One morning while I was drinking coffee I get an e-mail from my training partner Yoshi with the subject line "This may be the toughest 5K you'll ever do." Right away I was curious to read more. When I clicked on the link it took me to the website for the Dirty Duel 5k. In the description it states that each runner can pick from Short & Brutal (5K) or Long & Difficult (6K).

I checked my schedule to see if it would conflict with any other races I had planned to run this year and it didn't. The race actually landed the weekend after I was running the New York City Marathon. I called Yoshi and told him I was in. Seriously how hard could a 5k trail run be? The New York Marathon came and went and I had by far my best marathon race to date. I was injury free and feeling great so I was super excited to take on the Dirty Duel.

When we arrived western Michigan it had begun to snow. Seriously snow in November? I was not ready for this and right away knew I didn't pack the right gear to run in this weather. The morning of the race the temperature dropped, the snow didn't stick to the ground, so I thought it wouldn't be that bad. I stood in line to get my bib and race shirt (which was not include, you had to purchase it separately for $15) and that didn't take long. Unfortunately the sizing on the shirts were too big and to exchange the shirt was a minor hassle seeing as they would not exchange the shirts until 8:45 a.m. exactly. The ladies behind the table would not budge.

So now the race was about to begin. There were not any set corrals, you pretty much lined up and waited for the race horn to be blown. The horn goes off and all the runners sprint down the road into a corn field where the trail breaks off into the woods. Once you're inside the woods the trail is single track. The trail is a steady series of incline and drops through the woods. I was totally not expecting all the hills and by the mile and a half point was gased from trying to keep up with the lead pack.

One thing I learned about trail running is that with technical trails and steep inclines and downhill drops the key is to pace yourself. The uphill battles will tax your quads, bombing downhill will have you running at fast paces, and you need to learn to adjust and get back to a good pace. Once I was out of the woods we raced through the corn field we skipped in the beginning. As we ran by we had to run over trampled corn stalks, and dodge the corn stalks that had not completely been trampled and were bouncing back up hitting the runners as they passed. I still feel bad for the guy in front of me that took to the groin and doubled over and was down for the count.

As we exited the cornfield we were heading back into the woods. In the beginning of this stretch the trail was flat and started to drop little by little. In the distance ahead I heard a runner groaning in pain and was starting to get nervous of what lies ahead. After a steep drop we start to turn left and ahead of me is the biggest hill of the course. It wasn't an easy clip up that hill but I made it. There was some more down hill running which wasn't bad. We even came to a point in the trail where the runners have to jump through a V shape tree which was pretty fun.
After that last downhill drop the path opens up to a field of sand dunes. At this point I was like seriously?!? I was thinking to myself all we need now is to be chased by a bear or some other wildlife animal. As I got to the top of the sand dune one of the race volunteers says "you're almost done!" at this point I was doubled over hands on my knees completely winded. I look at her and then she finishes the last part of her sentence and says "Once you get over that last sand dune"

As I make my way up that sand dune and get to the top I begin to hear the cheering of the crowds and know that the end is near. I manage to get some energy and begin to gain some speed and finish strong. As I crossed the finish line I begin to shake my head completely exhausted and tell myself that this was in fact the toughest 5k I've ever ran. Once Yoshi crossed the finish line he looks at me and gave me a look that expressed the same feeling I felt about this race.

After the race we were treated to hot cider and some amazing donuts from Robinette’s. So you probably read this and are thinking this does not sound fun at all but it was a blast. Running on such a difficult course tested me more than any road race I've ran. The scenery of the trails was gorgeous. Listening to some of the things your fellow runners would say as they complain about the difficulty of the course was amusing. But what made this such a great race was being able to feel like a kid again running in the woods.

“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”
— Albert Einstein