I’m not a serious jogger, never mind a serious runner.  I don’t jog as much as slog. I have a sister-in-law who says she is a “wogger” — an activity that combines walking and jogging. I’m not far from that.

But I try to get out there every other day and move around as briskly as I can for 40 minutes or so. And conditions are a little different wherever you go, and I’ve slogged from Hong Kong to Beijing to Sydney to Argentina, Mexico and Qatar.

Finding a suitable space is Job 1, and then you need to figure out a way to get there. Some places are a bit of a challenge.

Such as Paris.

My first recommendation about jogging in Paris is … if you can gain access to a treadmill … go for it.

This is not an easy city for joggers. Nor, actually, for cyclists — because the roads are so narrow and often seriously crowded. “Bike lanes” often are shared by buses and cabs, and routinely sliced through by crosswalks, which can make for some interesting moments.  Sidewalks often are very narrow and crowded, so stepping outside your center-city hotel and just running around the block is really not practical.

So,  if you’ve got a place inside, just deal with the boring monotony of the tread. Also takes you out of the weather, which can be an issue in the winter.

But if you are intent on getting outdoors to enjoy the sights of Paris while getting your exercise … well,  here is what I’ve found.

–If you can get to the really big parks on the east and west sides of town — the Bois de Vincennes and the Bois de Boulogne — you’re set. Lots  of trails,  lots of trees. Your biggest issue will, possibly, be getting lost. Plenty of space, even for biking. But the issue here is that each park is well away from the center of town.

If you want to stay in the center … well, your park options begin to become limited.

–I prefer the Luxembourg Gardens, in the quiet and orderly southern half of the 6th arrondissement, on the left (south) bank of the Seine. Even if you’re not staying south of the river, Luxembourg probably is closer than you think because several bus lines run next to it or near it.

Once you’re there, it has an interesting, fairly long path around the perimeter that allows for some serious mileage without too many laps. The perimeter path is fairly flat, mostly gravel (though there is a bit of asphalt to give your joints a break), quite shady (a plus, in the summer) and perhaps a mile around.

Also, Luxembourg is rarely very crowded, and most visitors go directly to the interior of the park, to sit around the lake or play tennis or do some lawn bowling or play chess. So, no cars and minimal foot traffic. A great place to run,  jog or fast-walk.

–My second choice would be Parc Monceau. Not nearly as well known as Luxembourg, but a runner/jogger haven. It is located on the northern edge of the 8th, which is on the right (north) bank of the river,  and it is one of the few green spots of any size in a broad swath of the city that includes the 8th, 9th, 10th, 17th and 18th arrondissements.

It also is an interesting place, almost funky, with a pond, some kiddie equipment, and a little pyramid.

It  also attracts scads of runners. The most I ever have seen in one spot in this city. Perhaps because it sits in the middle of such a big patch of buildings and streets. The path around the perimeter has a slight gain/loss in elevation, if you like that sort of thing, but one lap around the park isn’t very long. Maybe a half-mile? And just about all of it is gravel.

If you like lots of other runners around you, some of them serious runners, this is where you want to be. If you don’t like passing or being passed all the time this isn’t quite as grand a place, because runner traffic is so thick that it actually can be an issue. I like it.

But it also has a fairly serious problem; unless you’re living/staying within a few blocks, getting to Parc Monceau is something of a trial. The metro Monceau is right outside the park, but it’s on a line that isn’t easy to get to. Bus access is limited, too.

–My third choice would be the Tuilleries, a famous and sprawling garden very close to the Seine, on the right (north) bank. You can’t get more centrally located than this. It’s the 1st arrondissement, and the Louvre is at one end and the Place de la Concorde is at the other.

One lap around the perimeter is fairly long. More than a mile. But there isn’t really a path around the perimeter; you will have to improvise a bit. Whatever route you settle on, the path will be almost entirely gravel.

You won’t see many joggers in the Tuilleries, but on lots of pleasant days the park will be crowded, and you will find yourself weaving in and out of walkers just moseying along. It’s not quite as leafy and park-like as Luxembourg or Monceau.

The 7th arrondissement, on the left (south) bank, has two fairly big parks that certainly have the space to run around, but neither is particularly inviting. Those would be the grassy area north of Invalides, the former hospital that now is a military museum; and the Champ de Mars, which is southeast of the Eiffel Tower. Both are rather dull and open places, better-suited to tossing a frisbee or a pick-up soccer game than leafy city jogging. I’ve jogged both, and if you’re in the 7th they make sense, but I am not fond of either.

I have not been to the Jardin des Plantes, in the 5th, almost smack on the left bank of the Seine, but I’m told it’s nice. It’s big, on the map. So this could work if you’re staying in the Latin Quarter.

Or, if you can’t reach any of those, you can improvise.

Several Paris streets have long swaths of greenery up to 15 yards wide running down the middle of them which allow some fairly decent jogging around the sidewalks on the edge of the greensward. One is on the Avenue de Breteuil, in the 7th. Another is the Avenue Foch in the northern half of the 16th. These are routes with a mix of asphalt and cement. No gravel,  if that is an issue for you. And you won’t see other joggers, but you may see lots of people walking to or from their homes, and maybe some loose dogs — though Parisian dogs are remarkably well-behaved.

(Update: I jogged on Breteuil today, Aug. 27, and it was quiet and lush and all asphalt, and the only issue, as usual,  was crossing the street at Duquesne twice per lap. Quite nice, actually.)

Or, this month, I’ve discovered a marginally useful spot of the sort that are hidden away in all corners of the city. Overgrown kiddie parks that have a track around the edge, and work, sort of …

One of these is in the middle of the ancient Place de Vosges, in the 4th.  Another is on the Ile de la Cite — that is, the heart of ancient Paris, just north/east of the the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The latter is known as Square Jean XXIII (as in the Roman Catholic pope of a half-century ago). It is barely big enough to do laps around, perhaps an eighth of a mile. It also often has lots of foot traffic, tourists coming and going. But it is leafy, and shady, and if you want Paris scenery while you’re turning short laps, well you’ve got the altar end of one of the world’s most famous churches on one side … and two arms of the Seine on other sides, with the Latin Quarter across from one arm and the trendy Ile St. Louis across the other. Hard to beat, as long as you don’t get knocked over by a tour group.

Place de Vosges is a bigger place, and enables you to avoid seeing the same views 30 times to get in a few miles. It’s probably about 350 yards around, and you never need to cross a street; you just jog along the dirt path between the trees and the fence that surrounds the square. But be warned: If the sun is out, the Place will be jammed with people sitting on the grass and benches, and you will be weaving through them (as they arrive or leave the square) every lap.

So, yeah, jogging can be done here. But it’s rarely easy. Which may explain why so few people seem to do it. Natives or tourists. Or maybe they aren’t interested in spending an hour or two running when they could be sitting in a cafe having a glass of white wine and a baguette and being grateful they are spending time in the City of Light.