Fitness * Artistic *

From Interstate 5 south in National City, exit east on Highway 54 (the South Bay Freeway). Immediately move over to the right lane to take the Highland Avenue/Fourth Avenue exit. Turn left to get onto Highland and cross the overpass, continuing up to 30th Street. Turn left again and follow 30th about a mile west to Hoover Street. Turn left one more time, and one block up, where Hoover makes a 90 degree curve, you will see the trail entrance sloping up the bank to the right. Park at the curb.

Map: The San Diego County Bike Map is available free by calling

(619) 231-2453.

Skating on the Sweetwater Trail, you will probably see 20 squirrels for every human. How's that for uncrowded? The tour may not be pretty yet (the saplings are still too small), but this route has great merit for two in-line disciplines. Speed skaters will find the uninterrupted riverbed path an excellent place to work on technique. It is also a great place to work up a quality (nonimpact) aerobic heart rate, far from the hordes that make such athletic skating impossible elsewhere. There are no amenities in the way of rest rooms, water fountains, or food along the route, although there is a shopping center at the inland end of the trail.

The eight-foot-wide asphalt path heads east from the wide, watery outlet where the Sweetwater River enters the San Diego Bay. While there is no need to worry about dodging through crowds or getting arrested for speeding here, you do have to watch out for the kamikaze squirrels. The furry little rodents are constantly darting out of the weeds on the north side of the trail and across the path to the safety of their rocky homes on the riverbanks.

During the first mile, the traffic noise on nearby Highway 54 is hard to ignore, but as the trail dips, the volume becomes lower. After that first mile, in which the waters fill the entire width of the riverbed, marshy grasses begin to appear between the banks until, finally, no water can be seen at all. The last tenth of a mile passes over a raised concrete path that serves as a low bridge over the now-empty riverbed, delivering you to the posts that mark the end of the path. To do it justice, with the tall tule grasses close by, this little crossing is actually quite pretty.

You should be prepared for a steady head wind on the return trip. Accept the challenge and use its force to improve the power and efficiency of your strokes. Put your chest low over well-bent knees and drive your heels straight out to the sides, engaging your thigh, hamstring, and gluteal muscles. Aerobic in-liners, envision yourselves as speed skaters.