Backyard light

Ever since I first learned about the concept of Backyard Ultras, I have been wary that it is exactly the kind of thing that could get me injured, as I have a tendency to continue no matter what. Back in 2021, I even registered for the Obbola Backyard, but ultimately pulled out since I had a lot of other races (most notably Trail Kuršių Nerija in Lithuania) around the same time.

Though a far cry from the real thing, this morning I decided to run eight loops on the 5k trail in Skatås, with plenty of time for pancakes and water refills in between. Trying to keep my heart rate steady in zone 2 around 130 bpm, the first ten to fifteen kilometres were beautiful in the early morning hours, with plenty of deer and other animals along the trail. Soon, however, the monotony set in (I do not even want to think about doing twenty loops or more on a true backyard course). At least my imagination helped, letting me drift away to possible future races such as the Whalers' Great Route in the Azores or the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail in Turkey.

After five loops I stopped for pancakes, just as everyone was gathering for this week’s Parkrun, including our local legend Osan. If all goes according to plan, I intend to go all out at next Saturday’s Parkrun, but for today I just headed out for three more loops. With 841 metres of elevation in my legs, I finally returned home to plenty of water and some fried Vietnamese rice on the veranda.