By Garrison Frost

The morning of the day I got married to Shelley, I got up before the sun and went down to the sand in Manhattan Beach. Although it was going to be a warm day, the early November night had done a fine job chilling the sand. I was like walking barefoot through snow. Although I was quickly losing sensation in my toes, I stretched as best as I could. Then, I took off running.

Running barefoot in soft sand is one of the many pleasures to which we have access here in the South Bay. Not only is running in the sand a great workout, but it's one of those physical experiences – like surfing or swimming in the ocean – that transcends mere physical health value. It's almost spiritual to connect with nature this way. But even more, it's one of those sports that gives you a new way to empty your mind and achieve a kind of clarity in action.

And there's no better place to run in sand than Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. The sand there is perfect in its consistency, depth and cleanliness. You want to go barefoot in this sand, unlike in nearby Redondo Beach, where the sand is too coarse, too packed. A soft sand runner knows many kinds of sand, just as a surfer knows many kinds of waves. Moreover, he knows what the beach is like in the morning and in the evening, and he knows what kind of air to expect at any time of day.

It's not easy, and it's not meant to be, at least not in the way that most people view running and exercise. No one is going to go very fast, and no one is going to be able to break out into wild sprints for long periods of time. No, soft sand running is all about pace and consistency. Soft sand running is about the journey, not the destination. Where soft sand running is easy is in how it affects your body. Gone is the pounding of running on cement, asphalt or even hard sand. You don't get sore after a long run, you get sleepy. It's a bit like swimming in that way.

While soft sand running is easy on your body, there are some precautions to take. Because your feet dig down deep with each step, there's a lot of pressure on your Achilles tendons. So you have to make sure you stretch those out, as well as your feet and calves. If you have a history of knee problems, you may want to check with your doctor, or at least start out with very small runs. Because your feet hit each step from a different angle, there's a lot of motion around your knee. It's not like running straight on a hard surface, where every step is predicable. This is a great thing for building overall foot and leg strength, but it will be hard on you if your knee is weak.

People get their exercise a lot of ways down by the beach. They run on The Strand, they ride bikes, rollerskate or in-line skate. They skateboard, surf, bodyboard, swim, dive, play volleyball, golf or play soccer. The list just goes on and on. But none of these things are quite like running on the soft sand. Out on the sand, you're all by yourself in the middle of the beach. There's no seeing and being seen, no distractions, no competition. It's just you and the great expanse. Surfing is like that – heck, it's more like that. But soft sand running is right up there.

I?m not entirely sure why I went running the day of my wedding. It just seemed right. It seemed like a good way to center myself and get clear in my thoughts before what was likely to be a pretty crazy day. But moreover, it just seemed to make sense to pack as many good experiences into one day. Getting married was the best thing ever, and running on the sand at dawn just made it better.

(August 9, 2004)

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