It's here....the Tomato Fest 5k.

Wednesday is going to be hot.  But there are several important things that we are doing this week.  So even if you run earlier in the morning, please come by to join us in steps 2 and 3. (Alley clean-up and shirt pick-up)

1) Running the course

The 5k course has been changed.  To get a feel of the new layout, we will jog the course on Wednesday night.  Here is a link to the google map of the course, where you can check out the elevation change by clicking on the upward-arrow thing.

2) Alley Clean Up

We need everyone to stick around after the run for 20-30 minutes.  And if you don't come to the run, please come by at about 6:45 to join the clean up efforts.  We are going to blanket the course with East Nasties to pick up trash.  You don't need to bring anything: we have trash bags and gloves and we'll send you out in groups of 2 or 3 (which is a great chance to get to know a fellow East Nasty...)  Please make this a priority!  Remember our vision is to make East Nashville a great place to live and run, and efforts like this are where the rubber meets the road...

3) Shirts are in!

Duane-o has done it again: he's created a fantastic shirt design, featuring a unique Tomato Fest 2010 design on the back.   Shirts are $25, and here are the two important details: (1) pick up your shirt on Wednesday (2) wear your shirt on Saturday!

Bottom line: even if it is too hot for you to run, please come and join us for the alley clean up, and then pick up your shirt.  If you definitely cannot make it on Wednesday, but ordered a shirt - email Drew rdrewjones@hotmail.com to make other arrangements.   You can even pick it up the morning of the race.

See you on Wednesday and Saturday morning!

Mark

PS: Encourage the couch to 5kers when you see them this Wednesday and Saturday.  They have worked hard and are reaping the benefits of 8 weeks of training.  They will be running in the red East Nasty shirts...

East Nasty in the News. We'll be in the Wall Street Journal soon enough, but the Lockeland Springs News Letter is not a bad place to start... Check out the article here.

August 11

August 11 will be our post-run alley clean up day.  You don't have to bring anything, just be ready to: (1) run the Tomato Fest 5k course, and (2) spend 20 minutes with 100 of your friends making the streets and alleys along the course look great!  So next week, do not leave after the run!  If everyone pitches in, it'll take less than 30 minutes to blanket the entire course.

August 4

First, we all need to give the ladies at Lululemon a shout out for the water stop on these hot Wednesday nights.   Their water stop has been the highlight of these last two scorching runs.  So be sure and say thanks when you see them on Wednesday.

This week is our 4.6ish mile run down Riverside (Run #6).  The course will be marked (pink), and the map should be accurate this week.

Fall Marathon

As you know, East Nasty is going to  win the team competition at the Nashville Women's Half Marathon in September.  (If you want to join the East Nasty squad, email Heidi Huerta for details: hphuerta@gmail.com)  But there are also lots of people training for an early December marathon.  We won't have a training program per se, but Christy Brown is going to coordinate some long runs.  So if you are looking for some company for your 18+ milers send her an email.  christy.brown@daveramsey.com.  Also, the Nashville Striders coordinate some long runs targeted for the Chicago Marathon.  (The Chicago Marathon is in October)  These runs are well supported and well attended.

Sunday Trail Runs

Our Sunday trail runs are finishing up at the end of August.  So you only have a couple more weeks to learn the trails of Percy Warner Park.  (The last weekend in August will be a trip to Long Hunter State Park.)  8 a.m. Sunday mornings.

Mark

August 14, Tomato Fest 5k

If you have done the Tomato Fest for several years, you may notice that the course is a little bit different.  We'll run the course together on August 11, but I wanted to let everyone see the changes.

Clean East

"Most importantly, we love our neighborhood and strive to be involved in making it a great place to live and run."

That quote is part of the vision of East Nasty: to make East Nashville the best neighborhood in Nashville.  Clean East is an organization that shares our vision. So on August 11, we are going to team up with Clean East to do a little course clean up.   After we complete our Wednesday run, we're going to take about 20 minutes of our post-run time  to do a quick alley clean up.  Which gives you plenty of time to enjoy 3 Crow!  Stay tuned for more details...

