Long distance running has been called boring and lonely and bad for your knees. Long distance runners have been called looney and one-dimensional and smelly. As a long-time long distance runner – and my wife will attest to this – I will only cop to being smelly after a hard effort on the trails.
Feeling crazed from the stress of work or life problems? A good run will take you to a calmer place. Unsolved problem or a difficult life decision to make? A good run will unleash the creative mind and stimulate the flow of ideas and insights. In addition to heart and lungs, running strengthens bone, cartilage, ligaments and tendon. The run is a great occasion to chat and catch up with other runners and make connections with those you meet on the trail, even if it’s with just a wave or a smile. And it’s never boring. Especially when you’re running at Morro Strand State Beach!
Runners looking for a change from the hills or the roads and respite from the summer heat need look no further than the Strand. A Central Coast state park where running is but one of a multitude of recreational activities that mean fun…and sometimes sun.
Morro Strand has the fog, but it also has kite flyers, Frisbee tossers, dog walkers, surfers, fishermen and -women, hikers, shell collectors, paddle boarders and a flat shoreline of hard-packed sand, perfect for beach running.
On a recent weekday, I parked at the Morro Strand State Beach day use area just south of Cayucos. With water bottle and a couple of gels in hand, I hit the beach with the goal to run to the Rock and back. Surfers and paddle boarders were doing their thing in the water. I was ready to do my running thing on the sand.
I feel the moist, cool air against my face. The sand beneath my feet is welcome softness compared to paved roads. Each foot fall squishes slightly into the earth. And the earth propels me forward. I avoid the incoming surf. And splash straight through ankle-deep streams.
I smell brine and ocean, seaweed and sea animals. A good smell. The natural aroma of the Coast. I take deeper breaths and feel the sea air fill my lungs and power my running muscles.
I taste the salt as well. Some of it is my own sweat. But most of it is in the air. Breathing through my mouth, the salt air coats my lips, my tongue and my throat.
I hear cars on the 101. Fortunately, the droning of car motors is drowned out by the roar of the waves. The rhythmic pulse of the tide. The friendly laughter of the gulls. And the cheerful greetings of people lucky like me to spend some time here. Beachcombers, hikers and folks out for a short morning stroll.
I see the diving pelican determined to find lunch. That determination motivates me to run harder when fatigue sets in. I see the surfer, so fluid and smooth on her board, reminding me to relax my shoulders and loosen my arms. I see the kite high up over the beach. And I’m inspired to look beyond the everyday and the ordinary. I see huge coastal rock formations in the shape of lions and elephants. Eventually, I see Morro Rock. This is no ordinary place.
In fact, this in my front yard. Morro Strand State Beach belongs to me and everyone else who calls California home. It is our front yard!
So, runners! Leave the roads. Leave your music and podcast devices at home. And head out to the front yard to embrace the joyful harmony of sights and sensations and tastes and smells and sounds of the Strand. Morro Strand State Beach: Miles of music for the heart, lungs and soul.
