may want to give back in this way, please talk with me (Mark) tomorrow, or send Holland an email at dutchrunnerchickusa@gmail.com.  Even if you can only commit to once a week it would be helpful.

Mundy is back.

Sunday Trail Runs

Our trail runs will meet at 7am, under the stone gates this Sunday.

See you tomorrow.

Well it looks like the days of 50 degree runs are over for a little while...  Personally, I love running in different temperatures, but the transition weeks are tough - especially going from cool to hot.    Your body will adapt, but you need to monitor yourself.  Slow down, drink lots of water before and after your runs and wear as little clothing as your modesty allows...  After about 3 weeks, you will find that running in the heat is not as bad as it was originally. Trail Runs - Start this Sunday!

Even though you will adapt to the heat, and running on trails is much cooler than running on the street, we have decided not to tempt fate.  Officially ALL of our summer trail runs have been moved to 7am.  Also, the Deep Wells parking lot is too small for our group, so we are going to meet at the Stone Gates at the end of Belle Meade blvd.

Here are more details. Remember we have a group training for an ultra, so if running a 50k has been on your bucket list, you will have a group of folks to train with!  (Don't worry, there will be many of us normal people NOT training for a 50k out there as well...)

Potato to Tomato - Meeting Monday, June 6

The start of the potato to tomato training group is also right around the corner.  Our first workout will be on June 20th.  But this year, we are having an informational session at the Margaret Maddux YMCA on June 6th, at 6:30 pm.   We would like our mentors/coaches and our participants to make this meeting if possible.  The meeting should not last long.  Remember, this program is free!  So you have no excuse if you have been considering joining.  Please email Holland Carley at dutchrunnerchickusa@gmail.com if you are interested, then we will see you on Monday the 6th!

Here are more details.

Wednesday, June 1.

East Nashville has some fantastic architecture, and a lot of it is highlighted on run #11: churches.  We pass several historic churches and tons of historic homes on this 4.43 mile route.  It is also a figure 8 course, so you could cut it in half, or stop for some water if the heat is getting to you.  (If you do stop at the half way point,  you would miss the category 5 climb coming up Shelby!)

Check it out here.

Thought of the week

Want to become a faster more efficient runner ?  Have you ever wanted to do some speed training but did not know how ? Well Fleet Feet Sports summer speed sessions is for you. The program starts next Tuesday on June 7th and will last for 11 weeks. Speed sessions are designed for those who are looking to improve their 5k/10k times or for those simply wanting to improve as a runner. Not only are speed sessions coached by the Mark Miller and yours truly there are also tons of east nasties out there who participate each year. Speed sessions consist of interval workouts on a track and will meet @ Christ Presbyterian Academy at 6:00 am on Tuesdays or @ Hillsboro high at 6:00 pm. Please see the fleetfeetnashville.com website with any questions you may have or go there to sign up. The program is very successful and very popular and a great way to take your running to a new level. We hope to see you out on the track with us this summer.

DREW 

66 degrees and cloudy??  Crazy.  Well...we'll miss this weather in about a month. This Wednesday we are running route #9, LP Field.  We will eliminate the part of the run that crosses Gallatin, so if you need extra mileage do the new and improved 2-mile add on route...But if you have never done this run, it has a couple of the best view of downtown at dusk!

Summer 2011

Be sure to read up on our summer trail runs.  Especially if you have always wanted to train for an ultra. (This summer there will be a group of nasties training for a 50k trail race)   On the other end of the spectrum, if you or someone you know needs a group to get started with a running program, check out the potato to tomato program starting in mid-June.

June 4th

Thanks to so many of you who signed up for the Rebuild Together Nashville house project on June 4th.   We could still use a couple more volunteers, so please take a moment and read about the project below and then send John and email him directly if you can help.

Rebuilding Together Nashville is going to be helping a homeowner in the East Nashville area on June 4^th in cooperation with the Sears “Heroes at Home” program

            Ms. Marguerite Wright is a sweet elderly woman who has been through many ups and downs throughout her long life.  She is the widow of a World War II veteran and the mother of six grown children- three of which who served in the Army or Marines during Vietnam.  Ms. Marguerite and her husband, George, were newlyweds when he was deployed to Germany.  Marguerite had their first son while George was away on duty.  After his return from service 4 years later, the Wrights moved back to Nashville to grow their family.  Several years passed until 1956 when, one year after giving birth to her youngest son, Marguerite was diagnosed with polio.  Despite the disability, she remained a dedicated mother and as active as possible. The Wrights were yet again stuck with tragedy when, only 2 months before their 50th Anniversary, George passed away following routine gall bladder surgery.  The loss of her husband (and since then two of her children) has been difficult on Ms. Marguerite.  She is a courageously determined and persistent woman who wants only to remain in her family home as long as possible.  Her disease has made this request difficult and costly.  Through the use of Sears “Heroes at Home” funding, Rebuilding Together Nashville would be able to provide accessible modifications to Ms. Marguerite’s bathroom and kitchen as well as provide basic repairs to the interior of the home.

            Rebuilding Together Nashville will work to replace the kitchen door, install bathroom accessibility modifactions, insatll radiant barrier in the attic, seal air infiltration gaps in the basement, and energy efficiency modifications. Rebuilding Together will be providing all tools and materials as well as lunch, water, and snacks. Volunteers will need to wear clothes to work in and closed-toe shoes. The project will start at 8AM and run until 3PM. Volunteers to not need previous construction experience but please share any experience you have. If you are interested in volunteering please contact John at jceglarek@rebuildingtogethernashville.org or 615-297-3955.

See everyone on Wednesday!

Mark

Have you been missing your weekend long run?  Going through Sunday morning East Nasty withdrawal?  Well thanks to Hunter Lane the summer trail runs are about to start! Read these basic details, then check the new "2011 summer trail runs" tab on the top for more specifics.

This year we are going to have a goal race...the Stumpjump 50k/11mile.  We are going to have two training groups, "normal" people, and "ultra" people.  The normal people will be training for the 11 mile race, and the ultra people will be training for the 50k.  (This is the first time we have trained for an ultra!)

We are going to meet every Sunday, June through September, at Deep Wells in Percy Warner Park - with the occasional road trip.  In June we will start running at 8am, and in July - September we will move the start time to 7am.

The ultra group will be fairly structured each week, while the goal of the normal group is to get everyone acquainted with the trails so that there can be a lot of variety in the distances run each week.   Our first run on June 5th will be about 5 miles (for the normal people, 90 minutes for the ultra folks), so everyone should be able to join us!  Believe me, running off road makes running in the summer actually bearable...

Click on the "2011 Summer Trail Runs" tab above for more details, or email Hunter Lane if you are interested in helping out!  mlane52@yahoo.com

* note: if you are interested, you need to sign up for the race ASAP because it will sell out!!  Click on the Stumpjump link above.