Sweatin’ to the Scenery : Exercise: If a home workout has left you bored, try one of these tempting outdoor locations.
So it’s already the middle of summer, and that New Year’s exercise vow has become a habit. You’ve spent the last seven months in the living room sweating to the oldies in a pair of ratty tights, and you’re feeling fit and firm. . . .
And bored.
Take heart, workout-weary: There are plenty of outdoor locations that offer a change of scenery and a chance to sweat and be seen. Here is a guide to some of Southern California’s hottest jogging/walking/cycling/roller-skating locations.
The Arroyo Seco, Pasadena
Most of the action at the “Arroyo,” as locals call it, takes place on the streets surrounding Brookside golf course and the Rose Bowl. On a typical weekday evening, a sizeable group congregates to sample the (often smoggy) air. It’s a low-key, casually attired crowd--no fancy workout gear, just lots of long T-shirts over black leggings, baggy sweat suits and even street clothes. People are friendly (“How’s it going?” asks a passing schoolgirl on roller skates), often hanging out in twos or threes.
The Arroyo is a great place for moderate-level exercisers, especially walkers. Those braver and fitter or just plain crazy can tackle the hill at Park View Avenue for a serious workout. As an added bonus for competitive runners, twice around the Rose Bowl is a perfect 10K.
The course: From the corner of Seco Street and Rosemont Avenue, north on Rosemont, west on Washington Boulevard, south on West Drive, east on Seco: 3.1 miles. Grade: Slightly uphill for the first half of the course; slightly downhill on the way back. Surface: Asphalt.
Activities: Jogging, walking, cycling, roller skating.
Must-have accessories: Frisky, drooling dog (on leash); frisky, drooling child (in stroller).
Number of stomach-baring tops (as a barometer of overall fitness level): 1.
Manhattan/Hermosa Beach Bike Path
Once you get used to the fact that many of your fellow exercisers look like they could have played the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Linda Hamilton roles in “Terminator 2,” you can relax and enjoy the scenery.
And what scenery there is: Swell homes on one side, gorgeous ocean on the other, exercisers who look 10 years younger than they actually are, and none of those pesky path-clogging tourists that make the better-known bike route in Santa Monica so, well, pedestrian.
In fact, it’s the lack of pedestrians on the bike path that gives this route its best and worst attributes.
On the good side, the path is generally flat and smooth, a roller-skater’s paradise. But it’s also perilous for those who have the misfortune of falling down: The straightaways take on the speed and crowdedness of the 405--and stretches near the bars in Hermosa Beach become an obstacle course of people. Beware also the treacherous stairs at 35th Street in Hermosa Beach.
The course: from Standard Oil Refinery (about 45th Street in El Segundo) to Herondo Street in Hermosa Beach: About 4 miles. Grade: Flat, some slight dips. Surface: Asphalt and concrete.
Activities: Jogging, walking, cycling, roller skating.
Must-have accessories: Sunscreen, shades, attitude.
Number of stomach-baring tops: Too numerous to count.
Hollywood Reservoir
Leave the Walkman at home. One of the selling points of this scenic trail skirting Los Angeles’ best-kept-secret body of water is its almost Zen-like tranquillity. The silence is broken only by the sound of rushing water, the occasional airplane or helicopter and bits of conversation from passing runners, all of whom seem to know each other (“Hey, it’s Mr. Disney Studios. How’s work?”).
Tucked away in the hills off Lake Hollywood Drive, the reservoir is a magnet for film industry types and, rumor has it, celebrities. To avoid being branded a rube, don’t bring your autograph book or resume. Instead, savor the air (it smells like summer camp) and the near lack of traffic. You’ll feel like you’ve spent a week in the country.
The course: Once around the lake is about 3.2 miles. Grade: Gentle ups and downs. Surface: Asphalt. Note: The path is open from 6:30-10 a.m. and 2-7:30 p.m. daily, and 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. weekends. Dogs are not allowed.
Activities: Jogging, walking, cycling (the pavement is rough for roller skating).
Must-have accessories: rumpled shorts, subtle industry-related T-shirt, clunky old bicycle.
Number of stomach-baring tops: Two, both on men.
San Vicente Boulevard and 4th Street Stairs, Santa Monica
A narrow staircase scales the cliff where Entrada Drive, West Channel Road and Ocean Avenue converge. At the top (on 4th Street, where it dead-ends at Adelaide Drive) are perched bottles of designer drinking water brought by the droves who “do the stairs” with quasi-religious fervor.
More than just a Westside affectation, the water comes in handy. These steps are tough. Many of those who tackle them have the gleaming, chiseled bodies to prove it. The less fit count the stairs (there are 189) between huffs and puffs and collapse among people doing sit-ups and pushups on the itchy grass of the 4th Street median.
Meanwhile, joggers and walkers wear a dirt path into the median that divides nearby San Vicente Boulevard. The course has its drawbacks: Traffic, for one (the stoplight at 7th Street is interminable). But there’s a nice scent of magnolias in the air, and the other joggers, although not exactly friendly, are respectfully serious. At the end of the run, have a virtuous mineral water at A Votre Sante half a block past 26th Street, a post-workout hangout.
The course: From 4th Street to 26th Street on San Vicente Boulevard, about 1.8 miles. Grade: Uphill all the way. Surface: Grass and dirt.
Must-have accessories: Neon-colored baseball cap, suntan, politically correct flyers to distribute.
Activities: Stair-climbing, jogging, walking, cycling.
Number of stomach-baring tops: 6.
Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, Encino
This constantly expanding park is as close to nature as the San Fernando Valley gets. The Los Angeles River looks like a real river. Swamp plants multiply unchecked. You can actually see mountains in the distance. And although newly completed Lake Balboa remains a big empty hole until next year, when it’s to be filled with water, it hasn’t stopped sociable exercisers from using some of the smoothest, best-maintained bike paths around.
The city Recreation and Parks Department also has provided stretching areas and a mini-par golf course near the jogging/walking area, which runs along Burbank Boulevard and McLennan Avenue and behind the Encino golf course. Although nearby incorporated areas mean lots of traffic, there are benefits, namely a doughnut shop right across the street.
The course: The Sepulveda Basin Bikeway (from White Oak Avenue around the basin to Woodley Avenue and back, about 6 miles. Grade: Predominantly flat. Surface: For bike path, asphalt/concrete; foot path, asphalt/dirt.
Must-have accessories: Personal stereo, hockey stick (with roller skates).
Activities: Jogging, walking, cycling, roller skating.
Number of stomach-baring tops: 1.
The Burn Factor
ACTIVITY CALORIES BURNED* Walking (at 5 m.p.h.) 478 Jogging (at 10 m.p.h.) 659 Cycling (at 13 m.p.h.) 655 Roller skating (brisk pace) 659 Hiking (with backpack) 659
*Per hour based on person weighing 155 lbs. Source: Christopher E. Scott and Neil F. Gordon, Institute of Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas.