This past summer, I ran a marathon in Iceland! I ran cross country in high school and did two half marathons for fun, and I decided it was time to try a marathon (since I’d be in Iceland anyway!). The marathon was in August, so I started training in April, just as our spring term was beginning. My training took me all around Pasadena, giving me an excellent chance to explore more of the area.
The longest run I did while in Pasadena was 14 miles, which was the perfect distance to check out the Rose Bowl, one of Pasadena’s most famous landmarks. Despite being in Pasadena for two years now, I actually haven’t checked it out yet! The route to the Rose Bowl took me through the heart of Old Town Pasadena, which is filled with tons of stores and restaurants, the best of which I took note of as I was running past!
Going past Old Town Pasadena, the route to the Rose Bowl opened up to a lot greener of an area, as well as a stretch that overlooked the LA river (which is not really a river in this picture…)
Once you reach the Rose Bowl, you’re greeted with a lovely park area with many memorials to Rose Bowl & Pasadena history. I was most surprised to see Jackie Robinson (pictured here) who grew up in Pasadena before his legendary career in baseball. Here, he is in his uniform for Pasadena Junior College, where he once scored a record 104-yard touchdown against Caltech in the Rose Bowl.
I also went on many short runs, between 2-6 miles, in the neighborhoods surrounding Caltech. The houses are all extremely fancy, and it was fun to pick out my favorites and imagine what it would be like to live in them! They also have beautiful gardens and I would often stop to smell the flowers. I would also run to Lacy Park quite often, a public park a little more than a mile from campus. It had a nice half-mile loop and public water fountains.
What I loved most about running around Pasadena, though, was seeing all of the cool art and architecture. Everywhere I went, there were cool sculptures and murals decorating restaurants, front yards, and public spaces!
Finally, how could I forget the gorgeous backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains! I never actually ran up to them, but many people I know love to hike and explore the many peaks on these mountains.
Running was a fantastic way for me to explore Pasadena while also getting lots of exercise in! Almost every time that I went out, I found a new restaurant to try or new art piece I loved, and there’s still so much of the area to explore!
