A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project, to reforming a habit, or to a lifestyle change. Most people do not think about these resolutions until about a week before the New Year. “"I haven't thought of one yet!” comments the reigning DII indoor pole vaulting Champion, Minnesota State-Mankato’s Katelin Rains. Don’t worry; there is plenty of time to think of a resolution. You can always go with the old standbys, like saving money, paying off debts, losing weight, getting fit or eating right. But, one should not pick out a resolution haphazardly; a resolution should be more personal.

Many choose a resolution to avoid hardship based on the previous year’s experiences, such as remembering to look behind you before you back up the car, always double knotting your spikes before a race, or perhaps always checking your bag before heading to cross country meet to make sure you have your uniform. These types of experience based resolutions can save you a lot of headaches. Current DII Cross Country Champion, Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler, has chosen to save herself some late nights by “Not writing any essays the night before they are due,” she explains. 

A resolution based on an attitude change can also be a very good idea. The attitude change can improve other parts of your life. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' Shannon Payne is thinking just that. "I resolve to not be a doubter" she says.

One of the other types of resolutions is, of course, the improvement upon previous resolutions. As runners, it is ingrained in our nature to set resolutions focused on new training and racing goals.  We aim to achieve new personal records, to become stronger, faster, and to essentially become better runners than the year before. These types of resolutions can be focused on improving on what you have already achieved, as well as learning a new skill. California University of Pennsylvania’s Chris Clark is determined to do just that. Jokingly, Clark explains, “[I resolve to] improve my Irish accent because Coach Caulfield tells me all the time how bad it is [and to] become better at the guitar thus becoming better at wooing women.”

So whatever your resolution is, I wish you the best of luck with it. I hope this upcoming year will bring you plenty of personal records and many good memories. As usual, I encourage you to comment and to post your New Year’s resolution.