New Year's Approach

Last year, I was training for a marathon. It was an ugly winter, too, and I am proud when I met my 15-mile goal in the freezing rain one Friday afternoon. The sun had already gone down, I was drenched, but with my running buddy, Playlist, I ran my best pace straight to the daycare center to pick up my babe in plenty of time. Later that month, I ran with my real, live running buddy and we found ourselves along Kirby Road with a dangerously narrow shoulder due to the crusted ice mountains pushed up by the plow. It was so cold that day that my iPhone drained its charge with 9 miles in and 8 miles to go. We hadn't tapped into our knowledge of green vs. blue street signs in a long time, but even without Google Maps to guide us, we found our way home. It was experiences like these that me feel "hard core" before my fortieth birthday.

This year is different. The season recently dumped what I hope are the last pounds of [beautiful] snow on our neighborhood. My forty-first birthday is coming up. I've had a medical procedure that left some bruises behind. I'm pre-occupied by compression stockings and relatively interested in the benefits of vitamin supplements. Dodging ice patches is highly imprudent at this time. This spring--when we hit 60 and the daffodils bloom--I'm going hard core all over again. Just wait. Now? I'll hang back while this town thaws before I prove it to myself that I can.