Lindsay Milk Run
July 22, 2012
Lindsay seems like an unlikely place to find a well-organized race with some excellent runners toeing the line. From race kit pick up to the awesome Kawartha Dairy ice cream at the finish, Lindsay manages a top notch 10km race with great competition.
The day before was the Durham ¼ marathon in Oshawa, which I sat out to play cheering squad. Some impressive times were posted by the visiting Kenyan winners, and by the local Ajax Running Free crowd, with Lyndsay Tessier taking 2nd place. It was a hot day but not the uncomfortable, suffocating heat that had smothered us all summer.
The next day, dawned humid (90% humidity) and promised to be a scorching 30 degrees by race end. These are just the conditions that I melt in. All summer I would melt through my workouts and just pray for the cool Fall weather. I thank my father for my inability to cope with extreme heat. I also thank karma for not signing up for the Boston Broil of 2012.
As I lined up at the start (already sweating from a short warm up), I was impressed with the number of teams visiting the small town. It was a sea of singlets in the streets off the Community Centre. A pace car with a bright neon sign showed elapsed time. I took a quick peak in the first 100 metres, knowing I would not likely see the lead car again. The crowd was thick enough in the first km, with several women in my group. I knew I would have to take care as I wasn’t in great shape and I suffer terribly in the heat.
By 4km I was hiding in the back of a group of women led by a Longboat runner. They seemed to be slowing so I made a move and waited for them to fight back. They didn’t. Up a hill and I was on my own. Already my breathing was out of sync, a sure sign that I couldn’t cope with the humid air. Up ahead I spotted another female. I figured she was #2 or #3 as the first female rocketed with a group of guys much further ahead. I held on with this girl, Cecilia, for much of the race. We both struggled through kms 7 and 8 as the humid air took hold. I tried blasting down the last hill but she just had more stuff. Cecilia kept her lead on me by 4 seconds right to the finish.
In the end, I snagged a 3rd place in 41 minutes. It was certainly not the time I was looking for but I know summertime is not my forte. The winner, Lisa Avery, is a bonafide elite runner in the GTA. How exciting to share the podium with such talent! We each won socks, gear bags, and flowers.
The highlight of the race? The ice cream!! Kawartha Dairy set up a “help yourself” table of fabulous ice cream. I certainly helped myself, 2 or 3 times.
I finished the day with another 15km in the sweltering heat. A summer runner I am not. But if we wait for perfect conditions then we never get anything done.
Erin, so nice to read reports from another Ajax RF athlete. I was getting a little bored with my own.
You’ve had some bad luck this year. Karma will set that right for you next year. If I am not mistaken, your first master’s division titles await. That’s one birthday you can’t wait for!
Good luck.