Cinderella Trail Run

I live and run out in central Texas (Austin). A friend of mine is an ultramarathoner out here, and asked me to sign up for the Cinderella with him. He signed on for the 50, and while I felt ready to do the 30, I opted instead for the half. (This was partly due to the massive V shape right at around mile 8 that I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about-​more on that later.) I was warned I should do some altitude training… but, c’mon…the race is called «Cinderella». How bad could it be?
So, first off-​running in texas gets you prepared for heat. Some people said it was warm-​I didn’t feel that way at all. There was a tremendous and beautiful shade canopy pretty much the whole way through, and I got very little direct sunlight. I was continually warned about the french trail, and while out on it I didn’t really think anything of it. It seemed pretty straightforward to me, minus a pretty steep descent and climb at around mile 5. At first, I thought this was the massive gap I saw on the map until I checked mileage.
I don’t remember any of the whole french trail being rough. It was beautiful, and I was keeping pace with a far better runner than me (who admittedly was pacing himself for more than twice as long of a run)…Then came the drop… Oh lord.
That chasm gives me nightmares. It’s like the way you feel at the top of a rollercoaster, except unless you’re completely suicidal and/​or hate your calves, it takes time to go down it, so you’re constantly looking down at this giant drop. Most of my footfalls were horizontal for the entire drop. And finally, after winding down for so long I got to the bottom and the fantastic aid station was there.
These aid stations are great. I’m used to an aid station translating to «here’s some water or gatorade». The ones at this event had nutritious and recharging snacks and better electrolyte drinks than gatorade… great stuff. I almost didn’t want to leave-​because I remember what was on that map… the upwards portion of that gorge.
Like many people, I pretty much never picked up my pace during that whole upwards climb. And there were a few points where my legs just stopped moving for a moment before having to spur myself onwards. Usually these moments occurred when I reached the top, only to discover that it was «a» top. SO MANY FALSE SUMMITS! It’s quite a defeating moment.
Fortunately, after that part it was all relatively straight forward with a gradually descending slope. The next aid station came quickly, and the end of the trail was just a short two miles from there. By the end of it, I felt ready to keep going-​but I would have needed an elevator or two at mile 8. Also, the ending had beer. And food. Remember those aid stations? The end had way better than the already great aid stations.
So, I’ve only done one half marathon before. It was my first ever road race, and I had only done trails before. I wasn’t well prepared, and tore my plantar fascia at around mile 9 of it, but hobbled on to the finish anyway. Now I’m much wiser and a *much* better runner. My time on this was 25 minutes *slower* than that injury-​laden crawl. Do not expect to PR on this trail.
My calves were visibly bruised from the descents, but this was a great race-​and my first trail run in the bay area. I’m already itching for my next one with Coastail Trail Runs in the next couple weeks. The elevation map looks slightly saner on that one too.

Perfect day to run. Place is huge and view is spectacular. Lots of hikers with friendly dogs. Some bikers I dislike for not respecting people on foot. Feel like sticking a stick for going too fast down hill. But yes, the trail is tough, I thought someone would have to bury me on mile 9 :) I still love it

One of the best trails in the east bay! Not very long, but a fairly fast paced trail with jumps built in. Gets narrow at some sections and there is a small rock garden. But pick your lines and you’ll be moving through it at no time! Not for beginner riders as it can get sketch at times if you don’t know what to expect. I also hike this sometimes when I’m here and I keep and ear out for bikes coming so I can stand out of the way. But people usually don’t hike this.

Completed my 1^st trail run today doing the Cinderella… what a nice day it was. Not too hot not too cold. The trails could have been marked a little better. I think me and my friend got off track and did an extra mile and a half! There were a few inclines that were a bit more difficult than expected but it was worth it. I think i would enjoy a hike at this park rather than race. With runners on skinny trails it was a bit scary at times. A few were rather aggressive even though we tended to stop and/​or just give them the ride of way. Big drops and blackberry bushes made us very aware of runners either coming or going. Lovely scenery, ran across a banana slug, many birds, ferns and explorers with dogs. My daughter who has not done any physical activity while off college this summer left me and my friend in her dust. We all said we would do this run again. It was more affordable then other runs and provided a nice change to our flat runs.