How I ended up running 2 5Ks in one night, about 120 miles apart

Or subtitled, It is this type of behavior which caused my husband to put me on a budget, and not allow me to spend any more money

So back in May, I signed up for a few races during the summer. One I signed up for, let me purchase their summer racing series all together and save. The other, I might have actually signed up for its first race back in March, but it was Spring time. And it was the first of 3 different races at Midnight in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The other previously mentioned was 8 pm in Joplin, Missouri. These 2 towns are roughly 2 hours apart, and I live almost exactly in the middle. So it is an hour drive no big deal. The problem is that when I signed up for the 3 races, I paid absolutely no attention to the dates of run #2 and run #3. The Joplin run, I signed up for 3 10Ks. The initial race in Tulsa at midnight, I signed up for 20 miles. They were not on the same date. They were about 2 weeks apart. Fine and good.

Race 2 for both series were a week apart, I think. I did a half marathon in Tulsa on July 10 (I think. The date might be a little off). And that was at midnight. The next week, I did the second 10K in Joplin, at 8 pm. No biggie. So I go on with my life. Not even thinking about how race #3 for both series are on the same date. Well sort of. Joplin race is at 8 pm on August 11, and essentially the Midnight run is at midnight on the 12th. So about a week ago, I start realizing my problem. They are 4 hours apart. And my 10Ks were coming in between an hour ten minutes, and an hour and 20 minutes. If I have a bad race, easily makes it 90 minutes. So if I run in Joplin from 8 to 9:30 pm, it puts me getting to Tulsa at 11:30 pm, which is ok, but I like to have time to walk around the course. And neither race had early tag pick up. Well, I don’t think that the Joplin race did, I know that the Tulsa race did not.

So Monday or Tuesday, I received the race reminder emails. So I emailed the people in charge of the Joplin race and ask to change from the 10K to the 5K. Probably better anyway, since I have 2 races so close together. They do so graciously. Actually, I think I sent the email, Wednesday or Thursday. My mind is still a little muddled from the lack of sleep.

So Friday, after I get home from work, picking up an extra shift at another clinic, I tell my husband what I did. His response, “You aren’t going to do both of them, are you?”

My response, “But they are both a series and I did the first 2 in each series and I really want the special prize for doing all 3.”

He sighs, shakes his head, and says, “If you’re sure, whatever.”

So Friday about 6 pm, I leave my house and head to Joplin. I have my new trail running shoes on, as it is a trail run. And I am ready to go. (The shoes are a part of the spending issue, so …). But I get to Joplin in plenty of time to fill my car up with gas, and get to the course, park and big up my gear. I also walk down about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile on the course. It is a down and back, so maybe a mile.

Anyway, once I get back, it is time for the 1 mile fun run for the kids. I watch and cheer, and then, there is the National Anthem, and the 10K starts. We start the 5K, at 8:15, right on time. I am feeling good.

My headlamp is not quite right on my head, so almost immediately, I take it off of my head, and the glow sticks that I have in a necklace around my neck is annoying my neck, so I take it off, also. I get the headlamp readjusted, and placed back on my head, and change the necklace back into 3 pieces and circle them around my tank top and bra. I guess despite how sticky and humid it is, I will be keeping the shirt on, and not running in my sports bra alone.

I get down to the turn around, grab 2 cups of water and head back. I turn on my headlamp at that time. It is starting to get dark. I check the time on my watch, and realize that I am doing well. Possibly a personal best well. (And I mean from when I started running as an adult after having babies, not from when I ran cross country in high school).

I pass the 3 mile sign, and start hearing the crowd, and when I see the crowd, I have a little left in for a final kick. At that point, I see my time. My watch says the course is a bit short, but as they follow the national guidelines, maybe my watch is a little off from the tree cover. I don’t however, remember what my PR is, so i am not sure that I made a new one.

I text my husband, that I am done, and the time, and he tells me that it is my new PR, and by quite a bit, based on what I have written down on my medal board at home. About 2 minutes faster. Yay me.

I go to the beer area, for my obligatory post run beer. Seriously, it is the only time that beer even tastes good to me. I drink about half, keeping in mind, that I have a 2 hour drive, and other than the Stinger waffle that I had prior to the race, the only thing I had to eat today was lunch, about 8 hours prior.

I toss the other half away, and take my pic with the medal for completing all 3 races. (They didn’t give out medals for the individual races, other than an award for each division and the fun run)

I, then, stop by the ice cream/popsicle stand for my free treat and get one and head to the car.

It was delicious, but 88 degree temps caused it to start melting fairly quickly, and I am trying to eat it while walking quickly to the car. I finish it shortly after getting there, pull up Turkey mountain, Tulsa on my GPS, and head on my way. Though the GPS choice for Turkey Mountain, while correct was not the correct parking lot, and I have to pull out my phone, to navigate to the correct place in the dark. The roads are not well lit at 10:30 pm.

I arrive safely, and get out of the car, and head to check in. They give me my special coasters for completing all 3 races at check in. I guess if I can finish 20 miles and a half marathon, they weren’t too worried that I wasn’t going to finish the 5K.

While waiting around, I start talking to some of the others there. And the bike for 2, Fireball provided is there. I take a “shot” otherwise known as a small cup of Fireball before the race. And then it is time to start. The first part of the race is downhill, and it is also an out and back. And I remember thinking running down that hill, this is that horrible half mile hill, that was not the worst hill in the 20 mile run, but the second. And it is going to be at the end of this race. Ugh. But no use crying. I run across the bridge next to 71st St. Follow those in front of me, under the bridge, and the leaders are starting to come towards me. I grab 2 cups of drink, I think they were both Gatorade, but one might have been water, and head back. It was 12:15 am, and i barely slept once I got home.

Ran back over the bridge, and race walked back up that nasty half mile hill. Several (probably 4 people) passed me on that hill. I managed to stay with the last one, and as it became less steep, I started jogging again. It was already past my finish time from earlier in the night, so I knew no PR was coming, but it wasn’t a terrible time for me.

I got to the computer to get the official time, and the computer kept saying that I failed to finish. So the race people could see by their screen that I had an official time. So he got another person, who refreshed the computer, and I appeared. They also gave me a banana. And one of the volunteers poured me some fireball, as my hand was shaking so bad. I was drinking my water that they had handed me at the finish line, but I was tired and a little shaky.

I grabbed a can of “Good ass beer” (seriously the name of the beer) and sat on a rock

And the bike with the Fireball came by, and gave me another shot. Which I drank with my “new friends” none of which I remember their names. I ate my banana and a slice of watermelon. Drank my water and about half of this beer and cheered for the final finishers and listened and cheered for those who won. Then I was ready to go home. As I am walking to my car, I talk to another nice lady (name also not remembered) and we talked about our racing. I may see her at the Route 66 run, both the 5K and the half marathon in November .

And so I stopped by the QuickTrip before getting on the highway to head home and bought 2 starbucks double shots, vanilla. 2 because they were on sale 2 for $5. I didn’t think that I was actually going to drink both on the way home but I did. I made it home at 2:45 am. Decided not to attempt the garage, as tired as I was, and walked through the back gate to get to the hot tub, for a nice soak, before going inside.

And that is how I ended up running 2 5Ks in about 4 hours, in 2 different states/cities 120ish miles apart.

So this is my splits by my watch on the first run in Joplin

My Strava data

My splits from my Garmin in Tulsa

My Strava data

Joplin swag

Tulsa swag

And everything all together