in training for the marathon, my lower body is really shaping up. My wife cant get enough of my legs. However, my upper body -- stomach, chest, love handles -- are looking like they always did.

Are there any cardio excerices that I can do to strengthen and tone my upper body and core, which will probably help run faster and swifter?

I already do crunches and stretching. swimming is tough during the winter. basically, Im asking if there is a cardio-type excercise that I might not know about that would do for my upper body what running does for my lower body.

thanks for any suggestions.

Really, the only cardio exercises (other than power-aerobics or whatever it's called) for upper body are swimming, rowing, and rock climbing (or simulation thereof). Sounds like you may just want to add some bench press and rowing into the mix.

I swim and row to tone the upper body, but my winter climate is a little more forgiving.

A good exercise it to get some dumbells 10 or 15lbs on each arm and pump your arms as if you were running for 5 sets of 2 minutes. try and keep you back straight and your shoulders relaxed like in running.
This will tone the upperbody up nicely in no time and will also help in the latter stages of a race or on a hill were keeping form and be difficult and you are arm pumping to keep up momentum.

Other exercies are press up, start off with seeing how many you can do and add 1 a day. At 50 change things by doing moving your hands closer together as the set progresses, or clapping as you push back up. You can even put your feet up on the table and increase the weight onyour arms

Other ideas are do dips in the corner of the kitchen usin the L shape of a kitchen counter. and doing pull armsif you can find a good spot.

thats a good idea... Ill try the running motion with the dumbells. thanks.