Wow! 2007 is here and I hope you are off to a great start. Many of us are out to achieve new goals and I wish you nothing but success in all you pursue this year. New year, new goals, new opportunities...Get excited!

Got your race(s) picked out for this year? If not, visit the updated marathon calendar at www.marathonrookie.com/marathon-calendar for helpful links to marathons and half marathons listed by date.

If you are running in an event, why not get the kids running too? Many races, whether a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, or other, also feature events for kids.

These events provide an excellent opportunity to teach your kids about goal setting and achievement at an early age. For instance, many events host a kids marathon where they compile miles of running over several months and then finish up on race day completing the final mile. Others may simply have a kids fun run. Either way, they have fun and leave the race feeling good about themselves and hopefully learned something along the way.

This also presents a good opportunity to teach kids about the importance of nutrition. Who knows, maybe they will even be more inclined to try healthy foods they would have snarled at otherwise.

Check your event's website to see what type of kids event they might offer and get your kids involved in the fun.