Even though Los Angeles boasts some of the most temperate weather in the country, many people still insist on doing their workouts within the confines of an indoor space where the recycled air mixes with the scent of many perspiring bodies. Why spend an hour on the treadmill looking at a wall or a television when you can find more invigorating workouts in the great outdoors?

Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood in Manhattan Beach is God’s (and the Devil’s) gift to those who believe a workout is pointless unless it causes a near-death experience. The 100-foot sand dune at Sand Dune Park looks innocent enough from afar. You think, It’s just a big sand hill. What’s the big deal? Then you begin your ascent.

The pain is almost immediate. It starts at the bottom (of your body, not the dune) and works its way up. Most people go barefoot when working out on the sand dune. Your feet do much of the hard work. With each step you take, the sand gives way a little. Your toes unsuccessfully try to maintain their grip on the terra that’s not so firma. Your calves join in to help stabilize your steps. The quads then start burning; they do the majority of the work when each foot is lifted off the ground.

Your lower body is screaming and you’re only one-quarter of the way up the hill. That’s when you realize your heart is going to explode, you can’t catch your breath and you’ll probably die before you reach the top. But, as they say, onward and upward. While you probably won’t die while doing the dune, you may be reduced to tears. Tears. Sweat. It all looks the same when you’re suffering through a workout.

Once you reach the top of the dune, you think about throwing your arms up and singing the theme to Rocky. It’s a fleeting thought since you’re much too tired to lift one arm, let alone sing. You do, however, feel a sense of accomplishment. Cursing yourself for not immediately giving in to your dreams of a Double Double with fries and a shake, you go back to the bottom, take a deep breath and climb the dune once again.

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