Sightsee and Sweat: City Running Tours

If you're a runner, you probably already know that one of the best ways to explore a new place is on foot, at about a 10-minute per mile pace (give or take a few minutes, depending on your preferences). Running in a new city is fun and offers all sorts of opportunities to see things you might miss on a double-decker bus. But running in a new city is best when you have a friend who knows their way around.

That's why I love the concept behind City Running Tours, a company that offers guided running tours of Austin, Charleston, Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. The runs are designed for the casual and hardcore runner alike, and accommodate business travelers and sight-seers.

The guides who lead the runs are serious athletes and experts on their cities. So you get a workout and a tour all in one unique experience. Forget the hotel gym, I'm booking an early morning Central Park run next time I'm in New York City, and then a massage in the afternoon!

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor