I had a typical Dec. 31st conversation with several runners this morning – typical because they wanted to decide on their 2011 running goals … and yet they weren’t entirely ready to commit to them.

It’s a good moment to remind ourselves about effective goal setting.

Tip #1: Give yourself two to four weeks to set the goals. Begin by looking at everything else going on in your life – work and family plans, household projects, and community activities. Prioritize them in order of importance.

Tip #2: Throw a wide net at first when considering your running goals. Might you try a new event or travel to a new place? Most important, choose an event which holds the most meaning for you. One woman I was talking with this morning was mid-distance runner, Antonia Hieronymous. “I don’t feel like going for more 5Ks this year,” she said. “I do know one event I absolutely want to do: the Mount Washington race.” It’s 7.6 miles and the challenge or running in altitude up a mountain has meaning for her now. That goal parallels an endurance effort in her community life, where she is trying to raise money to build a school in Peru.

If all you can think of is one race for the entire year, that’s enough to motivate you to build endurance and plan speed workouts for a two- to three-month period. It’s a minimum, but it keeps running in your life even if you are juggling other major and sometimes stressful commitments.

Tip #3. Write down your three main goals and note them on each month of a monthly calendar to remind yourself of the big picture, even if you’re not working on your goal during a particular month. You’ll hold yourself accountable.

The 1964 Harvard University study on goal setting is powerful proof of the value of writing down your goals. That year all members of the Harvard Business School graduating class stated that they had clear goals that they wanted to accomplish. Only 5% of them took the time to write them down on paper. A follow-up study of the class in 1984 found that of the 5% who wrote down goals, 95% were able to achieve them within 20 years. Of the 95% who didn’t write down goals, only 5% were able to reach their goals.

Tip #4. If you’re not sure of your goals today, get a notebook and jot down thoughts as they come to you. Chances are, you’ll know what you want to take on in a few weeks.

Christmas is a holiday – both for those who celebrate it and those who don’t. Normal schedules don’t hold. With time to relax, many are feasting or dining out. I asked a number of runners whether they try to fit in a run on a day when surrounded by friends and family – some of whom may not run. Here were their answers…

1) “I just wake up earlier than usual (5:30 rather than 7:00 a.m.) – and fit a run in then. It’s too crazy later.”
2) “I try to recruit others at home to run with me – including my cousin, who’s not really a runner – figuring it’s a gift to her to try running….I don’t mind some walking to help her out. “
3) “I make an excuse to pick up some milk – and manage to fit in at least three miles on the errand!”
4) “I tell everyone in advance that I need just an hour for my run and in exchange I’ll do the dishes after the big meal afterwards.”
5) “I take the day off – if there’s a day when you have an excuse to rest, Christmas is it.”
6) “It’s a crazy day. If I do anything related to running, it’s a chance to think about my goals for next year.”

What’s your Christmas/holiday routine?

A perceived exertion (p.e.) scale is a helpful resource to remember when it gets cold and you can’t get to a track but you want to incorporate intensity into your workouts. The scale can help you measure how hard you feel you’re exercising.

Based on physical sensations you feel while running — increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue – perceived exertion is a subjective measure of intensity that provides a good estimate of your actual heart rate. While Swedish psychologist Gunnar Borg created the original 6 to 20 point perceived exertion scale, you may find a simpler 10-point scale easier to work with.

Here is one I suggest for runners:

1 = rest; no exertion.

2 = brisk walking (for recoveries).

3 = very light jogging (for recoveries and warm-ups and downs).

4 = light jogging (for recoveries and warm-ups and downs).

5 = your “smile time” easy, average pace of middle and long distance runs.

6.5 = a “plus” pace – a little faster than your “smile time” pace; good for pick-ups and for returning to speed for any amount of time after an injury or break from speed.

7.0 – 7.5 (70 -75% of maximum effort) = comfortably hard efforts, usually for tempo runs covering 2 to 6 or more miles. Tempo runs can last for a continuous period of time (14 minutes to 40 plus minutes) without breaks or broken into “cruise” intervals that are interspersed with 1 minute slow jogs (at a p.e. of 3).

8.0 – 9.0 (80-90% of maximum effort) = hard efforts for longer intervals. Longer intervals are series of repeated runs that last from 30 seconds to about 6 minutes. These intervals are interspersed with periods of rest or walking equal in time to the efforts (run for 4 minutes at a p.e. of 8.5, walk briskly for 4 minutes).

9.0 – 9.5 (90-95% of maximum effort) = very hard efforts. Shorter intervals from about 20 seconds to 3 minutes each. These efforts are interspersed with periods of rest or walking lasting up to three or four times the duration of the speed efforts (if you run for 30 seconds at 95%, take 2 minutes to walk or jog slowly for the recovery).

9.5 and above = use mainly for racing.