It is my pleasure to introduce you to our East Nasty of the Week (ENOW), Peggy Stanfield! Before we get into Peggy's background, let's hear what friend and fellow ENOW, Susi Willis, has to say:

"Peggy has the best legs! She can walk faster than I can run. I met Peggy 3 years ago during Couch to 5K training and I love how she is part of my weekly running ritual. Saturday mornings are extra special because sometimes her son Ronnie joins us for breakfast. Peggy is one of the most caring coaches to the new runners. She will never leave a person behind and is very sensitive to helping new people feel included. Every single C25K program we make a new friend because Peggy is so great at getting to know the runners in her group. One of the biggest treats that comes from running with Peggy is that she was raised in East Nashville and she knows lots about the history of the houses, streets and development. We have all been schooled on the history in East Nashville including the TRUTH about the Jesse James house!"

Let's get to know Peggy!

Peggy was born and raised in Nashville. She was born in Vanderbilt hospital which, she says, may be why she's been a Vandy fan all her life. Her mom graduated from West High and her dad from East High, so she is a product of what happens when East meets West. Ha!

When Peggy was in school there was no middle school, only elementary and high school. She played in the band from 5th grade until she graduated from Stratford High School. Then she went on to David Lipscomb University and earned a BS degree in Elementary Education.

Peggy has lived in Nashville all her life. She retired in May after teaching in Metro Nashville Public Schools for 40 years, most of it in Kindergarten. She does some subbing and volunteering at Norman Binkley, where she retired.

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Fellow MNPS teacher, Mike Clark, has this to say, "Peggy does everything out of love for others. Her 40 years of service as a teacher, caring for her parents, her son Ronnie, her church, and one of the founders of the Lasty Nasties, are testimonials of her desire to serve others. Peggy's gift of making others feel good about themselves is a true talent. The passionate spirit she shows in her exercising and her love of Vanderbilt athletics is unsurpassed."

Before she ran, she walked. Peggy started walking with her mom in 1999 after her brother had a stroke. She knew they needed to do something other than sit on the couch watching TV. She enjoyed this time with her mom, walking in Shelby Bottoms. The walking eventually led to running, and to East Nasty.

Peggy says, "I started running with East Nasty during a Couch to 5K program in 2010. I walked a lot before that, I didn't run all of the Tomato Fest that year and felt I had failed, so I signed up for the January session. It was at this session where I met my amazing friends Joy Howard, Susi Willis, Christine Sowell, Kim Koch, and Glenda Crowder, aka The Princess Posse. After our first half marathon, we all ran together at Disney, The Princess Half Marathon. I had walked several half marathons before that, but this was one of my most memorable ones. In all, I have completed about 14 half marathons since 2005."

Peggy's biggest accomplishment in running is meeting all the great people who are now her friends in East Nasty. Also, running her first 5K without stopping with her running buddy Joy Howard at the 2011 Tom King 5K.

Joy Howard has this to say about her running buddy, "First and foremost, Peggy makes people smile. She has a wonderful spirit about her that others are drawn to. I met her during my C25K training in 2011 and we've been running together and laughing ever since. She was my pace partner at my first 5K and my first half marathon and helps make races go by quickly because we talk the entire way. There is rarely a quiet moment. One thing you should know about Peggy is that she is a fast walker. She can flat-out fly. For a long time she could walk faster than I could run. I finally got over that hurdle, but I still can keep up with her walking pace. If we're doing walk/run intervals, I'm always playing catch up and staring at her backside. She has placed in more races than I'll ever run. The photo I'm including is from the Disney half in 2012. Peggy and I made friends with a Disney gift shop employee and he was waiting for us along the route."

Meeting her friends to run or walk the different routes is what Peggy enjoys most about East Nasty. Her most memorable East Nasty experience is running/walking The Nasty for the first time and earning her sticker.

Kim Koch has this to say about her friend, "Peggy Stanfield is one of the most generous, selfless people that I have ever known. She is a GREAT mom to Ronnie and Greg and is able to find the good in everyone she meets. She has been a blessing in my life and it is an honor to call her my friend."

Aside from running, Peggy doesn't have a lot of time for hobbies. She has a 35-year-old handicapped son that she enjoys spending time with, she is on the board of directors for the Nashville Striders, and she is the editor of The Funrunner.

Peggy, thank you for all you do. Our numbers would be much lower if it weren't for you and your welcoming spirit. Welcome to the ENOW club!