Sunny San Diego

I have a thing for urban running. You might call it a crush.
This crush is especially intense in San Diego.

This afternoon, after wrapping up my work for the week, I rushed back to my hotel to change into running clothes and hit the pavement.

Temperatures have been in the mid-70s, with a cool breeze. There is not a cloud in the perfect San Diego sky. I know exactly why this place will always be "home."

I took off heading West, toward the water. Looped around the County Administration Building. Crossed over to the Harbor. Passed the Star of India (a historic sailing ship). Dodged crowds of tourists. (Oh yes... I forget how much like sheep the tourists are!) Sprinted past the USS Midway.
Skipped Seaport Village (the ratio of tourists to sidewalk space was not in my favor today).

Turned instead toward one of my favorite features in downtown San Diego: the Martin Luther King Promenade, a linear park that runs along Harbor Drive. Passed locals walking their dogs. (San Diego is a canine kind of town.) Breezed by Giants fans, in town for a game. (Why are there so many more people in Giants orange than Padres blue?) Turned and ran, for the first time, over the new and amazingly beautiful Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge. Wound around the ballpark, past throngs of laughing fans and bands belting out tunes on the sidewalk. Ran north, through the grittier blocks, past clusters of homeless San Diegans, airing their sleeping bags out in the sun. Wrapped up with a slight uphill climb past Symphony Hall, toward Balboa Park. Walked back to my hotel with a smile on my face.

I love the energy in a bustling city. I love the movement and the laughter. I love the honking, and yelling, and noise. I love watching the tourists posing for photos, and the locals lying in the grass reading their books.

This is the happiest four miles I've run in a long time... I might just go out and do it again.

Photo courtesy of: Jeffrey Beall