MAIN Recreation Sports Running & Jogging

It's easy to begin, (costing little more than the price of a good pair of running shoes) and maybe more importantly - anybody can do it.

Almost a half-century since it first began in the 1960's, the craze for running and jogging shows little sign of slowing down.

Like most fitness & exercise regimens, running smart means working up to your endurance level, while avoiding injury and muscle aches & sprains.

For getting in shape in terms of nutrition, the experts advise avoiding fats, and storing up carbs and proteins for optimum energy levels. A water bottle should also be close at hand to slake your thirst, and to keep muscles and joints properly lubricated.

Around the Web, more expert advice awaits, where you can find detailed how to's on proper levels of hydration and nutrition, running in hot weather, tips on buying running shoes or treadmills (plus thoughtful jogger gift ideas) along with guides to stretching, breathing and toning, and additional tricks to maintaining endurance & fitness before you hit the ground running....

Run the Planet - Comprehensive resource with training tips, remedies for common injuries, running nutrition, safety precautions, stretches and more, plus a directory of running clubs, scheduled races & marathons worldwide.

AthleticRunner - Runners Nutrition, Fitness & Warmups - Join the fray at this active community with forum discussions on training, nutrition, high school & advanced running, advice on avoiding injuries, and special tips for beginners.

Slide show : How to stretch your major muscle groups - Fitness & safety tips from the Mayo Clinic with an illustrated guide to stretching calf, hamstring, quadriceps and other muscle groups before beginning any exercise routine.

The Runner's Diet - Expert diet regimen for optimum energy from Runner's World Magazine, with lists of recommended foods including calorie, fat, carb and protein content, links to related forum discussions and feature articles on fitness nutrition.

Runners Rescue - Like it says, with pages of advice on what to do about ankle sprains, muscle aches, and lower back pain injuries plus detailed routines for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners, running shoe guide, tips for hot weather and cold weather running.

Are You Running Properly? - BBC sports & fitness guide with tips on form & technique including foot, heel, head and shoulder position, common do's and don'ts, with related animations and illustrations.

also see -> Boston Marathon | Chicago Marathon

London Marathon | New York Marathon | Track & Field

also see in Olympics -> Modern Pentathlon | Olympic Triathlon

also see related feature -> All About Bottled Water