Well, I want to increase my athletics skill, and I don't want to do it how most people do with Blade and Blunt skills where you level it by playing the game.

Basically I have been running around, anything particularly faster?

Swimming is much faster at leaving Athletics

If you're on the PC, get in the water, position yourself facing a corner of some sort where you won't run up on land if you go forward, press Q/autorun, go do something else.

Also, try to have some form of water breathing enchanted item equipped so you don't drown. Just do as Velorien said and go get a sandwich at your neighborhood cafe while leaving the game running. :trophy:

You don't want to do it by playing the game?

Well, if you're on PC, the fastest way is to use the console. If you're on XBox or PS3 there's always http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Trainers

To be honest, if you're on PC and you want to power level, you might as well use the console. It does the same thing running against a brick wall does in a fraction of the time.

Let's face it; you're not going to be roleplaying a guy who raises his skills by swimming into a wall for 3 hours.

You could just use custom enchantments, maybe combined with a spell when needed.