Wrapped the socks, sent the cards, ordered the turkey.  When the holiday starts, you can finally slow down, sit back in a comfy chair with a glass of mulled wine, and a warm mince pie, and have the luxury of some time to think.

Now you’ve got Christmas all organised, may I suggest a Christmas running checklist?!

It’s more for mulling and maturing than action, at this stage.  The aim is to prepare you so that once the pudding’s all been eaten, and the resolutions start to be written, you can firm up your plans, and literally hit the road running.

It looks something like this:

Thinking through each of these will help you get more realistic when it comes to those resolutions.  It will make sure you have some exciting goals to think about.  But it should also stop you diving into overambitious goals where your heart isn’t really in it, or where you really don’t have the time and energy.

So give yourself a present of some time to think about how ready you are to take on some sporting goals for 2014.  Be honest and you can feel good over the festive period that you’ve made a mental headstart.

You could even think it through on a Christmas Day run – enjoy the mulling, and have a wonderful holiday.

Sarah, Art Of Your Success