Happy new year, runners!

How many of us started running last year as a way to get fit, only to lose motivation a month or even a week into it?  Often times the hardest part of a successful running program is simply motivation.  It’s easy to get motivated and make the decision you want to start running, but maintaining the motivation to achieve that goal for the long run is another story.

I’ve been running for 20 years now and I still occasionally battle a lack of motivation.  But when I realize that this is what is keeping me from running, I simply set a running goal.  However, the goals I set and achieve tend to have 3 things in common: (1) they are specific (e.g. I want to complete the San Francisco Half Marathon this July), (2) they are achievable (I won’t set a goal to run a 13 mile race next week if I haven’t run in months), and (3) they are meaningful (a goal to lose 1 pound in a year may not be meaningful enough for me to stay motivated).

What are your running goals in 2011?  Are they specific, achievable, and meaningful to you?