Running in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica-Steam & Sweat

No matter where I am in the world, I always try to  find the time to run. It is something I do almost everyday.

(Aerial of Puerto Quepos)

This month I am in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Costa Rica is  a mountainous developing country. The infrastructure is not at par with the USA. Roads are narrow and often without sidewalks.

In Manuel Antonio, the Carretera is a 7 km road that is well paved that stretches from the fishing town of Quepos to Manuel Antonio beach. The road is steep with many inclines, and tight turns. There are few sidewalks. However, there is  one stretch of sidewalk that starts at the top of the mountain, and winds down to near the beach for about a mile.

(there is a sidewalk from Villa Roca to Mogambo, about a mile)

Running on the this mountainous road is a challenge. It takes "steam & sweat" to run here. To run up the steep inclines requires a lot of steam, which in turn produces and abundance of sweat! If you are into endurance training, this is the place!

The first three days my glute muscles and legs were sore from running up the mountain. My muscles were challenged. Everyday I challenged myself to overcome the pain, by increasing my mileage. By the end of two weeks I was able tackle the steep hills and inclines.

(incredible views and vistas on the Carretera on the way to the beach)

While running on the main road (Carretera) I noticed, monkeys, sloths and a variety of birds ( toucans). Also, the beach on Manuel Antonio is flat, and at low tide the sand is packed down which is good for running if you don't want to tackle the massive hills....There is no need to run with a shirt in Manuel Antonio. It's a beach town, and you will sweat!

Running Tips:
Do not run in Quepos centre, its too busy. If you must run in Quepos, run from the Malecon towards Parrita.

Be careful running on Manuel Antonio Road ( aka la Carretera), few sidewalks. 

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.

Run early in the morning before the sun is too strong. Guys, go shirtless. 

Run on Manuel Antonio beach when it is not high tide. 

Enjoy!

As you get closer to the beach, a large picture of Lady Gaga greets you. This is located at "Liquid Lounge" a new gay night club.