Notes
Not the worst result but also not the result I was hoping for. Condtions were pretty ideal and course was not that bad, flat, measured at around 5.03km and surface was ok, even the 1km on the boardwalk. There was the slightest breeze in the 3rd km but not a big deal.
I felt sluggish during the warmup but was determined to give a good strong push from the gun. Plan was to stick with a couple of runners I figured were around my level but that didn't work at out all as they took off and ended up beating me by over 30 seconds. When I looked at my watch after the 1st km and saw a 3:41 I knew I was in trouble as I was aiming for something closer to 3:38. Continued pushing in the 2nd and 3rd kms but pace just kept dropping. By the end of the 3rd km my breathing had accelerated but I still at least felt somewhat in control and was finally able to drop my pace. Last km ended up being my fastest. I think it helped there were a couple of people to chase down in the last couple of kms.
Was not dead at the end but at the same time I thought I gave it max effort. Very similar race to the Bum Run where my legs just didn't have any bounce. Cadence was high but no power. I don't know how much wearing the 4%'s would have helped if at all. Right hip flexor was pretty tight after so maybe this prevented me from getting extension also. Need to be careful as this is the area that started bothering me before Ottawa.
I think I really need to work more on strength workouts, longer tempos and pace work as this is what really helped me in the Spring. This should help at least with the delaying of lactic buildup and allow me to maintain my goal pace for longer.