Running in Los Cabos

I don't know about you, but I (usually) like to run while on vacation. We went to Los Cabos back in October/November right in the midst of peak training for the Route 66 Marathon, and I knew I'd need to get serious miles in. There weren't many routes on Map My Run and the satellite view of our hotel location was not promising. I rarely run on the treadmill so I figured I could just suck it up for a couple key runs and maybe I'd luck out on finding somewhere to run outside.

Skull Spandits for Dia de los Muertos

The day after we arrived was the Ironman Los Cabos, which shut down most of the main road from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas (the two towns are about 20 miles apart). I was soo tempted to run on the bike course while the triathletes were swimming, but at the same time I didn't want to be arrested by la policia. Plus I overslept. Instead I suffered through 15 miles on the hotel treadmill which used up my treadmill tolerance for the week.

I tried beach running one day, but the sand was terrible for running. I've never enjoyed beach running anyway. I meant to try running near the hotel to (what looked like) a neighborhood across the highway but I overslept too often - as in I didn't get up at 5:30 to run before the heat. It was vacation after all.

Soft, sinking, sloped sand

Prior to the trip, I'd discovered Running Tours Los Cabos via Instagram. I knew I wanted to try to run with them, but didn't know if I could make the scheduled tour times. Turns out I couldn't make one of the tours, but I was able to coordinate a private/custom tour with Patty in the middle of the week. This was hands down the best run of the week (obviously) but also a great way to see the town.

Photos from the run courtesy of Patty

We toured around Cabo San Lucas for about 7-8 miles. Since we met up at 6:30a, the sidewalks were clear of tourists and timeshare salespeople. Patty's route started with a conveniently-located bridge to catch the perfect sunrise, and from there we looped around town and the marina. She gave local insight to restaurants and things to do, took pictures along the way, and was the perfect running partner. I enjoyed chatting with her though I should have practiced my Spanish more.

After the run, we stopped at El Dengue for fresh juice. I was tempted to try "the Vampire" (beets and other stuff) but ultimately played it safe with an orange and carrot combo. I was spoiled in Los Cabos - fresh juice bars and public transportation! Take notes, South Carolina.

Fresh post-run juice from El Dengue

RTLC souvenirs - bag, bottle & t-shirt

Overall, I got in 27.5 miles on vacation. Not great for marathon training, but better than nothing. If you're ever in the Los Cabos area, I highly recommend joining the Running Tours Los Cabos team for a run. It was one of my favorite things about our week in Cabo. Other (non-running) highlights were an ATV tour, the Art Walk in San Jose, and lots of pool/beach-side lounging.

*Disclaimer: I paid full-price for my custom tour. Just sharing the experience as it was a lot of fun.