Grizzly growlings

As you probably already know, Gary, PB, Paula and I took part in The Grizzly on Sunday. We started running this around 4 years ago, I think a combination of Phil Avins and Chris Reed convinced me. Basically, the course is always different but somewhere in the region of 20 miles along the Jurassic Coast in South Devon. There are a couple of things which are always the same. You start on a shingle beach, you will have to walk up the hill to Beer after around a mile and a half, you will generally run along another stretch of beach on the way back to Seaton and there will be bogs. Rumour has it that the local fire engine tops up the bogs before the race to make them nice and muddy...
This year the weather was fairly kind, no driving rain and gales asin the past, just some pleasant sun to start off in. It had rained the night before so it was all a bit muddy but nothing too bad really. I really enjoyed it this year, there are some good things en route: running through the 'crowds' in Beer, running along the cliff top and looking at the sea, running through the big puddle on the beach at Branscome Mouth, the bog (so funny having to queue to get in it), climbing out of the bog (v slippy!), bagpipers, drummers and irish bands en route, booing the unseasoned runners who jumped the queues, the smell of wild garlic in the woods, fish and chips at the end, the site of Seaton when you are tired! There was some other stuff too: the hailstorm (OUCH!), some freaked out cows running fast through a field making scary noises, the never ending beach and stairway to heaven (so tiring), the huge hll coming out of the Fountainhead pub.
All in all it was good though, my time was 10 mins quicker than in September which given much slipper conditions I was pleased with and nearer the end I felt strong, especially on the beach section.
This is my kind of race...so I entered the Double Bypass, this is all so much more fun than training!