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East River Park, NY - where I'll soon be running again. Fresh air? Unsure. But definitely cold air.

Now, where to run? Of course, this is subjective, but run where:

• There’s lots of fresh air
• There’s not a lot of stoplights and traffic
• There’s lots of cute dogs
• There’s lots of cute guys (or, OK, girls)
• There’s lots of other runners or people playing sports
• There are lots of things that smell good
• There’s water to look at and water to drink

For the longer version of “where to run,” click more. Or just tell me where you like to run in the comments!

One thing that I love about running is that it helps to make exercise the path of least resistance. You don’t have to drive to a gym or pull together a team. You just put on your sneakers (and hopefully some clothes) and GO.

So what I recommend is that, if it’s at all possible, you run right outside your front door. But I also recommend sunlight, fresh air, and passing scenery. Personally I prefer a route that is part traveling, and part loops. Having a park that you loop around helps me get my stride; something about the repetition keeps me going. At the same time, I think I’d get bored if I didn’t also have a few miles of open road.

If your neighborhood isn’t good for running, second best is to drive or bike to somewhere that’s better.

Third best is the dreaded gym. I don’t recommend the gym, except perhaps for occasional timed runs or carefully controlled hill climbs. But if you have to run in a gym, make the best of it. Buy a membership at the most expensive sweat box you can afford. Get yourself a cute outfit, make friends with the guy at the desk, and pick a time when you’re not going to have to wait for a machine.  Allay yourself of the steam room and any other awesome extras. On the treadmill, cover the display so you’re not constantly ticking off minutes. You want to let your brain run wild (time flies), not be anchored to those numbers (time creeps).