As I "skied" around town last night, it occurred to me that for those of you who, like myself, are best advised to curtail your running due to bad knees, back, etc. nordic walking might be a useful substitute. Originally developed as an off-season conditioning method for biathletes and nordic ski racers, nordic walking provides a good cardio workout while reducing the pounding to the joints. If interested, more information is available from the American Nordic Walking Association (
http://www.anwa.us) or by just googling "nordic walking."
Chris