Open Air Life

No visit to San Diego is complete without taking the time to get your feet wet in the beautiful Pacific Ocean. San Diego County offers a rugged and beautiful coastline that runs from the Mexican border to Orange County. Along this stretch of ocean, you will find some of the best beaches in the world each with its own distinct personality.

One of the most legendary modern beaches in San Diego is Swami's in Encinitas. This beach is a popular surf spot and is located in a very modern beach town. However, there is limited parking at this beach so be prepared to hike a ways to get your feet wet. Although the hike is well worth the exercise for this beautiful beach spot. Another excellent beach to visit if you want to watch surfing is the Seacliff Roadside Park. Under the right conditions, you can expect to see some huge waves at this popular surf spot.

Training for a triathlon is a great way to get in shape or maintain your motivation to stay in shape. There are 4 primary types of triathlons to choose from: the sprint triathlon, the Olympic triathlon, the half Ironman distance and the full Ironman distance. Due to trademark restrictions on the name Ironman you'll see many longer triathlons referred to as "iron distance".

For your first triathlon you should focus on the "sprint" distance. This is typically between 400-800 meters swimming in a pool or lake, 20 kilometers of bicycling and 5 kilometers of running. You will probably wonder how much training you should do for a first triathlon. It depends on your goals but at a minimum you should train for each sport 1 time per week. If your schedule permits training twice per week for each sport will help you feel more comfortable during the race and after the race. You should focus on working up to the distance of each leg in your training cycles. There are many free online resources for a sprint triathlon training plan.