Run San Diego

My recent trip was the inspiration for a series of travel-run posts about San Diego. Here is the final installment of gratuitous commentary about running in So Cal:

Having to pick a favorite run in San Diego is like having to pick my favorite wine: sometimes I want something bright and floral, sometimes I want something more intense. So here, in no particular order, are runs that I keep going back to over and over again:

Ocean Beach, from Dog Beach to Sunset Cliffs

6 miles that encompass the hippie/gritty OB seawall, urban alley running, trails so close to the bluff edge that you sometimes wonder whether or not you'll fall off (and at least one runner has, so be careful, folks!), and it's all topped off with view from the top of Ladera St hill out over the Pacific that is worth the effort expended to get up there.

Balboa Park
On-road in Balboa Park there are endless variations for runs ranging from a couple of miles to a dozen. Off-road, there are well-groomed dirt trails with shady scenery and some killer hills. (See here for more details.) The scenery and people watching in the park are fantastic, too.

The only downside to the park: I am certain I have spoiled more than my fair share of wedding, engagement, and quinceanera photos by being "that sweaty runner" in the background. If you are one of those people who has been sweaty-runner photobombed: I'm sorry!

Torrey Pines
Oh, that hill... One quarter mile and 400 feet of elevation change with some of the most break-your-heart beautiful scenery in the 360-degree view from the top. In all my travels, I have never found a prettier place to do (painful) hill repeats.

Photo courtesy of: SDR