Resolutions for the Runner from Coach Toby

• Run with regularity
• Plan your races based on your goals, not on the NYRR calendar
• Volunteer for one race without getting credits
• Include pilates to your program (if it is indeed absent)
• Set goals for the year that you feel are attainable
• Write an essay on your 2010 season and look at what can be improved
• Work on at least one of the above items
• Start the new year on a new pair of shoes (unless December was a 'new' month)
• Reward effort — if you have been failing with consistency, make 2011 a year of rewards
• Make a challenge for the year —
  • If you have only run 10ks, try a half-marathon.
  • if you have run marathons, try a marathon abroad.
  • etc.

Resolutions for the Runner from Coach Joe

Some 2011 Runners' New Year's Resolutions (and WHY you ought to have them):

• In 2011 I will improve my flexibility
  Tight muscles and joints limit range of motion, impair efficiency, and increase the probability of injury.
• In 2011 I will improve my strength
  Muscles that are not strong enough to easily do the work that they are asked to do are at high risk of injury, core muscles (back and abdominal) and legs — distance runners actually have VERY weak legs, hence the high rate of injury — are important, but go for overall full body strength that is balanced among the muscle groups.
• In 2011 I will improve my running form
  Proper running form does more than make you look good, it increases efficiency yielding better performance and reduces the probability of injury.
• In 2011 I will choose a small number of specific goals and plan my running around accomplishing those goals
  Without a destination and a road map to get there, you will simply wander aimlessly and you might not want to be where you will end up.
• In 2011 I will have FUN with my running
  Try different races, different distances, trails, multisport events, mix it up and avoid doing the same old thing week after week [BOOOORING] and even if your goals include a PR or two, being completely focused on competition makes you lose the big picture: life — of which running is a part — is meant to be enjoyed!.