June 9 -  The Taco Truck is coming!

Mas Tacos Por Favor is a 1974 Winnebago converted to become a mobile taco stand.  And this Wednesday, they are going to park at 11th and Holly to feed the nasties post-run!  The food is fantastic, but they take cash only.  So bring some $$ to grab some great post-workout recovery food!  (We are on run #10 by the way...)

Sunday Trail Runs

We had a great group show up for our Sunday morning trail running series.  If you missed it, here are the details for this Sunday:

Where: Percy Warner Park under the flags

When: Sunday, 8 a.m.

What: 4.2 or 9.2 mile trail runs followed by 15 minutes of yoga!

Really:  Yes,really!  (Check out Sunday Morning Runs for more details.)

Getting Started....

Couch to Tomato 5k

We're unashamedly addicted to running.  And for good reason, it just feels good to know that at any time you could go out and run 5+ miles.  One of East Nasty's goals is to share this passion with those who are hesitant or embarrassed to join our runs.  So this year, we are going to have a free couch to 5k program.  What's a couch-to-5k program?  It's a program that takes non-runners and gets them up to running a 5k in 8 weeks.   The program starts on June 21, and the goal race is the Tomato Festival 5k on August 14.  These workouts are for anyone who wants to start running.  Even if you have never run a mile in your life, this program is for you! Please send me an email (millema6@hotmail.com) if you or anyone you know is interested.

Getting Faster

Now from the beginner runners to the Fasty Nasties (a little tribute to Annie Parsons right there...) Tuesday, June 8 is the first summer speed session!  So while the Couch to Tomato is targeted for non-runners, summer speed sessions will make seasoned runners even faster!  Click here and look at the bottom of the page for details, or email drew at rdrewjones@hotmail.com.

Running Refs...

So we have all marveled at Andy Moss' running prowess, even as he approaches the mandatory FIFA retirement age.  Where does it come from?  Well check out this article on World Cup Soccer (sorry Andy... I mean futbol) referees and it may explain some of it...

Bring money for tacos and I'll see you on Wednesday...remember: rain or shine!

mark

East Nasty has some exciting stuff planned for this summer!  Including opportunities for advanced runners, or those who are just beginning... 1) Sunday Trail Runs - Our Sunday trail runs kick off this week (June 6).   We will meet at Percy Warner Park at the base of the stone stairs at 8a.m.  If you haven't run trails before, no worries!  You will have the option of 4.2 miles, or just jump right in and run the 9.2.   If you have run the trails, please let us know and we may ask you to help guide newbies through the trails.  One note: Bring Water!

Did I mention that there is free yoga after the runs!   Stick around after you finish the trails as Rebecca and Molly from Lululemon lead us through a 15 minute post-run yoga session.

2) Summer Speed Sessions - You want to get faster?  You have to run faster.  But it's important to run at the right pace.  That is where fleet feet summer speed comes in.  Join over a hundred other dedicated runners as we go to the track in search of better 5k, 10k and even mile times!  Look at the bottom of this page for more information.

3) Couch to Tomato-Fest 5k. Are you reading this blog wishing that you could run?  Have you always wanted to start running but just couldn't muster up the motivation?  Are you sick and tired of being a "Least Nasty"?  Well, East Nasty is happy to announce an 8-week program to get you off the couch and running the Tomato Fest 5k in August!  We are still finalizing some of the logistics, so check back for more info...but we know that the program will start up the week of June 14, and will culminate with the running of the Tomato Festival 5k.  Please send me an email (millema6@hotmail.com) or track me down on Wednesday night if you are interested - or if you know someone who is.

Speaking of June 14, that is the date of the Nashville Symphony's free concert at East Park.

See you tomorrow !

Oh yes, we are running run #9 tomorrow.

Mark

Nasties:   A couple of announcements, a brief diversion and a shout out! Announcements:

1) Sunday Trail Runs start June 6.  Read the "Sunday Morning Runs" page for details, but this year we have a special offering thanks to the yoga instructors at lululemon...a free post-run yoga session (to be held on site).  So bring a towel, and your trail shoes and join us starting the week after Memorial Day.

brief diversion

Lost is over and the ending was seriously disappointing...at best. Here is a great article from the NYT.  Personally, I think that the writers should have decided what the island was and make it a story that ended after a couple of seasons.  Instead the show became another "Matrix".  (i.e. great first movie followed by two convoluted, misguided sequels as the writers tried to "explain" things.)  But, I guess advertising dollars speak very loudly.

