Hi. I'm Amy Dawson. I'm a 7th grade math teacher, professional baker, and athlete based in upstate New York.

July 10, 2014

Women's Distance Festival 2014

Main image for Women's Distance Festival 2014 Time to Read: ~2 min

Race Day

Two nights before the Women's Distance Festival, Elizabeth suggested to me that we "twin" for this race. Last summer, my sister gave Elizabeth a skirt that is the same as one of mine, so we have matching skirts. I'm an ambassador for the Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Company and planned to wear my singlet, so our mission began to find a 2nd singlet. Luckily, we thought to ask fellow ambassador, Melissa if we could borrow hers for the event and she happily obliged! Psyched to be "twins" for the day, Elizabeth and I felt ready for this race.

This event is a very special one for the two of us, as it was my first ever 5K when Elizabeth was 7. I wasn't running much back then, and I ran a 30+ 5K time. It has been fun to watch my times drop incrementally over the years and see Elizabeth grow into a more confident runner along with me. We were blessed with lovely weather (no humidity and beautiful high 70s and sunny skies). The run was fabulous, though I did start too quickly and paid for that later on the course. I was cruising along and just after mile 2 I got a terrible side cramp. The cramp practically reduced my pace to walking for .4 miles, until I managed to get it under control and finish the last part strong. Even with the cramp, this was a course PR for me. The perfect weather conditions definitely helped!

Brenda, Jocelyn, Elizabeth and me before the run

Brenda, Jocelyn, Elizabeth and me before the run

Elizabeth had a really strong race as well. It is so fun to line up on the start line together for this every year! I look forward to knowing she's on the course and one of these years (soon) I am confident she'll beat me!!

The one frustration from the race was the headphone policy. This event is typically very strict about the use of music. If you are caught using headphones, you can be disqualified. They typically remind you before the race, and people comply. As such, Elizabeth and I now leave our music at home. This year, so many people openly used music, and they didn't announce this policy prior to the race. Next year, we'll definitely find out if they have changed their policy as the course is tough, and it is one of those races where music would certainly speed us along.

Results

Time: 24:51
18/87
5th in age group

Elizabeth: 28:46
34/87
3rd in age group

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