Christmas and New Year's Day

Christmas and New Year's Day both fall on a Wednesday this year, and we're still going to run.  But we are not going to meet at 6 p.m. on either of those days.   After taking a very informal survey, we've decided to meet at 2 p.m. on both days.   It's a good excuse to get out of the house and do something healthy!  Feel free to bring holiday visitors.  I'm assuming that we will have pretty small crowds, so we're going to do some old routes!

Hoodies

If you ordered an East Nasty hoody, they're in.  Swing by Nashville Running Company to pick yours up.

Full/Half Training

First, everyone is welcome to join us at any time even if you are not running any races at all.   So if you are looking for a weekend long run, or a Thursday night track workout come on out.

Next, this winter for half/full marathon training we are going to communicate using our Emma account, so please take a moment to read details here, and sign up for our training.   All this does is put you on our email list, it doesn't commit you to anything.   This is important because there are going to be some changes to the training…yes we know something, stay tuned.

Finally, make sure you are ready at 8 a.m. on Saturday/Sunday January 4/5.   Our first meeting is outside the nature center at Shelby Park.

Routes

Thanks to those who pointed out that the route maps were dead links.  Mapmyrun.com must have changed some sort of formatting.  Everything should be good to go now.

The hoodies are finished and ready to be picked up. On Friday, swing by Nashville Running Company between 4 and close (7 p.m.) to pick your up.  We'll also have East Nasty socks and the remaining training logs available for purchase.

It sounds like the Christmas party was a blast.  Why did I miss the party ?

Of course Julianne wanted to be born on an East Nasty Wednesday.    Mom and daughter are doing great and big sister is adjusting well…

We have two runs left in 2013, and we'll be starting off 2014 with a New Year's Day run.   We haven't missed a run since June of 2008, and we won't be starting now!  But stay tuned because we will probably move the start time for the Christmas and/or New Year's Day run.

Wednesday, December 18th.  6 p.m.

This Wednesday the run will be at the normal time and place.  Route #2.

Socks and logs

We still have socks and a few training logs left.  We will have them at the runs on Wednesdays.  Socks are $20 and the logs are $10.

1/2 and Full Marathon Training

From January 4 until April 26 we have four runs per week.  Saturday and Sunday morning long runs at 8 a.m., Thursday night speed workouts at 6 p.m. at 11th and Holly, and our regular, year round Wednesday night runs.   (Note: the Saturday and Sunday runs are the same…)   All the weekend and Thursday runs are focused on the country music half or full marathon, but everyone is welcome to join us for any of the runs, even if you are not training for anything...

Our training is free, structured and supported by pace leaders, gatorade and 100 of your newest friends.    Take a moment to read our informational page, download our training plan, and sign up.  (Note: if you sign up, you are not committing yourself to anything, you are just signing up for our weekly training emails.)

ENFL

Mark

Christmas Party 2013

After the run this Wednesday, we're going to head down to the Zimmerman's house (1306 Woodland) for our 6th annual East Nasty Christmas Party. We'll have food, live music, beer and some new East Nasty merch.

We need you to bring: $5 (for our insurance), and a dessert (only if you have time to make one, don't worry about it otherwise).

Everyone is welcome, even if you can't make the run. Party starts as soon as the first runner gets there!

Country Music Half/Full Marathon Discount

There is no doubt that races are getting expensive, so it's always a good idea to take advantage of discounts when they are available. Starting Wednesday at midnight and continuing throughout the day on Thursday, both the country music marathon and half-marathon will be $20 off.  (Details here)

East Nasty Merch = Great Christmas Gifts

Hoodies. They are available, but must be ordered by December 13th. We will not have extras. We will have a size run at the party that you can try on. (Details here)

Swiftwick socks. $20. Merino wool. Amazing. I wore a pair on a wet, cold trail run on Saturday. Just amazing. They will be available at the party to purchase.

Training logs. $10. Keep track of your mileage, and have a quick reference for all twelve routes! Also available for purchase at the party.

Note: We only have a certain number of training logs and socks, so if you will not be at the party, but really want one, send Mark an email at mark@eastnastyforlife.com.

The Run

Our run this week is #1. Just a quick easy 5k route. (Gives us more time to celebrate together afterwards.)

6 a.m. or 6 p.m. at the corner of 11th and Holly in East Nashville.

Our online store is back in business - thanks for your patience! 2013 Winter Hoodies

Our new hoodies are now available for order in our Online Store (http://eastnasty.storenvy.com/)! We have several styles to chose from - all printed with our nifty new 10th year logo!

We are offering a Unisex Pullover style and also a Women's Cut Full Zip style. Beginning Saturday December7, you can drop by Nashville Running Company to see samples and try one on to get your size.

We want to get these to you before Christmas, so we have a very small window to order. Be sure to order yours before the deadline - 10:00 AM Central time on Friday December 13! Pickup is planned for December 20th.

If you have any questions, contact Duane at: duane@eastnastyforlife.com

 

  

The Nasty

Route #12, what a great way to celebrate what probably will be the last 70 degree day of 2013.

6 a.m. or 6 p.m at the corner of 11th and Holly - bring a friend - but make sure that they are ready for 6 tough miles.

