The New Year is here which means it is resolution time. Your resolutions can range from quitting smoking, to reading more, traveling more and everything in between. However the majority of resolutions center around fitness. We have all seen the memes showcasing an empty gym versus a packed gym once the New Year rolls around.

The problem is these resolutions usually fall on deaf ears. How many times do you see on Facebook “Look out everyone, a new year a new me!” only to see that same person fall back into their old habits a month latter? The folks at Saturday Night Live even made light of the topic in this skit.

What happens is people who fall into this trap aren’t looking at the whole picture. It’s one thing to decide  you want to make changes, it is another to know how you are going to do it. Let me ask you this question; your resolution is to get in better shape, what is your plan? Just going into the gym and lifting weights randomly is not going to get it done. What will happen is you wont see results and you will just give up. This quote sums up the issue:

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”

We need to stop using the word resolution, you should be setting a goal and making a plan to accomplish it. So this year we offer a solution.

With the Broad Street Run happening in early May the New Year is a perfect time to begin a training plan. Last week we wrote about why you need to run the Broad Street Run. If you have never run a mile before or only run a 5K this 10 week training plan below will get you ready for the 10 miler. If you begin this training plan on Monday February 24th you will be running the Broad Street Run by May 3rd.

 Register for the Broad Street Run lottery here between February 1st through Feb. 13th. Even if you don’t get into the lottery, there are plenty of ways to get in through charity or people selling bibs. Follow Broad Street Run on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

For those needing clarification “XT” on the plan means cross training. This means 30, 45 or 60 minutes of another workout. This could be riding a bike, an elliptical machine, weight lifting or anything else. The folks at Runners World wrote this article on some of the best Cross Training workouts. So if you are not sure where to start, here you go! The point is to prepare your body for being able to keep up physically during the run.