Run #5. This week, we are on run #5, by far our most popular.  It's basically a giant rectangle that takes us over the pedestrian bridge, up first (or third) avenue and back over on the Woodland street bridge.  (What we actually run is a little bit different from the map...)  You'll have to wait 12 more weeks if you miss this foray into downtown!

Women's Half Marathon

Remember, if you want to join the East Nasty Women's Half team - you need to send Heidi an email ASAP.   hphuerta@gmail.com.

Shoe Program

Remember East Nasty is still taking in your old shoes.  If you are trading in those old trainers, or those racing flats that you never use - bring them to a Wednesday night run.  We clean them up and find them good homes.  In fact, we will be heading to the local schools in early fall / late summer, so now is a great time to bring them in.

See you on Wednesday, rain or shine.

Mark

Want to Age slower...Run! If you have had a chance to run with East Nasty Richard Kalmanek, you probably could have guessed this yourself.  But here it is...a little validation of what we all know: running slows the aging process.

Women's Half Marathon

East Nasty is going to field a team for the Nashville Women's 1/2 Marathon. The effort is going to be led by Heidi Huerta.  So if you are interested in training with some folks, wearing an East Nasty shirt, or if you just want to get a group discount on your entry fee...this group is for you!  Sign up with Heidi over the next two weeks, or send her an email for more details: hphuerta@gmail.com.

Speaking of Shirts...

We are about a month behind this year, but we are going to order our summer shirts this week!  Men's will be a Nike Fit sleeveless t-shirt, and women's will be a Nike-Pro sleeveless v-neck.  We won't have shirts to try on, but we will have a catalogue..sorry! We are only taking orders this week because we are trying to get these in time for the Tomato Fest 5k.  If you want a shirt, you need to order it on Wednesday or email Drew Jones with your size: rdrewjones@hotmail.com. Shirts will be $25 this year.

Okay this Wednesday: Run #4...  Remember: the run is only half the fun, stick around and get to know more of the nasties as we head over to 3 Crow for some post-run hang.

Mark

One month away... August 14, Tomato Fest 5k.  Sign up, get ready, be there...

Speaking of 5k races...there has been a surge in long distance races, and I think that it is partly a bad thing. It seems strange that a lover of endurance races such as myself would have a negative view of long distance races.  But recently it seems that a marathon or a half-marathon or even an Ironman is often a new athletes' introduction to racing. Long races are great accomplishments, and are usually extremely fun events - but they are also exhausting, often cause injury and very time consuming if you train properly.

So I encourage you to learn to enjoy shorter races.  The ones where you recover after 2 days rather than after 2 weeks. Where your weekend long run is 8-10 miles instead of 18-20.  Why not try and run a fast 5k, as opposed to another marathon?  Read this article from Running Times for more thoughts on the matter...

Run #3

Check out run #3.  The first 1.25 miles of the run is identical to run #1.  But then it changes: you run all the way down Franklin and turn left on Scott Ave.

Potato to Tomato

Our couch-to-5kers are in their 4th week of training.  We all know how difficult it can be to maintain motivation during those middle weeks of a training regimen (think: mile 2 of a 5k, or miles 6-10 of a half marathon).  Take a moment tomorrow to encourage them in their journey!  Who knows, maybe they'll become full time East Nasties at the end of the program...

Sunday Trail Runs

Trail runs continue this Sunday, 8 a.m.  at Percy Warner park.  Be there for 4.2 or 9.2 miles.

Mark

Trail Run Just a quick reminder that our Sunday morning trail run (and free yoga sessions) return to Percy Warner park this Sunday (July 11).  Meet at the end of Belle Meade blvd at 8:00 for either 4.2 miles or 9.2 miles.

Ms. Parsons

Annie Parsons, East Nasty Denver's correspondent, gave a great shout out to Rod Jones, (the current ENOW penman).  Check out the love here, and then let Annie know that she has to move back.

