For as long I have been running with East Nasty, I have known Christy Maynard. You see, she and I both joined up with the group on the same hot August day back in 2008. And since then her huge smile and friendly personality have been a staple of the East Nasty community.

Christy was born in Columbus, Ohio, which is the reason why she still cheers on the Ohio State Buckeyes year round. At the age of 7 the Maynard family unit moved down to Nashville, TN, which she has called home since then. She attended Glen Cliff High School, in the Berry Hill section of town. While in school, Christy was all about math and science classes, which sent her heading off to Tennessee Tech. University for a major in Engineering.

Like so many of us, during Christy’s first year of college she decided to change her major. She went from a focus in Engineering to a major in partying! As a consequence of the change, she ended up moving back to Nashville and enrolling at Trevecca Nazarene University. There she switched from party mode into a focus in K-8 teacher education. Upon graduation she was hired by Mt. Juliet Christian Academy to teach middle school math and science. In her 5 years there she ended up creating and running the college counseling department to help all the graduating seniors on their decision about where to attend college. Since leaving there, she has landed a job with Dave Ramsey, of Dave Ramsey radio show fame.

While in college Christy began running as her preferred mode of exercise. In 2008 she ran in two half-marathons, the Country Music Half and Music City Half respectively. Last year as she was training with the East Nasties for the 2009 Country Music Half marathon she began to notice a little ankle pain both during and after the run. She kept pushing through the pain each week, but finally went to the doctor one week before the big race. The doctor told her she had developed a stress fracture, and sidelined her for the event. This event has commonly been referred to as a “tears in her beers” moment.

And to add insult to injury, literally, she re-injured herself right before last year’s Bourbon Chase relay, and was once again was forced to sit on the sidelines as other East Nasties took to the course. She is so sweet though that she volunteered to be the driver for the team, just so she could still be a part of it. She has now learned her lesson, or at least claims she has, about taking time to recover from an injury, and I am happy to announce that she is looking in good shape for this year’s Country Music Half marathon. But she has no expectations for the race, and more than anything she is just glad to be back running with the East Nasties twice a week. And we are glad to have her back as well!