Before getting started on a run, make sure you follow these few simple preparation techniques - believe me, you'll thank me later.

Before you get started on a run, there are certain techniques you should follow. Of course, if you're anything like me when I first started running, you've already gone out there and just started running. Well, now it's time to back up and start again, this time doing it properly.

The most important thing if you're thinking about seriously getting into running is to get a checkup from your doctor first. Tell Doc what you're planning on doing and talk to him/her about any health problems you might already have. It may seem like an unnecessary precaution, but better a few minutes spent with a medical professional now than a few weeks later after you've keeled over from a heart attack.

Next thing, start thinking about safety. As a good rule to follow, probably best not to run alone. It's also a good idea to map out a route and make sure you know where all the places you could have mishaps are. Check for any holes in the sidewalk, look at traffic patterns and make sure you wear clothing that helps drivers see you.

Listening to music while wearing stereo headphones is very popular. It's also very dumb if you're running on the open highway. When you can't hear what's going on around you, that opens you up for trouble. It's best to be able to hear the ambulance coming and not be run over by it....but maybe that's just me.

Another thing to think about is make sure you drink enough water. You should be hydrated at all times when you run. It not only gives you keeps you cool, water also rehydrates you and flushes waste out of your body. No need to buy fancy designer water though. A normal bottle of water or some filtered tap water is fine. Don't forget, you're using it to regulate your body and not using it to show everyone you have more money than sense.

The final thing before you get started running is remember to stretch. This is one thing I'm really bad at and probably why I've pulled a couple of muscles in the last few months. In a simple case of do what I say and not what I do, make sure you stretch before you start running, as well as after.

But make sure you stretch safely. Don't stretch cold muscles. Cold muscles are usually tight and can easily tear causing weeks if not months of misery and pain. So remember, before you run, get a check up, make sure you're running safely, don't wear headphones if running on the road, drink enough water and remember to stretch. You might think it's not important but, believe me, you'll thank me later when your friends are lying in hospital in traction and you're stretched out in your favorite armchair after finishing your latest marathon.

I'm a sucker for silly named marathons, so I really love the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Any event that is great for the city is alright in my book. (I used to reside there0

This year's marathon was held on May 4 and was the 10th marathon for the Flying Pig folks. It also had some surprises as, at the last minute, the course had to be re-routed around mile 22 due to a multiple-alarm fire the fire brigade was racing to.

In even more drama, one of the runners had a heart attack. Luckily, less than a minute behind him there was a group of fire fighters and paramedics who were running in remembrance of three firefighters who'd been killed in the line of duty. As soon as they saw the stricken man, they went into action, giving him drugs and medical care that saved his life.

The Flying Pig marathon this year was won by Andy Martin from Bend, Oregon. The 33-year-old Martin took the men's overall marathon title and finished in 2:30:40. Second was Brian List, 24, of Milford, Ohio, with a time of 2:33:33. Travis Murray, 26, of Owensville, Ohio, was third, finishing in a time of 2:34:34. Awesome result for Travis Murray, as this was his first-ever marathon, and great results for Ohio - two guys in the top three. <p>In the women's division, a 39-year-old mother of four, Michelle Didion, was the winner in a time of 3:05:18. Didion is from Laporte, Ind., and this was the first time she'd run the full marathon. Julie Spencer of Baraboo, Wis., was second with a time of 3:06:44 and Jen Gapin of Greensboro, N.C., came in third. She turned in a personal best time of 3:07:53.

The Half Marathon men's division winner was Todd Ptacek from Erie, Penn. Ptacek is 23 and won it in 1:09:22, a new record for the event. The women's division Half Marathon winner, 26-year-old Rachel Stoehr of Cincinnati, won in a time of 1:20:48. (You go, Cincinnati girl!)

This year's marathon was slightly longer than the normal 26.2 miles for a marathon. Because of the three-alarm fire, when the race was rerouted, it added .2514 miles to the distance. The time recorded at the finish line was the official time, but if you ran in it and need a qualifying time for another marathon, you can contact the race organizers when you register and tell them you were a Flying Pig runner. Most marathons know about the problems that arose at Flying Pig, so they will adjust your time accordingly.

The Flying Pig Marathon was huge this year....there were more than 14,000 runners, so no matter what your stamina level, there was probably somebody you could beat no matter what level of runner you are!

For a marathon that has everything, you've got to experience one of my favorites: the Hatfield and McCoy marathon in Williamson, W.Va. From the cool name to the awesome course, the incredibly nice people and the beautiful scenery - this marathon has everything. 2008 is the ninth year of the marathon, and this year it's on June 14. It's also great for those of you who are trying to run marathons in all 50 states as this one actually covers two states (yeah, yeah, cheating a bit, but who's gonna tell on ya?). It starts in a tiny town called Goody, Ky., and finishes in Matewan, W.Va., for the half marathon and Williamson, W.Va., for the full marathon. So you can say you've done both!

The Hatfield and McCoy Marathon is a pretty challenging course. There's a couple of major hills, you get street running, trail running, rivers, streams, fields, even a swinging bridge. There's also a parade and then, along the course, you'll see some of the friendliest people
in the country cheering you on. What they lack in number of people watching, they definitely make up for in quality - when you run this marathon you've never felt so welcomed or so encouraged.

The race director, David Hatfield, is a runner himself and he does an absolutely superb job of organizing this race. There's a free Pasta Dinner for all the race participants, and a Pig Roast where you can eat roast pig any way you like it fixed. Just remember not to make too much
of a pig of yourself, or you might puke after all that running.

One of the coolest things about this race though, I think, is the Hatfield and McCoy feud competition. The race reenacts the famous Hatfield and McCoy feud by putting racers into either the Hatfield or McCoy 'family' when they register for the race. At the end of the race, the 'family' with the lowest total time will win the feud. There are also two guys dressed as Hatfield and McCoy who pose for photos, appear around the race course during the marathon, and present the prizes at the end.

One thing you might discover on the Hatfield and McCoy Marathon is that your time will be lower than other marathons. The course is challenging and it gets hot (around 85 degrees by the end of it), so a lot of runners report 10 to 20 minute times that are slower than their normal time. But it's not always about time, right? This one is worth running just for the niceness of the folks who run it and watch it and for the scenery, which is really darn beautiful.

There'll be about 500 runners registered, so the competition is good. Remember to book a hotel early as there are only a few in the area. But, one runner last year did report that, when he couldn't get a hotel room, the race director offered him a bed in his own home. Now you can't get any more welcoming than that, right? So sign yourself up for this one - it's a doozy!