See you Sunday!

Mark

Pre Classic I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend.  Erin and I were in Eugene, Oregon to see the Prefontaine Classic.  It was a great track meet, with some amazing performances; starting with the mile.  There were two one-mile races, and the winner of the SLOW heat ran 3:53!  In total, 20 guys broke 4 minutes for the mile.  Check out the results here.  (notice: last place in the 5000 was 13:31...yikes)

Rescue Dogs of the Week

After a couple of Wednesdays traveling, Elizabeth is back with Dusty and Rusty...

Remember there are lots of ways that you can help even if you are not in position to adopt an animal right now.  Check out EastCan's July newsletter here.

Run #2

Check out the map on the right, I'll try to mark the course, but no guarantees...

See you on Wednesday.

Mark

June 30 brings us back to Run #1, an easy 3.2 miles. Remember fasties, I will be with the Couch-to-5kers, so take a moment to learn the route. Sunday Trail Run

We do not have a trail run this weekend!  I would encourage you to find a local 4th of July race.

After a week of scorching heat, it looks like tonight is going to be beautiful!  A short run, perfect weather: it's a great night to join us on the East Side!

See you tonight!

Mark

Mundy night

Tomorrow night may just be the end of era. For the past couple of years we at East Nasty have had the privilege of getting to know Mr. Hugh Mundy.  We learned about his drumming skills through his East Nasty of the Week post, we watched his now infamous final stand-up performance, and we helped cheer him on when he ran a 4:45 mile just a few short weeks ago. If you have a favorite East Nasty moment, chances are Hugh was right there with you. He has been a champion for all things East Nasty since joining, and even though he is still wavering on whether to get an ENFL tattoo or not, we all still have bared witness to his passion for our running group.

On Tuesday night, June 29th, we are gathering at The Basement on 8th Avenue, just below Grimey’s New & Pre-loved Record Store, for a send off truly worthy of his legendary status. There will be catered food, some desserts, and free entertainment from 8pm through midnight. BRING EVERYONE!!! Seriously, this one is going to be a party for the record books!

The schedule looks like this:

Tommy Keenum- 8:00 pm

Charlie Pate and Dixie's Finest:  8:30 pm

Graham Stoner: 9:00 pm

Jack Silverman Ordeal : 9:15- 9:45 pm

The Jones Brothers (comedy) 9:45-10:00 pm

Guilty Pleasures – 10:00 – 11:30 pm

As Drew Jones would say… “DON’T SING IT, BRING IT!”

This Sunday, June 27, our trail run will be a (short) road trip adventure to Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN. The trails at the park are absolutely beautiful, and they are also a bit easier and less hilly than Percy Warner. Route options include the 10.5+ mile loop Montgomery Bell trail or a 3 mile out-and-back option to the Wildcat Shelter on that same trail. (Actually if you don't mind running out-and-back there are an infinite number of options for mileage...)  We will meet at 8am at the picnic shelter area near the main entrance to the park, off of Highway 70. There are restrooms and water available at the picnic area, and both routes will start and end there.

*Directions: From the park website at  http://tn.gov/environment/parks/MontgomeryBell/

From Interstate 40W: Take Exit 182 (Fairview/Dickson Hwy. 96). Turn to go West on Hwy. 96. Stay on Hwy. 96 until it dead ends at Hwy. 70. Turn right (East) on Hwy. 70, off-ramp provided. Stay on Hwy. 70 approximately 3 miles. Main Park Entrance is on the right. Pass the guardhouse on your left and take the first left after that onto Bakers Work Rd. Turn left after a short distance to parking area by picnic area/pavilions. Parking is VERY limited.

*Carpooling: The easiest way for all of us to get from Nashville to MB is to carpool! The park is an hour drive from downtown Nashville (don't be fooled by GoogleMaps optimistic lower estimates). Two carpool options: 1. Meet at the Titans Stadium (northeast parking lot across from Shoney's) at 6:50am. Leave for MB at 7:00am sharp. 2. Meet at Holland Carley's house in Bellevue (716 Harpeth Parkway West, 37221) at 7:00am. Leave for MB at 7:15am sharp.

