New Year's Resolutions

New Year's resolutions are good for the spirit, they give you something to look forward to and to be happy about even before they happen.

We cannot deny that running is about resolution: waking up early for your daily runs, drinking a lot of water throughout the day, running long runs on weekends, training during cold winters and hot summers.

Having a resolutions list alone will not be enough to get you to tie your laces and go for a run, but writing it down will help you understand what you really want and why running is important for you.

Running a Marathon, running a sub-x-hours marathon, qualifying for a marathon, setting a PR, running a first 5k, getting back to running?

All of them might sound silly especially to non-runners, but there might be more behind them.

Running a Marathon? Maybe you want to show yourself and others that you can do it or maybe you want to be a hero for one day (or one year). Just make sure you understand what this means: a lot of training, time, and some money dedicated to this goal. Try to think about how you can accomplish this: joining a running team can help you bolster your motivation and keep your training schedule. Watch Brittanie Runs a marathon for an inspiration!

Setting a new PR? This goal may not be about bragging, but about setting the bar for an improvement that allows you to stay focused on your training. It's a good idea to link the resolution to the search for a good training plan.

Getting back to running or simply beginning to run for the first time? These are the most beautiful goals, but also the most difficult ones. There are a million reasons to have these goals - running makes you feel good and happy, and alive. How can one accomplish this? Join a running club, sign up for a race, find a friend who will run with you.

Here are some other good resolutions that can make you a happier runner.

Be a stronger runner -

A runner's body needs to be strong to avoid injuries. It is not always easy for runners to find and enjoy the time to do their strength training. It can be boring but it is very important.

A good plan can be to join a weekly class - make sure to find the one you really like - or if time is an issue, get your own Strength Training Equipment for an at-home workout.

Share the joy of running - When you start running you will meet many people who share your passion. Join a running club, join a facebook marathon running group, get a friend to run with you. Your family and friends may complain at the beginning when they see you have less time for them but will be thrilled when they understand how happy this makes you - and they might even become your running buddies, or simply your cheering crew at races.

Run for a Cause - There are plenty of charities you can support when you run a race. You can raise funds, and you can create awareness by sharing why you run. A great option is to run with Achilles International, an organization that works with people with disabilities (www.achillesinternational.org).

Are you ready to create your own New Year's running resolutions?

Just one warning: "Running the New York Marathon" was on my 2011 list of New Year's Resolutions. It took me 8 years to accomplish this; little I knew I had to move to NYC first, and the latter was not even on the list!