Vacations for those who like to eat and run

REVIEWS BY LISA WADDLE

This summer, why not take a different approach to vacationing (anything to keep your mind off soaring gas prices). More and more people are choosing not only to see some sights, but to actively take part in their hobbies while exploring the country. We've found a couple of new books to help you do just that. The first helps you find the best in regional eats; the second is a guide to the most entertaining way to work off all those calories. Together, these books provide a chowhound's dream: have your crab cakes and keep your figure.

Fueling up

Drawing on a lifetime of touring the country producing programming for public television, Burt Wolf's Real American Food provides a culinary snapshot of the country's major food cities. Wolf, who has produced the television series "Travels and Traditions" and "What We Eat," has also written or edited more than 60 books so he knows his genre. The stylish Real American Food takes on the distinctive contributions to America's culinary footprint by focusing on 10 cities: New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami and Richmond, Virginia.

More an armchair read than a cookbook (although there are more than 70 recipes), the book traces the origins of Italian and Jewish food in New York, upscale Southern cooking in Richmond, organic Nouvelle Cuisine in San Francisco and Eastern European-influenced meals in Chicago. A wealth of boxes and sidebars provide quirky culinary history, as well as lists of "What to Taste and Where to Taste It," such as where to try Japanese fusion in L.A. and where to find a traditional Cuban meal in Miami.

Foodies might quibble with some of Wolf's choices (Where's the heartland's hot dish classics? Or the Deep South's barbecue and icebox pies?), and most of Wolf's suggestions are of the right-on-the-beaten path variety, rather than inside tips. But this broad survey gives nice perspective on the complex profile of what we call American food.


Burning it off

Once you've fueled up on regional culinary delights, Elise Allen will help you expend those calories in The Traveling Marathoner: A Complete Guide to Top U.S. Races and Sightseeing on the Run. Allen highlights one race a month, ranging from the Boston Marathon in April to the Honolulu Marathon in December. The book is well-organized and totally focused on the needs of a runner, from details on how to register or qualify for a race to the best places to carbo-load the night before.

The best thing about Allen's book is how useful it is. Her depth of information illustrates that she not only has been to these 12 races, but as a runner herself, she also knows what details you need and want. If you're headed to the Grizzly Marathon in Choteau, Montana, in August, for example, Allen alerts you to stock up on calling cards, as cell-phone carriers don't seem to cover this wilderness area. She gives details on each course, including when to be at the starting line and how to get there; how many aid stations there are and what each offers (bagels, bananas and sport gel in Montana; cold sponges in Honolulu); and notable views, hills and neighborhoods you'll run through.

There's also plenty of advice for non-runners, from best places to view the races to other activities in each city. There's a nice list of after-race activities for those wanting to turn the marathon into a vacation, with categories ranging from ambitious ("I Feel Great!) to "Forget Sightseeing. Get Me to a Spa!" Recommended hotels, restaurants, shopping and nightspots nicely round out the book.

The Traveling Marathoner is a solid travel guide worthy of the Fodor name and the focus on runners and racers imbues every entry, making this a must-have guide that's also intensely inspirational.


Lisa Waddle is a food writer and runner based in Nashville.

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