(If you are not quite ready to run the entire 6 miles, think about joining the Lasty Nasties.   If they are more your pace, make sure you arrive by 5:40 because they start early.)

No pint night this week…it will return in January 2014!

Christmas Party

Next week, December 11, bring a change of clothes and plan on celebrating another great year of running.  We'll have food, drinks, live music and some new East Nasty merchandise.   Bring $5 (for our insurance), and we would love some homemade desserts if you happen to be a baker!    The party will be at Phil & Gretchen Zimmerman's home, 1306 Woodland.

ENFL

Mark

Good luck to our 5k to 5 mile training participants as they tackle the Boulevard Bolt on Thursday!

As we get into the holiday season, things get busy.  So please take a moment to write down a couple of important dates:

Saturday, November 30, 8 a.m. @ Nashville Running Company.   5 mile run, followed by a brief informational meeting about the half/full marathon training.

Wednesday, December 11, post-run @ 1306 Woodland: The 6th annual East Nasty Christmas Party.  We'll have drinks, food and live music.  Also, we'll have the new Swiftwick socks ($20) and 2014 training log ($10).  Please bring $5 (this allows us to remain an RRCA running club) and a check or cash for any merchandise that you want to purchase.  Bring a dessert if you would like to show off your baking skills!

Saturday/Sunday January 4/5, 2014 8 a.m. @ Shelby Park Nature Center:  First day of training!

Half Marathon/ Full Marathon Training

First thing, while our training from January to April is focused on the Country Music Full & Half, anyone can run with us.   So if you are training for any spring race - or just looking for company on your runs, you are welcome to come to any of the training sessions.  (Wednesday runs, Thursday workouts and Saturday or Sunday long runs)

Next, take a moment to peruse our informational page.  Notice there is a place where you can sign up for the training.  Even though it is not necessary, it would be helpful if you registered.  Signing up just puts you on our email list to receive weekly training updates, there is no obligation to actually do the race.

Finally, remember everything we do is free, so spread the word and drag a friend along!

Wednesday, November 27: Route #11

Wednesday @ 6 p.m. or 6 a.m. If you have any family in town, bring them along and proactively burn off some of those Thanksgiving calories!

Shelby Hills

One fascinating thing about running through East Nashville over the last 10 years has been watching the astonishing transformation of the neighborhood. For example, the next time we do route #2 (early January) check out what's happening on Boscobel!   What used to be isolated around 5 Points /Lockeland Springs/Historic Edgefield area has exploded into the adjoining neighborhoods and shows little sign of slowing. Just wait until the Cayce Housing project gets the proposed facelift.

Anyway, if you remember from 3 months ago, we are no longer doing the Benji route. (Keep that one in your pocket for when you have a smaller group run - it's a nice one.)   Our new #10 route is called Shelby Hills because it takes us into an area of East Nashville that most people are not familiar with: Shelby Hills. Be sure to enjoy the view of the river as you turn right off of 18th, and once you crest the hill on 12th, don't forget to turn left on Sevier.  And take note, because 3 years from now, this neighborhood will look entirely different.

>> Important: As you are running up the hill (you'll know when this is happening!) please stay on or very close to the sidewalk on the right side of the road. <<

Join us at 6pm at 11th & Holly. Please study the map and volunteer to be a route/pace leader!

Country Music Half/Full Marathon Training Meeting

On November 30, we will have our informational meeting about our full and half marathon training programs. Please make an effort to come, it's helpful when we can answer everyone's questions at once, rather than one at a time. Take a moment to read our informational page. Notice that we are going to communicate via our Emma account this year, so please sign up for either the half marathon training program or the full marathon training program.

When: November 30, 8 a.m.

Where: Nashville Running Company

What: A 5 mile run followed by a brief meeting about the training schedule.

ENFL! - Mark

Half/Full Marathon Training

January will be here before you know it, and with it starts our half/full marathon training. Our information page is up (but not quite finished yet). Here are a couple of highlights:

1) Plan on coming to a 5 mile run/informational meeting on November 30th at 8 a.m. at Nashville Running Company. We'll burn some of those Thanksgiving calories, and then have time for some Q&A about our program.

2) This year we are going to communicate via our Emma account. So please take a moment to read through our informational page and then sign up for the half or full marathon training. (Coming soon.)

3) Monthly brunches! We are going to have 5 Sunday brunches scattered throughout the training. We have three of the five covered, but could use two more hosts. It's pot-luck style, we're just looking for people who are willing to open their home. We've looking for East Nashville residents. If interested, please email Rachel Schaffer raschaff@gmail.com.

Christmas Party

December 11, at the Zimmermans, 1306 Woodland. We'll have food, drinks and festive music. The one thing that we could use would be desserts. Are there are any bakers out there would who be willing to bring something?! We'll have the 2014 training logs ($10 - but there are limited quantities so get one quick) and East Nasty custom Swiftwick socks ($20). The party starts right after the run, and it's only 3 blocks away from our meeting location, so just plan on walking.

Finally, every year we have to pay $5 per member to maintain our RRCA (Road Runner Clubs of America) affiliation. So please bring $5 to the Christmas party.

