At some stage we've all made grand resolutions and failed to stick to them, and running is no exception. Training for a race is a long-term commitment that requires a gradual increase of effort over time.

• Make sure your training plan is realistic to start with. Be sincere with yourself: sit down and write down your other commitments and come to an idea of how much time you're prepared to spend training, and then decide on what kind of goal you're aiming for in that race you have your eye on. Most people do it the other way around, setting the goal and then commanding their body to adjust whether it's ready or not. It's no harm to visualise some time to inspire you, but just be honest with yourself when you do it.
• Write out a weekly running plan, which gradually increases your running capacity in the weeks leading up to the race and allows sufficient time for tapering. Make sure that you schedule your runs at a time where you will not be easily distracted - missing one or two runs due to 'unavoidable events' can often lead to the whole running plan falling apart. The morning is the best time: it's the time when you are less likely to be distracted, and also it's when many races take place too, allowing your body to get into a kind of rhythm.
• If discipline is not your thing, perhaps teaming up with a friend can help. Company makes the road shorter, so the Irish saying goes, and this is certainly true of running. But also the knowledge that you bear a certain amount of responsibility for someone elses training program as well as your own can be an extra spur to action that you need.
• Be aware of mental burnout. Don't treat your training as some torturous necessity to that has to be gone through; depending on your race goals, training will probably occupy some sizeable part of your week, and if that time is spent doing something you don't enjoy, then there's something badly wrong somewhere. Varying your workout between short and long runs is just as important for the mind as it is for race preparation. Try different courses, explore different parts of town; think of new ways to bring freshness into your running.