Back in the 1970s there was a medical columnist in a local newspaper (The Washington Star. Anyone remember the Washington Star?) His name was Dr. Steinchron. One of his recurring themes was that running/jogging (whichever you prefer to call it) is not good for you. One of the arguments he advanced was almost the same as John MacKenzie made on 04 Dec 11 - 01:52 PM, namely that one seldom sees a runner smile while running.

As an alternative to running, Dr. Steinchron recommended gardening.

If folks ask those of us who run why we do it or why we like it, I suspect we have a similar situation to that of the lady who reportedly asked Louis Armstrong "What is Jazz?" Mr. Armstrong is reported to have replied "If you have to ask, you'll never know." Same goes for running.

Don