I took a little trip down south, to Argentina, where I am from. After a couple of days in Buenos Aires, we jetted over to the shore. 400 kilometeres south of Buenos Aires (a 40 minutes flight), you have Mar del Plata (Silver Sea?), one of he biggest cities with a beach. It is huuuuge city, as are the portions, jeeeez, you either run everyday or you’ll put on two sizes each day!!! The greatest thing is that there is always a path right by the ocean, for miles and miles, literally. You can’t run out of a path to run on. You can run on the path close to the ocean, like 50 yards away, or on the sidewalk, like 100 yards away, and either way you have a great view. And it’s always windy, so even if it’s hot, you have a really nice breeze to keep you cool! Plus: the views….
So, the running is really good. There is always someone running, not too many, and a MILLION people walking (for exercise and tanning I guess) so you won’t every be alone or scared. I saw a few running groups, mostly at night, though I prefer to run during the day. Another great thing is that there are some amazing (though short) hills to climb! Really a GREAT place to train. I’d recomend visiting this place just to run, as it’s so close to Buenos Aires. Just don’t go in January and February, as it’s too crowded in the high season. Seriously: DO NOT go in those months. December or March is perfect (it can get a bit cold/windy in the winter!). But the main reason to go there is the food will force you to run. Seriously, there are many amazing food options, and the portions are like three times the normal size. You eat so much that you have no choice but to run it all off or you’ll die. Or maybe that is just me because I have no control… Just an idea of the fuel:
Oh, and this weekend is the marathon, half, full, and 10K. I saw the guys marking the course, during my run and 3 hours later in the other side of town… too bad I am not in shape to run a a decent time, or it could have been FANTASTIC.