Trail races (5K to 100 miles) are also an option. Train for one to two months on similar terrain to condition your body to the special demands of running off-road.
Degree of Difficulty: 4
This Year I Will: Stop Giving Up
Maybe you've skipped the last 800-meter interval of a track workout, fallen off goal pace at midrace (costing you a PR) or quit a training plan halfway to race day. You hang your head just thinking about it, as if you failed a test.
"Giving up on yourself can make you angry," says Barbara Walker, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon board member. "But make sure the anger is justified. Were your workout or race goals reasonable? Was the training plan too demanding for your stress load? If you're convinced you had no valid excuses, there are a few things you can do the next time."
More: 5 Ways to Find Motivation to Run
Make It Happen: Let's say you're skipping workouts. If you're a morning runner, set your gear out the night before. If you run after work, start from a park that's on the drive home so you're not tempted to loaf. And always ask yourself: "How often do I regret afterward that I went running?"
If you're on the verge of abandoning an entire training schedule for a race, don't toss it before determining if you're being too hard on yourself. Few runners—elites included—can stick to a plan like glue, because life intervenes. A better option is to keep the plan but slightly modify your race goal.
Now let's say that when the going gets tough in a key workout or race, you don't get going. "Hours or days before that moment of decision, visualize hitting the goal pace for mile after mile," says Walker. "That makes it easier to accomplish." Rehearse cue words, like strong and powerful, to say whenever negative thoughts enter your mind. Mentally breaking up the distance into bite-size segments, such as each mile of a race or each repeat of a workout, also helps.
Degree of Difficulty: 6
More: 10 Motivational Quotes for Running to Keep You Inspired
This Year I Will: Figure Out My Watch
Whether you picked that fancy running watch for its "bling" look or its cool features, you probably only use the clock time and running time. But you should get your money's worth. Most running watches include an interval timer (for timing speedwork and walk breaks) and a running log option (to store workout data). Some also have GPS capabilities. But with incomprehensible instructions, it's understandable you haven't bothered to open the manual, says Schuyler Schuster, an equipment guru at Fleet Feet Sports in Hartford, Connecticut.
Weird Running Gear That Actually Works
Make It Happen: Schuster says your best bet is to not leave the store until you've asked the staff to walk you through the motions of at least your top two functions. Then ask them to show you any cool extras they love about the watch that most people are unaware of. For example, he says many runners are surprised to discover they can set alarms for drink and gel reminders, or that some recent models are capable of storing data for two runners.
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