Kym Klass' arictlce from the Montgomery Advertiser

I saw you last year. It wasn't for too long. But you were out there, around the first week of January. Running my streets, running my subdivision. And it was nice to have some company. Not many run on the streets where I live. There's a bicyclist I cross paths with often, and several walkers, but it's not the same. But there you were. There I was.
My question is, where did you go?

After a couple of weeks, when I thought I had my new familiarity -- basically, you were the person I started expecting to see around a certain time or location -- you disappeared.

We're almost back to January, and the New Year means resolutions. And it is a time many realize that running means more than just those fresh-out-of-the-box shoes, and top-of-the-line clothes. (I'm not poking fun. If you're going to start a sport you've never done before, you're going to need new stuff. And it's cool to get new stuff.)

We see the resolutioners out there every year -- they are on the streets running and walking all with wonderful intentions. The fresh faces saying, "This isn't too bad; think I'm going to make it."

To be honest, we like having you on the roads. New faces, new goals. Excitement in your every step. It's refreshing; reminds us of why we're out there. Helps motivate us. We've run those first few miles you're about to run. We've endured the pain -- and mistakes -- along the way. But the pain never was enough for many of us to quit.

Although quitting sure is tempting.

When I started running again almost three and a half years ago, I started wondering, after about week four, why I was out there . . .who it was benefiting . . .what the purpose was in heading out the door. My running started as a wake-up call after I had a child two years prior and found I didn't care for who I had become. I definitely was not fit. And I thought, "Is this the example I want to set for my daughter?"

So I headed out the door -- my New Year was July 2005. And if you start on Thursday -- or even Wednesday, just to get a jumpstart -- you'll find your own reason to head out.

There might be a period of doubt of why you are even doing this, so my challenge to you is this: on that one day you're scheduled to run, and would rather stay in bed for another hour, I challenge you to get out the door anyway. For at least one more day. One more week. When it gets tough, go anyway. When you think, "Why am I doing this?" start noticing how your clothes fit. Start taking notice in how you feel about yourself. Pay attention to how it changes you as a person, as a friend, husband or wife, parent.

Get through those first few weeks, but get through them smart:

Run with a friend, someone you know who will be waiting for you on the corner. It's hard to not get out of bed when you know a friend is waiting for you.

Enter a local race -- a 5K race, or a mile run. Many 5K races have a one-mile race following it. Do it, and I almost can guarantee you will be searching for the next race. It is a good addiction.

Keep a training log to record your daily runs. It is a good way to monitor your progress and learn from your mistakes. It can provide motivation for the next week, and is a good way to hold yourself accountable if you write down your goals.

If you can't meet with a friend during the week, then meet with a group on weekend mornings. We are lucky in the River Region to have a growing running community. There is a group that meets at Shakespeare Festival, and another that meets at the Downtown YMCA. These groups are large sources of inspiration, motivation and encouragement, and it helps knowing there is a support system in place. These groups do that for each other. For me.

I have been fortunate these last few years since I started running again. I have set goals these last three years that have changed my life. That has changed my outlook on myself, my family, my new group of friends.

In running, it doesn't matter if you win, lose, or fall in the middle. What matters is that you head out the door and try your best. That you set a goal -- or a resolution -- and stick to it. That you are able to reward yourself because of accomplishments attained. It really is that simple.

I'm no fool. I know I won't be leading the women in the 6-minute-mile group pace, but I do know that I'm comfortable where I am in the pack. That I have ventured out that door enough times to know what it does for me.

And I know I'll keep heading out.

See you Wednesday.

Kym Klass is an avid runner , R3 memeber, and a metro reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser.