Red Barn Run

Yesterday morning, Julie dropped me off near Red Barn Academy. Red Barn is an addiction recovery program that we support, first through using them for our moves and, more recently, through their Secret Santa program. Yesterday was their inaugural 5K/10K Walk/Run.

I warmed up in the half mile over there, got my bin number (1246), pinned it on, and prepared to run. I was scheduled for 6 miles at my long tempo pace (7:20/mi), so I figured a brush 10K would fit right in. 

It was a pretty well-organized event, but at the start it was unclear if there was actually a 10K or if it was just a 5K. So, when a couple of goofballs took off like rabbits, I followed at a reasonable pace. The one who was wearing jeans quickly fell back; I passed the other one sometime in the 2nd half of the first mile, as I was cruising along at about a 6:50/mi pace. I figured if it was just a 5K, I'd complete it, then carry on with the rest of my training run. But, when I got to the 5K turnaround point, I asked if I just kept going for the 10K and the workers have a positive reply. 

So, I just settled in and kept on trucking. For a bit, I figured someone would come track me down. But, I was still out front at the 10K turnaround. And, it was a solid gap to the next person. So, I just ran my run. I finished at a 6:47/mi pace, which is pretty solid for me right now. I'm in the middle of a training cycle, so I wasn't tapered for a race.

It was fun. It's a good cause. I talked to one of the guys who helped us move. He's almost done with his 2nd year, and he's signed on for a third. It was great to see him doing well and excited about life.