So went to this classic ultra at the weekend..
http://www.runwinschoten.nl/
Its a strange event, at some town near the German Border and is 5 (or 10 for the 100k) loops of a neighbour hood.. the support is really great.. and good prize money.
I went there to run a 50km pb, sub 3:20 and try to qualify for the world series in the 50k.
Midweek I had a bad run and struggled with a numb leg, that was collapsing on impact. I just thought it was a one off so ignored it and did a hard run late wednesday, 6 miles 5:52 pace and felt good.. but for the last two weeks its been 12 hours a day at work, then late evening runs.
The race also provides accomoation so I stayed with a nice family just outside the town. So good sleep, nice meal and breakfast so felt well set up.
The start was pretty low key, only a few hundred runners so start line was no issue at all. I chatted to one of the dutch runners from the worlds and set off - I knew he was going for sub 3:10 and I was shooting for 3:15 ish so let him go but set off steady enough, high 5's and felt fine.. lap 1 was around 37:30.. so just sub 1:20 half.. so happy enough. Lap 2 I started to struggle with the chopped stride again and had shooting pains down my leg.. by mile 11 I was really struggling and finsihed L2 in 39.. still OK but I had three laps to go.
Things got worse and I was soon mile lapping in the upper 6's.... after only 13-14 miles which is what I'd run a training run in... later it was 7 pluses.. over my 100k pace, where I average around 7:05.. so decided to just run the 30k... strava profile here: http://www.strava.com/activities/82719058
I had gone for a sub 3:20 but was now on for over that and also threatening Berlin, so stopped after 20 miles and jogged back. Really need to sort the numbness, pains. Chatting to the lad I stayed with, whos a physio student, he thinks it sounds like piriformis syndrome http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.2.html, from sitting too much at work. Felt a fraud walking back as I was fresh.. which I should be at 20 miles at 6:25 pace on average. So not too concerned about fitness.. but this can be a big injury unless it is nipped in the bud now..
So its lots of stretching from now on, lots of glutes stretching.. I also played squash last monday which may have been a contributing factor.