The route

Wednesday 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. at the corner of 11th and Holly. We meet rain or shine, hot or cold, light or dark. Remember there is no such thing as inclement weather, only inadequate gear! So as we move deeper into fall/winter be prepared to run in cold, dark conditions.

ENFL

Mark

Save the Dates!

November 30,  8:00 a.m. @ Nashville Running Company - We will have a 5 mile run and an informational session about our country music training programs.   (See below for more details about the training.)

December 11, post-run - 10:00: East Nasty Christmas party.   We'll have food, music, drinks and some new East Nasty gear.  At 6 p.m. the run happens as usual, so bring a change of clothes and come celebrate.

Half-Marathon/Marathon Training

This is the 10th year for East Nasty Country Music training!   So if you have been thinking about it for a while, this is the year to do the race.   Here are some details:

1) Saturday/Sunday long runs beginning on January 4/5 and ending the weekend before the race.   These runs meet at 8a.m. but the location changes.   We meet at Shelby Park, Percy Warner Park, Centennial Park and at Bongo Java East.

2) Thursday speed/tempo workouts beginning on January 9th.  We meet at 6 p.m. at 11th and Holly.  The same place as the Wednesday night runs.

3) Pace leaders for half-marathon goal times of 1:30, 1:45, 2:00, 2:15 and 2:30. We already have volunteers for most of the groups.   We could use a Sunday morning pace leader for 1:45, and we still need leaders for the 1:30 group.   If you are interested, please email mark@eastnastyforlife.com.

4) A killer post-race party.

5) It's free!

Here is the the one thing that we require: that you can run 5 miles without stopping before you join the half training, and 8 miles without stopping before joining the marathon training.   Beginners: this is not because we don't love you!   It is because we do want you to be successful, and if you can't hit these benchmarks by January, you're probably not ready to do 13.1 (or 26.2) miles 4 months later.  And even if you do run the race, your chance of getting injured are extremely high.

Route #8

Rick's Market: Coldest Beer in Town

6 a.m. or 6 p.m at the corner of 11th and Holly.

We need pace group leaders.  I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you enjoy the benefits of this group - you need to carry part of the load.   That is the only way that volunteer-driven organizations like ours can function.  Make a goal of leading 4 times per year.  Don't make us come ask, be proactive and volunteer.  We will have maps printed out, so please no more excuses about having "a bad sense of direction".  (On the other hand,  "this is my first week" is an acceptable excuse...)

After the run, stick around for pint night at NRC.  Before the run folks from Girls on The Run will be there the talk about volunteer opportunities.

See you tomorrow.  It will be dark, wear reflective gear.

Mark

Shoes

I have always felt that it's hard to know if you've found a good pair of running shoes.  Even with help from experts like Hunter Lane, you never really know how well they fit until you run in them for a while.    Unfortunately, there is no foolproof solution for this, but this Wednesday Kahru will be at Nashville Running Company at 5 p.m. if you want to try out a pair for the run.   Just show up at NRC at 5, wear a pair of their shoes for the run, and bring them back afterwards.  (Side note: Hunter's ENOW is not remotedly up to date, venture over to Nashville Running Company to hear what he's up to now!)

The Yellow House

Have you ever wondered about the yellow house where we meet?   Well that house is actually owned by the YMCA, and this week is a great time to learn more about it.  Wednesday night, they will be having an open house  - where runners are encouraged to grab a snack, and take a tour to see what they are all about.  Here are some highlight:

“Music on the Porch” until announcement time

“Treats” for the East Nasty Runners (bananas, orange slices, grapes, etc…).  Runners can opt to “trick or treat” before or after they run of course!

“Faces of East Nashville” Exhibit* – East Nasty runners will be the first to view a brand new exhibit created by over 200 people in East Nashville during the month of  October.  ( “Faces of East Nashville”  is an interactive project sponsored by “The Healing Arts Project, Inc” for the purpose of celebrating art during “Artober Nashville” through a community art project designed to help bring awareness and understanding to mental health treatment and recovery).

“Open House” – East Nasty runners are invited to pop in “the little yellow house” and take a look around the art studio (there are several new runners who may not know “who we are”).  All are welcome to join in some of the art projects if they would like to.  Also, several pieces of artwork will be on exhibit and available for sale throughout the “yellow house”.*  There is absolutely no obligation to buy…we would love for everyone to come in to see the artwork and just say hello!

*All purchases help support “The ArtEmbrace Program” where local artists are hired to teach visual or performing arts to students in 100+ after school programs at no extra cost to the families. 

The Route

Wednesday night 6 p.m.

Please take a moment to learn the route so you can volunteer to be a pace leader.   Quick tip: when you are running down Eastland, stay on the left and stay single file over the bridge.   Once you cross the gully, there will be a bike lane.  Also while you are trying on some Kahru shoes at NRC, pick up some reflective gear!   Seriously, we all need reflective gear.

ENFL

Mark

Route #6

6 am or 6 pm at the corner of 11th and Holly in East Nashville.

Stop by NRC to pick up some reflective gear if you do not have any.  No excuses!