The best way to see a country is to simply walk through it. Being one with the surroundings surpasses all other experiences affording a full immersions into the sights, sounds, and smells. And since walking can be a little on the slower end, I tend to run. I ran almost every day when I was in Buenos Aires, an easy four to six miles before dinner along the Puerto Madero canal. I commit to running in every country I visit.

Some of the most memorable international runs thus far have been braving muddy, pot-holed roads in India, running along picturesque countryside roads in Kenya and Tanzania with giraffes and zebras watching my progress (I kid you not!), and even accidentally running a half marathon in Wroclaw, Poland. I don't know how I get myself into accidental half marathons, but I found a vague promise for an after work run quickly escalating into an organized race that later found me hobbling for days after (do not run an unplanned half marathon on cobble stones). Running abroad is more than a past time for me, it's a hobby that I care deeply about. So here are some points to convince you of the benefits:

Free city tour
Exhaustion that promotes sleep despite jet-lag maladies
An appetite to try new foods
Bragging rights
Come back home fitter and faster than ever
Assuring locals that not all Americans are fat, should that misconception exist in your country of travel

So have at it, run fast, run slow, just get out there and explore!