2) Bring your old shoes! Our goal is to have an inventory of over 200 shoes as we go into the cross country season this fall.   If you don't know what I'm talking about, East Nasty will take your old running shoes, clean them up, and offer them to local track and cross country teams that can't afford new running shoes.

3) Run #8 this week.  Check out the link on the right side of the post.

Shout Out!

Were any of you guys thinking last week, "I wonder what East Can is going to do with all this dog food??"  Well, below is an email that Elizabeth sent me:

Dear East Nasty,

I cannot thank you enough for your continued support of East C.A.N.! (East Nashville's Community Action Network)

You may not realize it but the pet food donated through your drive this week gets used in the following ways;

* When a die-hard softy offers to foster a desperate animal even though they already have a bunch of their own to care for...we can try to make sure they don't incur additional expenses just because they are kind hearted.

* When someone calls and says "I just picked up an animal wandering on Riverside Drive. I can keep it here at my home for a while but can you help me with some food and a crate?"

YES, WE CAN!

* When someone on Shelby Ave. calls and says "My neighbors just got evicted and left their dogs in the back yard.  We'll keep an eye on them for a while but can you help with some food and dog houses?"

YES, WE CAN!

* When a runner e-mails me and says "I've been running past this house everyday and I'm worried about a dog that hangs out in the driveway and is really skinny."

WE CAN DROP OFF A BAG OF FOOD WITH A CARD INTRODUCING EAST C.A.N. AND OFFERING ANIMAL WELFARE ASSISTANCE IF THEY NEED AND WANT IT.

I could go on and on with stories about this last one and believe me, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK, but I'll share my absolute favorite story with you. In order to get the full effect I'm just going to share a few of the e-mails from a neighbor who was trying to help a neighbor.

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Hi guys,

I was able to get close enough to her today to feed her and take some videos. She breaks my heart! I left a bag and some cans of food and wrote them a note on a business card saying that I may be able to find her a foster home and that they were sweet to help her. We'll see if they call...

Her shaky back legs are the saddest part to me and I am so thrilled to find the assistance to help her!

-----------

Hi again,

Total change since my last email. The man called to say thank you for the dog food and told me that she is in fact his dog. She's 14 years old and been with him for 10. In his message he said that the dog food I left was one of the nicest things he's ever seen and he had been out of work for the last quarter of the last year. So sweet. Now what? I can take them food every couple of weeks I guess? She is still soooo skinny.

-----------

I spoke with him today and he couldn't have been nicer about everything. He was so moved by the gesture of the gift of food and thanked me profusely. I told him about the help that has been offered when we thought she was a stray (her name is ***) and he said he's back at work and would be fine. She eats twice a day while the tubbies in the back yard eat once since they are younger. One of them wears a sweater and all of them come in at night so I think they are okay. She's loved and just a grandma of a girl at this time. I told him I was so happy to know that she was cared for and that I had completely mis-judged the situation and was happy that he was understanding about it all. He said that it's reaffirmed his faith in people :)

On that note, you have all done the same for me. I would love to offer any services to East CAN anytime you need a thing. I love the outpouring and the mission that I've seen in the last week and would be honored to be a part of the organization. Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you do. Again, it makes me feel less alone in wanting to help in the hood.

Best,

------------

I hope this touches you as much as it did me.

Yes, we want to be advocates for the animals who have been let down by theirs and for those who've never had one, but in the end it's all part of a much bigger picture. I'm proud to be a little piece of the big picture and I hope you are too!

Bottom Line: Bring a bag of dry dog or cat food to the run this Wednesday.

If you have been to a Wednesday night run before, you know that we always spend a little time on announcements.   And you may wonder who is the random woman who always brings a dog up in front of everyone...   Well, that woman is Elizabeth Chauncey, and that dog is our Rescue Dog of the Week. Elizabath is part of a non-profit called East Can.   EastCan is an organization that (among other things) rescues abandoned animals, and tries to find them homes.

For those of us who live over here, we know that there is a massive amount of stray or neglected animals in East Nashville.   And instead of looking to other people to take care of the problem, East Can is attempting to rally the community to fix it ourself ... and East Nasty wants to help.

You may or may not be in a position to adopt an animal, but we can all do this: Bring a bag of dog food this Wednesday!! If you can't adopt a dog right now, at least you can help feed one...  This week (May 19th) bring a bag of dry dog food and it will go to help out families that are having trouble affording their pets.  This is a way that East Nasty can help with an immediate need in the community.  Last year we collected 65 bags of food and this year our goal is to get 100 bags.  For us to get to this goal all of us need to step up.

But...if you are in a position where you can keep a dog, you can either adopt, or foster a dog.  Either way, Elizabeth will be around on Wednesday to answer your questions, and try and connect you with you next best friend!

