True Grit at Ten Above Zero

Trying to keep a resolution in the dead of winter is no easy task but weather is no excuse. Not even a giant blast of cold arctic air nearly knocking me over as I force open the front door is an excuse.

My feet hit the pavement for the 28th straight day of running dressed wisely in several layers. It's no easy feat but the full moon supplies me with just enough light to dodge ice patches, cars and recycling bins lost to the wind.

I prefer running at night, well, maybe not especially tonight but exercising under the stars to hit songs by Coldplay... Look at the stars, see how they shine for you... makes this grueling resolution more tolerable than it sounds.

I round a bend and my new sneaks grip the icy gravel like a 4-wheel SUV. Great traction, no slippage, I'm happy. Some mailboxes are propped open from the wind. I aim to shut them dashing past but my hands are too numb from fiddling with my I-Pod volume.

Which leads me to ask: Why did Apple engineers design the I-Pod to be used only by bare hands and not, say, someone wearing mittens or gloves? Technology like that baffles me.

I take no shortcuts or breaks. I keep moving, mostly out of fear of frostbite if I slow down. Finally, I'm home! I clock in with a most embarrassing 5K time but the resolution is put to bed in clean conscience that is until tomorrow when I run the gauntlet all over again.