10K to Disney!

Ever since I decided that I wanted to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon, I knew I needed to have a 10K time to submit if I didn’t want to be put in the last corral.  I’ve done plenty of smaller races, 5k, 7K, and 8K, but never a 10K. The only 10k I knew about was the Wicked 10K in VA Beach, so I planned to run that in October and submit that time to Disney.   I figured that would give me all summer to work my way up to that distance. 

As luck would have it, I found out about a local 10K on June 8^th.  Since Disney Princess registration opened a few days later I thought it was perfect timing.  I did my first 10K training run earlier that week ( in the rain) and clocked myself at 1:09. That time was good enough for me so I signed myself up for the 10K trail run.  Before I signed up, I wanted to see this trail I would be running on, so I took a bike ride around it.  It definitely was not like the trails I normally run. It was very narrow, it was very wooded, and was very muddy. But I thought I could do it. If it was a hot day, it would definitely be a much cooler run because of all the shade.  Later I found out that the trail I rode bike on was only the 5K.  I found a map for the 10K route and my mom and I went back on Friday to check it out. Fortunately the race director was at the park while we were there and he showed me where the race would start.  I was shocked when I saw the bank we had to climb up just to get to the start. We literally had to give each other a hand getting up that dirt incline.  The arrows were already spray painted on the route, so we just followed that ( we walked the route).  In addition to muddy and narrow paths, there were, rocks and tree limbs to avoid, and slippery wooden planks and boardwalks to contend with. Not to mention lots of inclines and declines.   After seeing this race route I was starting to get hesitant. It didn’t look like something I was ready to endure at this point.  To me, this looked more like an extreme trail run.  To make matters worse it was suppose to rain on race day.  I can only imagine even more mud and me wiping out as I run down one of the inclines.

A few pics of the course

 

 

Well, race day came and I decided I would go through with. When we got to the park there were many more participants than I was expecting for a local race. Half were doing the 5K and half the 10K and we all started at the same place and time.  Before we even got to the start line, the girl right behind me wipeout and fell on her bottom on the wooden planks.  That made me even more cautious on this run.

This is not me, but I wanted to show one of the inclines along the course.
(Photo courtesy of Robert Stoudt)

 

The race started and after the first kilometer and a half, runners started to spread out a little more. I was surprised that the trail was not as muddy as is it was the day before.  I was glad because I debated over what shoes to wear. I didn’t want to wear my good running shoes because I didn’t want them to get muddy, but I didn’t want  to wear any of my other ones because I  wanted the comfort that my good ones provided since I would be running on different terrain.  I’m glad I chose my good shoes.   Since I did  a time of 1:09 on a flat trail, I was hoping to do this trail run in about 1:15. I was taking into consideration the terrain and how cautious I would need to be on this run.   I really ran at my own pace and at some parts of the trail I felt like I was the only one running.  I didn’t stop at either of the hydration stops. It wasn’t that hot out and I figured I did this distance before without stopping, so I could do it again.  It really ended up being not that bad of a run. I ended up finishing with a time of 1:06. Since this was my first official 10K, I was pleased. I probably won’t send this time to Disney right away. I have a feeling that I might be able to beat this time once I can race on level terrain ( maybe at the Wicked 10K?)

Me crossing the finish line.

 Have you ever felt hesitant about a race you've already signed up for?
 

 ~M

*EDIT: Since this race I was able to run a road race and I got my 10K time down to under an hour. That is the time I submitted to Disney for Corral placement.