So don't forget...bring a bag of food this week!

Mark

P.S. We are on run #7.  So check it out...

If you never read these posts this is what I want you to remember: May 12 - Bring a bag of toiletries and/or cleaning supplies.

May 19 - Bring a bag of dry dog or cat food!

Now back to my normal posting...

Thanks to all the East Nasties who volunteered to help last Sunday morning. Since most of our houses were basically unscathed, it was really important for us to see the rest of the story... We helped clean 4 homes near Shelby Park.   There was almost nothing to salvage.  The house I worked on will have to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt from there.

Not only was it good for us to join along side someone who was hurting, but just having to conserve water this week has been a reminder of all the things that we (or at least I) tend to take for granted.  Just last week I got upset because the water coming out of a drinking fountain was luke warm.  Shame on me!! Just look at how quickly that resource can be taken away...

With that in mind, here are a couple of things I want from you this week:

Don't take your ability to run for granted: You have the physical ability to run, the financial resources to buy new shoes and technical apparel, a big group of friends who support your habit, and a neighborhood that respects runners!   Enjoy it!  All of that stuff can be taken from you in a heart beat.

Be generous.   How?  Well an easy way to start is by tipping well at 3 Crow!  At 7:30 on Wednesdays those servers are suddenly inundated with 80 extra people who all want a drink now!  I think that they do a great job,  but even if your drink is a couple of minutes late, deal with it, and tip well anyway!

Bring toiletries and/or cleaning supplies.  There is still a lot of work to do as we are cleaning up our city.  An easy way to get involved is to donate personal grooming stuff (shampoo, soap, mouthwash, shaving cream etc..), or cleaning supplies.  This Wednesday we will be collecting these donations and sending them to the hands on Nashville people.

Learn Run #6. We finally get to go back into Shelby!  Check out run #6, get something to donate and we'll see you tomorrow!

Mark

This Sunday, the East Nasties are joining the thousands of folks who have helped around middle Tennessee.  Here is the plan: Sunday join us for breakfast at Ugly Muggs at 8:00.  Then we will head over to the Art House (which is behind I Dream of Weanie), to be there at 9:00.  (Of course, if you can't make breakfast, no worries, just meet us at the Art House.) Bring work clothes, gloves and shoes you don't mind getting dirty.

Also over the next two weeks, we are collecting donations on Wednesday night:

Wednesday May 12 - Bring toiletries and/or cleaning supplies.

Wednesday May 19 - Bring a big bag of dry dog food or cat food.

The donations from May 12 will go toward families in East Nashville via the Art House efforts.  The dog/cat food is our second annual animal food drive for East Can, and our goal is to get over 100 bags of food this year!

Hope to see a bunch of you guys on Sunday!

Mark

While East Nasty promises to bring you great weather on Wednesday evenings, we can make no such guarantees on other days.  (For you newbies, it's really pretty uncanny about how lucky we are with weather on Wednesday nights...In two years, we have NEVER been rained out.) So...the picture below shows why we have to change our route for this week.

(Check out these pictures for more...)

Our run on Wednesday will be the East Nasty 2010 Flood Run.  What is it?  We will just repeat the Walking Bridge Run until either Police Officers or Water forces us to change paths!   I don't think that we will be able to run up 1st Avenue, so the idea is that after crossing the bridge, turn right on 4th and run straight up to Union to the Woodland Street Bridge.

Volunteering

Wednesday as we run over the swollen river, remember all our friends and neighbors who might be in need.  And I would encourage you to: (do #1 first!)

1) Go next door and ask your neighbors if they need help!  This is how community works and develops.  It takes courage, but nothing valuable ever happens without risk...

2) Contact Hands On Nashville (www.hon.org) they are a well organized bunch of folks who can point you in the direction of the biggest need.   In fact, this is how the mayor wants you to volunteer.

3) Volunteer at one of the Red Cross Shelters or make a donation at www.redcrossnashville.org

What to do now that the 1/2 marathon is over ??

While finishing a race can be a let down, it is also a chance to let off the throttle and run stress free for a period of time.  That's the East Nasty mantra for the month of May.  Recover, refocus and renew.   Comfortable runs allow us to refocus our efforts on our friendships, our community and off of our own personal fitness.

Remember, recovery is as essential as hard training.  And a good rule of thumb is to take 1 easy day of running for every 2 kilometers of racing.  (A half-marathon is about 21k.)  So even if you are planning on training hard in May, the coach in me encourages you to take a good 10 day recovery before you get back into hard running.

