Red Shoes Run 5k Recap

A week ago, on April 5th, I ran the Red Shoes Run 5k with my uncle and my boyfriend.  It's to benefit our local Ronald McDonald House, which is a charity I've always felt really drawn to.  It was especially important for them this year because they were greatly impacted by mold last year, and were closed for about half the year.  They've recently reopened and are currently full, with about 20 families on the waiting list.  Afterward, the Children's Hospital at Memorial Hospital (where the Ronald McDonald House is located) held a Teddy Bear Hospital, where they had nurses and doctors diagnosing and fixing kids' teddy bears.  It was absolutely adorable!

My aunt and uncle were visiting from Connecticut for the weekend, and my uncle has been running for quite a while.  He usually runs about a mid-20's 5k, but both he and my boyfriend stayed back to run with me, even though they both probably could have placed had they not!  Well, I know my uncle would have, at the least.  We ended up finishing in 40:40.  We were on track for me to PR after the first mile, which came in at 12:06.  I tried to keep up the pace, but it just wasn't happening.  This was my first run after RunTheBluegrass, which was a mistake, so I was still tight.  Plus it was about 70 out, while Bluegrass was about 45 and felt like 32, so I think my body was very confused!  Mile 2 was 13:29, much closer to my usual pace, and the last mile was 13:54.  While I probably could have pushed harder and gotten a new PR, I didn't want to push too hard, and I'm mostly happy with this time.

This is known as the "mini bridge run" because we go up and over a bridge that goes over the highway.  Despite my hills at Bluegrass, it still kicked my butt, especially by being in the hot sun!  For about a mile or so after that, though, we were on a road that went through a wooded area, so it was shady and much cooler.

Overall it was a really great race, with a wonderful cause, and I look forward to running it again next year!

My uncle, me, my boyfriend, and his mom

Did you race last weekend?
Lauren