Cinderella Trail Run 10KA Newbie’s First Trail RaceBy Barefoot TerryAugust14, 2010 - It was a cool, misty, wet morning in the hills above Oakland, California. Costal Trail Runs was putting on a 10K, half marathon, marathon,and 50K ultra. The drive to Joaquin Miller Park had been without traffic (a rarity for the San Francisco Bay Area), and I arrived earlier than expected. I walked down to the registration area in my VFFs, got my number, hit the restrooms, and then wandered back to my truck to get out of the chill morning air. The temperature was about 56 degrees. Not terribly cold, but enough to chill someone in running shorts.Being an Eagle Scout, I consider myself fairly well versed on hiking trails, but this Saturday, I dared to try something new - a trail run. Not only that, I decided to run it barefoot.So, there I sat in my truck trying to keep warm. After about 15 minutes, I decided I was bored enough and headed back toward the starting area to look for fellow BRS member, Barefoot John. By the time I made it down the hill, John was there waiting. There was about 15 minutes until the start. We chatted a bit then headed to the growing line for the restrooms. A couple of the runners in line noticed my VFFs and asked if I was running in them today.“Nope. I just don’t want to walk in the bathroom barefoot,” I said. “We’re both running barefoot today.” John and I talked about our experiences running barefoot - how long we’d been running bare and what distances we were running. Afterwards, we walked back to the start area. By now, the clock had ticked down. I stripped off my VFFs and strapped them to my water belt. John had his Terra Planas tied to the back of his. We wandered into the crowd of runners milling about the start/finish area. A few last words from the director and we were off and running...well sort of.The race began in a wonderfully, soft field filled with grass and clover. As the runners raced toward the edge of the field, the run quickly became a walk and then a stand. I guess 255 people moving in a field 50 yards across to a trail that is no more than 6 feet wide causes a bit of a bottleneck.
not allergic, I have been known to have various body parts swell up from mosquito bites over the year.I figured that maybe if I got the blood flowing again the pain might subside. So, I took off down the trail at a good clip for about a half-mile. By now, the pain had subsided to the point of a dull ache on the front and back of my elbow.As I approached mile 4, there was a long steady climb ahead. I recalled looking at the elevation map of the course, it was going to be ugly. It turned out to be about a half-mile straight up with a gain of about 400 feet. There was another runner on the hill with me training for the Tahoe Marathon. We both decided that the hill was really too steep to run and decided to walk up this one.One of the most common questions I most encounter is, “What if you step on a rock?” My usual response is, “I don’t step on the rocks.” Ironically, while barefoot “running” this course, I did fine. However, while “walking” my way up this hillside, I stepped on a baseball-sized rock at the exact center of my arch. I winced but did not let on to my hill climbing companion of the moment that I had made such a stupid mistake. This mistake later turned into a quarter sized blue patch on the bottom of my foot the next day.I made it to the top of the hill and back to the aid station. At this point, I decided that a cup of CLIF drink couldn’t hurt me now with only about a mile and a half to go on the course. I downed a cup and headed back out on the trail. For the next half-mile or so it was nice, soft dirt and the occasional mud puddle, with little rock to trouble my feet. I quickly reached the turn off for the final loop down to the finish.About the 5-mile mark proved to be one of the most challenging sections of the trail. It was dry, completely littered with rocks, and very steep. There was no way of running this section. I began carefully picking my way down the trail as fast as I could. A couple I had passed at the turn was now gaining on me.The man shouted ahead to me, “Hey, did you read Born to Run?”“Yep!”I replied.As he shot past me down the rocky trail, he said, “Are you still glad you read Born to Run?”“Yeah, but this section isn’t fun,”I joked.Just before reaching the bottom of this torturous hill, I heard a noise and turned to see about 10 mountain bikers bouncing down the trail. Several of us stood to the side to let them pass.I wanted to say, “You know, we’re kinda on a clock here. Could ya speed it up?”I made it down the final 50 or so feet to the bottom of the hill where it intersected the final path to the finish. I recognized this section from scouting the area with my family a few days earlier. I guessed I was about a half-mile to the finish. (My Garmin had lost satellite reception a while back.) I kicked up the pace, since the trail was wide, flat, and full of soft dirt. I entered the big grassy field and saw the FINISH tent and made a dash for it.Finish time for my first barefoot 10k trail run 1:35:01. Barefoot John had made it just ahead of me with a time of 1:28:28.
Barefoot Terry at the finish of the Cinderella Trail Run 10K
Several times along the trail, I had contemplated throwing on my VFFs, but I really wanted to experience my first trail run fully barefoot. With the exception of the bee sting and the bruised arch, I was thrilled to have completed my goal of running a trail barefoot!This past week I read Jason Robillard’s blog about his recent barefoot marathon. In his blog, Jason mentions the idea of using “the most minimal shoe for the job.” Having completed my first barefoot trail run, I completely understand where Jason is coming from. Having thoroughly enjoyed my barefoot trail run, I definitely see more trail running in my future. Should the trail be barefoot friendly, I will be barefoot. However, having the choice of “minimalist” options given the terrain is something I will surely consider. As a person who prefers to run barefoot, I see no reason to risk injuring myself on a trail or other surface just to be able to say, “I ran it barefoot.” But you know what? I did a 10K trail run, and yeah, I did it BAREFOOT!Barefoot Terry after the Cinderella Trail Run 10K
Barefoot John after the Cinderella Trail Run 10K
Barefoot John & Barefoot Terry at the Cinderella Trail Run 10K