Sunday Runs

Wednesday runs happen year round, rain or shine.  But East Nasty does not host long runs on Sundays during May.   If you are looking for group long runs on the weekends, I really don't know what to tell you...Maybe try the striders (they have a great series of marathon training runs, but those don't start for a while).  But have hope !  East Nasty is going to host Sunday morning trail runs in June, July and August! Check back soon for more info...

Shoes

After piling up hundreds of miles training for the 1/2 or full marathon it may be time for new shoes.  Or maybe not...  But either way, East Nasty is proud to announce that we are now accepting old running shoes!   Bring your old shoes and throw them in the shoe box on Wednesday nights.  We'll take them, clean them up and find them a good home.  Our vision is to have a stockpile of shoes that we can offer up to local schools to give to athletes who can't afford athletic shoes (starting with KIPP - sorry about the bad picture).

EastCan Dog Food Drive

East Nasty is a proud supporter of Eastcan.org.  Eastcan brings us our rescue dog of the week.  Of course, we would love for all of you guys to become dog owners, foster "parents" or weekly dog walkers.  If that is not a possibility for you, please join us for our annual dog food drive for EastCan.  Here is the deal - Everyone bring a bag of dry dog food to the run on Wednesday May 19!!

Le carrera de Cinco de Mayo esta numero seis "Riverside".

My apologies to any Spanish speakers...

Mark

Way to go Nasties!

It was a strange race day to say the least (a surprise 6:45 starting time, crazy humidity, a cut-off point for the marathoners, and so on) but everyone did an awesome job! Some of us set new PR’s, others just had a grand time running around cheering on their fellow runners. For others it was their first half-marathon, and they rocked it in true East Nasty style. A very special shout out needs to go to all the full marathoners who were forced to cut their run short, all of you did an amazing job!

Post your times below, and share your stories of the day!

PS- Two things really. 1.) You will notice that website address has changed to something a little more fitting! 2.) We are back on for Wednesday Night runs with run #5 (and Sunday runs will start up again soon, I promise!)

just a quick note to let you know that the party tonight is still on! 5:00 Micah's house.  622 McFerrin

See you there!

A couple of things East Nasty:

-Do not let the weather scare you! As it looks right now, the race is going to happen between some small thunderstorms in the morning (ending around 5am) and a larger thunderstorm later in the afternoon (around 3pm.) The temperature at 7am is predicted to be around 65 degrees. Translation: BRING IT!

-If you are not  running and want to help cheer us on at the Battlefield St. location, you can email Noell Rembert at noellrembert@gmail.com for more details.

-If you would like to help Erin Pauling collect clothes to donate to Thriftsmart after the start of the race, you can contact her at erinpauling@yahoo.com for more details.

Pre race meeting area: The parking lot in front of P.F. Chang’s and Wendy’s on West End Avenue.

POST RACE PICTURE: 10:30 am in the E section of the “family reunion” area.

-Finally, feel free to add a comment to this post (click below where it says comments) to offer up your pace time and projected goal, or any other information that needs to be given out. Several East Nasties are going be leading groups through various corrals to help everyone reach their projected goal.

-Also quick note: Hugh Mundy will be following his usual pre-race ritual of eating a sausage mcmuffin with egg, drinking a venti no-whip frappacino, all while running windsprints with backpack full of M-Z encyclopedias. Unless you also ran at Notre Dame, this technique is not recommended.

Remember people this is supposed to be a FUN event. Relax, get some rest tonight, and be ready to have a blast tomorrow morning.

Just a couple of days before the CMM 1/2 marathon, so this Wednesday should be a nice easy run for all the nasties!  It's run #4. Tomorrow

1) Bring $20 to pick up your shirt, and if you are on the waiting list, we are going to start selling any left over shirts after the run tomorrow.  If you will not be at the run tomorrow night, but ordered a shirt, post a comment here and Drew will save it for you.  Otherwise, all shirts will go on sale tomorrow after the run.

2) If you are injured and looking to sell a number, or if you are uninjured and looking to buy a number - post a comment here and try and hook up tomorrow at the run.  I know that there are a couple of people in both categories that will be there tomorrow...

Race Day

3) Are you running?  Make sure to wear an East Nasty shirt and meet in the family reunion area under the letter "E" at 10:30.  We will gather at that time to get a couple of group photos...

4) Not running?  Join Erin Pauling as she collects discarded clothing to give to Thriftsmart.  Or...join the East Nasty cheering crew on Battlefield.  More details on both of these efforts tomorrow.

Saturday night

The East Nasty post-race party starts at 5:00 @ 622 McFerrin.  We'll have burgers, beer and DJ Zach.  Everyone is welcome!

Mark