(email holland.carley@vanderbilt.edu if you need additional details.)

*Important: -Bring a water bottle or other hydration method! This is critical if you plan to run the 10.5 mile trail - there are no water stops on the trail loop. -Bring/wear bug repellent. The bugs were very bad near the creeks and streams when we ran here a few weeks ago. -There will not be an "official" EN brunch. The closest breakfast place is on the way back to Nashville, at the Cracker Barrel or another restaurant at the I-40/Charlotte Ave. exit.

If you have any questions, email Jenny Magill at jenny.magill@gmail.com. This is a great way to get out and explore Tennessee!

Run #12

Okay nasties it's time to earn your stripes!  We're on run #12, Nasty.  It's not only our longest run, but it has some of the worst hills in it as well.  But...it's also your opportunity to earn your East Nasty sticker bumper sticker!  So don't shy away! Do not go gentle into that good night!

(There is a shorter route available, 3.87 miles.  Also, this is the one route that is marked on the ground.  Look for white arrows pointing the way!  Also for all you fasty nasties - I will not be able to lead the entire route, so take a moment to learn the turns...)

Potato-to-Tomato

(I wish I had made up that clever little phrase... )

Starting this week our Couch-to-5k runners will be joining us on Wednesday nights!  "For the Nasty run?!" you ask??  Well, no.  They will be doing a different workout than us, but show these newbies some East Nasty love when you see them, because for a lot of them joining us for a run is an intimidating experience!

It's not too late to "convince" any of your friends/family to join this group! Also, let me know if you are available to help.  It's a great chance to give back by passing your passion along to someone else!

Road Trip!

Our Sunday morning trail run is going to at Montgomery Bell State Park.  Stay tuned for final details.  This will be a great way to spend a Sunday morning exploring the natural beauty of Tennessee.

See you on Wednesday!

Mark

As the barefoot running craze picks up steam, our own Graham Stoner was interviewed by The Tennessean to get his take on it.  Check out the article here, and if you want more scientific information, check out the Harvard Web site where all this research began.

Heat Wave

Running in the heat is more dangerous than running in the cold.  But there are some things that you can do to make running in the heat more bearable.

1) Wear the least amount of clothing that you feel comfortable in, and don't wear cotton!

2) Don't run in the middle of the day, and find as much shade as possible on your routes.

3) Start out slow.  Real slow.  Intensity is what really gets your core temperature up, and when the outside air is 90 degrees it's hard to bring that core temperature down.  Stop running immediately if you feel faint, find some shade and drink lots of water.

4) Drink copious amounts of water before your run, but be sure to replace your electrolytes after the run.  (meaning grab a glass or two of gatorade along with your post run water.)

Getting Faster

If you are already a runner - you still have time to sign up for Summer Speed Sessions.  (There are ten more weeks of workouts.)  Also, the Sunday Morning Trail runs are a great way to build some hill work into your weekly long run.

If you are NOT a runner (or if you know someone who wants to become a runner), the East Nasty Couch to 5k program starts on June 21.  Running in a group is usually the accountability that we all need to stick to a program. Whether you are just getting started, or running 80 miles a week, sometimes it's hard to get out the door unless we know that someone is waiting for us..  So if you're ready to make that first step, we're ready to help you get to your goal.  The program is free!   Just one way that East Nasty wants to give back to this great community.

Wednesday, june 16

This week is run #11, East Nashville churches.  When we first added this route, I blogged about some of the churches that are on this run.  Check out this post from last year, and pay some attention to the great architecture in our neighborhood!

No Taco Truck this week, (they are opening a permanent location on West Eastland across the street from the Holland House...) but we'll still be hanging out at 3 crow after the run!  So bring a change of clothes and a couple of dollars.

Mark