We all benefited from an extra hour of sleep, since we "Fell Back" last night and gained an hour due to Daylight Savings Time. Yea! This was even more appreciated as the Grunion Award Banquet was last night also. The banquet was a great end to another season, and contained all of the necessary elements: laughing, crying, Mexican food, awards, and incessant heckling by rowdy audience members for the emcee award winners to "take it off" throughout the evening.
The plan today was to start at IM Steve's gated compound and Love Shack (baby!), head down to HB and back, logging 50 miles. There would be an optional run immediately following on the Bixby Knolls Cruise Path & Flood Reservoir.
Aside form the extra hour, today was a big day for all GGW for another reason: we were joined by the cheetah-like and glamorous Miss Pop Pee Seed for the entire ride and run. Heads turned all the way down the beach and back; no one stuffs muffins into spandex like Miss Seed. A big group dose of Grunion Love to Pop Pee for her guest appearance and inspiring display of baked goods.
Dastardly "Coastal Eddie" was in town and he is thick. We started off in a virtual fog bank that lasted pretty much until we finished the ride, just over 3 hours and 45 minutes later. While it was a welcome relief to soaring hot temperatures, at least one GGW was Grunion Gone Frostbitten for much of the morning (memo to self: buy some "winter" appropriate cycling gear!).
The cycling was fairly uneventful. Although we remained on heightened German Cyclist Watch, there were no such sightings today. However, Clause van der Hottenfuugen, a vision in white, may have been masked by the fog...
The brick run has become a "love/hate" (mostly hate) event for me and my fellow GGW'ers, I believe. IM Steve sprinted out of the gate with almost giddy exclamations of "it'll suck for the first mile but then it'll be much better! " And with that, and a few skips later, he was gone. That left me, Pop Pee and Mr. Drew Carry Me Away to shuffle through the run. The sun began to peek through the fog and for a moment all seemed good and right for IM AZ training. Then, out of the blue, er, um, clearing fog...BAM! A virtual mental and physical devastating bitch slap: the running path dead-ended down by the "Only Bixby Bad Boys Come Down Here" picnic and butterfly viewing area. The only way out was to retrace our steps out of the bowels of the muddy reservoir, effectively doubling the distance of the run.
Finally, though, we wrapped up another Sunday long ride. Go Grunions--Get Wild!
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