Notes
Course was slightly different this year as it started further south at Davisville. This led to about 1.3km of downhill (15m of elevation drop) being transferred to the flats on Richmond and Adelaide. Also meant 4 more 90 degree turns. I figured this was worth about 10-15 seconds. The conditions today were also pretty wild with some serious wind gusts. The wind was supposed to be from the east but at some points running down Yonge it was just battering me from the south/southeast. By the time we started heading east over the last 4 kms there were points where I could definitely sense a tailwind but it didn't feel as powerful as some of the headwind on Yonge. Overall times this year were about 40-50 seconds slower than last year (although not as much slower than 2016 and 2017) so I would say the wind was definitely a net negative and responsible for a part of this drop off. Taking this into account I think I could have broken 37 on the old course in neutral conditions.
I planned to take the race out hard and wanted to hit 5K in around 18:20. Warmup had gone ok although I was maybe a bit sluggish. The race was again delayed this year, this time by 5 minutes. I started off near the front and found a good rhythm early. The Mount Pleasant hill comes in the latter part of the first km this year with the race starting with an immediate downhill. I felt pretty smooth on the downhill blowing by runners but maybe eased up a bit too much on the uphill. Definitely was not happy with the 3:51 first K so I immediately injected some pace to take advantage of the next downhill. The 2nd km is the fastest in the race so I had to hit low 3:30's to get bck on track. The end of the 3rd km and beginning of the 4th start levelling off so I was just happy to hit around 3:40 here. This is where the wind was really felt as I had to battle harder than I would have liked over this stretch. Runners were spread out pretty thin at this point so there was little protection from the wind gusts.
The 5th km resumes the downhill leading to Dundas. I could see the 5K clock around 18:20 as I was approaching. Hit the 5K mark at 18:31 after a 3:39 km. Was pleased that I was still able to hit a sub 3:40 km and even though I missed my halfway target I felt I was in ok shape and survived the worst of the wind. I was definitely beginning to tire and focused on just pushing as much as I could and maintaing a sub 3:48 pace as the road was about to flatter out.
As we turned east on Richmond there was some more wind but not too crazy which suggests wind was definitely not coming directly from the east. I hit the 6K mark and started heading back west on Adelaide. Legs were definitely getting heavier and there was some tailwind intermixed with the odd side gusts. I tried to focus on a group of runners I was yo-yoing with but could tell my pace was suffering as was reflected in my slowest km yet.
The struggle continued over the next 2 kms where I was able take advantage of favorable wind in parts and just maintain around 3:48 pace. I didn't have much to give down Peter St. though and wasn't sure how long I could maintain the current pace. This is always the toughest part of the course but I did notice the kms were ticking by quicker than in the past. Even though I couldn't drop the pace I was able to maintain a threshold just below my max for longer than I have in the past.
Just before hitting the 9K marker I did get a bit of side stitch on my left side but it didn't worsen. I decided at this point to just try to inject some pace and push for the finish. My breathing had already become accelerated starting aroung the 8K marker. Once I cleared the Bathurst bridge I really started pushing the Fort York downhill just as I did last year and again found that my legs did have a bit more to give. Saw the clock in the 36's and pushed hard to get in with a low 37 time. Knew I finished strong but was still shocked to see it as my fastest km in the race. Makes me believe I might have been able to break 37 if I pushed a bit more in the second half and maybe targeted 3:45 kms instead of 3:48's
I didn't feel completely wrecked after, some tightness in calves but otherwise ok. Cooldown was fine and I thought I was recovering well throughout the day. However the next day my right hip is really tight along the outer part above the IT band. I feel the tightness stretching around my leg too so need to be really careful as it is somewhat similar to the injury I developed before Miami. Decided to reast on Monday and hopefully can do my last long run on Tuesday.