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Posts Tagged ‘sprinting’
San Vicente Stairs
When you arrive at the top of the San Vicente Stairs you will be welcomed by a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and the rolling Santa Monica hills. It’s a nice walk down, but the first step you take up these stairs will make you curse the day you heard about this spot. You’ll feel a nice burn just walking up these things. There are actually two sets of stairs that make it up the hill. One is concrete, windy, and narrow. The other is wooden, wide, and straight. Both get pretty crowded. I recommend getting there early. It’s not too bad for walking, but if you run up like I did, you’ll be forced to wait every now and then for a passing lane to open up. It was great to see so many people using the stairs. I was impressed to see a kid there working out on his own - A 14-year old center forward for his soccer team. Now that’s inspiring to see a kid taking some time out of his summer to get in shape. So check it out. Try to beat my time up the wooden stairs – 55 seconds! (That was with some gridlock mind you)
How to get there: Take San Vicente Blvd towards the ocean. Go north on 4th Street. It’s just a block to the top of the stairs. Park anywhere and go check out this Sweat Spot.
Tags: cardio, climbing, exercise, fitness, hiking, landmark, los angeles, running, san vicente, santa monica, sprinting, stairs, walking, workout
Posted in Los Angeles, Sweat Spots | Comments (0)
The Dune
The first time I visited Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach, CA my jaw dropped to the floor. I said “We’re running up that!?”. It’s crazy steep! Basically, you walk up it and your legs start burning after 3 steps. The soft sand means you slide back one step for every two you take. But guess what! You’ll want to go back. It’s a great workout. You can walk all the way up the massive dune, jog up, sprint up (good luck!), or if you don’t like sand between your toes you can take the shaded stairway next to it. It is common to see elite athletes and some pros workout there also. And for a good time, go up the dune, then run down at full speed. It’s pretty fun. You’ll see.
Here’s a tip: If you take your shoes off to run on the sand, WEAR SOCKS! During the day the sand is blistering hot. Believe me, the skin will just start to slough off when it gets burned. Please, just take my word for it. To avoid the heat you can go in the early morning or late evening. Still wear your socks though – before the sun comes up that sand is FREEZING! Or maybe my feet just have Goldilocks Syndrome. Oh well, enjoy this bit of the Sahara right here in California.
Where to Park: From the 405 freeway you will go west on Rosecrans Ave. Turn left to go south on Bell Ave for about 100 yards. There is usually plenty of free parking.
Tags: cardio, desert, exercise, fitness, manhattan beach, running, sahara, sand dune park, sprinting, workout
Posted in Sweat Spots | Comments (0)