Back Cove Backyard Ultra 2024 Recap

It takes a team. 🔱

Some reflections after wrapping up co-directing our 3rd edition of the Back Cove Backyard Ultra:

The build up:

With the event selling out months before race day, there seemed to be significantly more hype leading up to this weekend this year.

With that came more nerves & anxieties with planning & prep.

I'm feeling especially grateful to co-director, Mari Balow for her planning expertise, as well as to Ashten Cullenberg and Farren Welzel for all of their behind the scenes assistance leading up to & throughout race weekend.

The race:

Once all of the final prep was completed Friday & bib pickup began - the nerves turned to excitement as this is where the real fun begins.

I love pushing myself to my limits, which is certainly achieved by putting on an all-weekend event like BCBYU.

But I especially love helping others push themselves to new limits. This is the foundation of why we founded Steady State & BCBYU in the first place. Providing the environment for over 1/3 of the runners that started the race to set a new distance PR - in mid July summer heat to boot - reminds me how our bodies are capable of achieving so much when we have the right mindset, environment, & team!

Post race:

The PT in me wants to include a reminder that even if you feel great within just a couple of days after running a longer distance for you - the most common time for a new (or previous) injury to pop up is a COUPLE OF WEEKS after pushing yourself to the extreme. It can take multiple weeks for your body to start telling you that what you did weeks ago - and what you've done since - was cumulatively too much.

So be sure to spend extra effort recovering as hard as you pushed your body - emphasizing the 3 most important aspects of recovery:

1. Sleep

2. Fueling/eating

3. Adapting your training based on how your body is FEELING, not what you have planned next.

Even though I didn't run the race, this is something I have to remind myself as my mind wants to keep building my mileage and workouts, but my body is recovering (& sore!?!) from a weekend of pushing the gas pedal with minimal pumping of the brakes.

Thank you again to everyone involved!!! ❤️