Is there a better way to celebrate the New Year than by heading out for a run? Whether you motivate yourself with resolutions or not, getting out and pounding the pavement or trails or ice is a great way to start the year; I find it difficult to think of anything better.

Last year, I took part in the Resolution Run from the Maine Running Company. I’ll be in the wrong part of the country this year, but if you are going to be in the Southern Maine area than this is an ideal place to get your workout in.

The Resolution Run starts at Maine Running Company and ends at the Great Lost Bear, which is a few hundred feet across the street. There will be people there that are doing 5 kilometers, and people running 10 kilometers. There may even be a few people running further than that, and there will definitely be people that limit their running to the couple of hundred feet to get from the store to the bar! Note that this is not a race; it is a group run so there is no pressure.

The run starts at 11:30, and the first 30 or so people to arrive will get a free technical shirt. There is no cost to take part in the run, although any donations will be part of the Extremities Drive to help underprivileged Maine children get hats and gloves to keep them warm this Winter. If you have any old hats or gloves that you don’t need anymore, feel free to drop them off at the store or bring them along with you to the Resolution Run.

After the run, more shirts and other prizes will be raffled off at the Great Lost Bear. I remember winning a pair of gloves or something like that last year, but I traded them for somebody’s rice that they weren’t going to eat!

If you do take part in the Resolution Run and want to write about it, shoot me an email and I’ll put a post together about it next week. It was a lot of fun last year.

For more information: mainerunning.com

(Don’t worry about me finding somewhere to run for the New Year – I’ll be in Vegas, and will be taking part in a Las Vegas Hash with my wife and some friends!)