It seems like spring is the most disliked season.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a reference that April is the cruelest month, and that’s said by someone who I’m pretty sure didn’t live in Minnesota.
The weather is a big part of being Minnesotan. We complain about the weather all the time. Starting in summer, we complain a little about the heat even though it’s nowhere near as bad as other places. Then in fall we start griping some more about how it’s getting colder.
When it starts to snow way too early, that’s when the complaining fest really picks up. The amount we gripe stays very high until springtime. Then our complaining levels go up so high we sound like a bunch of bleating goats that have been starved.
Let’s face it: spring in Minnesota is rough. I consider spring to be when track starts, even when it snows on and off. At this point, we are all sick of the snow and just want it to be nice again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t get me wrong, I dislike the extra long winter as much as everybody else. Track meets getting pushed back or not being able to go to a meet is pure torture for me. Nevertheless, spring is by far my favorite season.
There is just something about everything becoming new and the start of the track season that gets me going.
After running outside when it is 10 degrees below zero, running in any weather above 20 degrees seems like a miracle to me. Weather that is considered bad by most people is a luxury to me. I don’t like running indoors, so I usually prefer to run outside, even if it’s freezing. When it’s not super cold out, that’s a treat.
Winter is where all the hard work for the track season is put in. This winter, my life besides church, school and work consisted of running, skiing, skijoring, ab workouts, weight lifting and working on eating better.
As I mentioned in one of my earlier articles, working out was my valentine. Training for track became my main focus, and I didn’t really have anything else besides that that I did for fun.
The scary part about this is that I never knew if my efforts would be enough. The competition in distance running is fierce, especially in this area. Sure, even if I lift weights three times a week, ski or run every day, and do ab workouts three times a week, my competitors are still training hard too.
I was slower this cross country season for the first time ever. Would it even make a difference? I wasn’t going to know the results until I hit the track.
Since it’s spring, I was finally able to try! All winter I never knew where I was at, but just this last Friday I was finally able to see my work put into action at my first meet. Mother Nature gave us perfect conditions, and I was very happy with my results.
ADVERTISEMENT
I don’t know what it is, but I just come alive in spring. It may be track, the weather or that I’m getting to the end of the school year, but my awakening happens every time.
The world also seems to come to life. The grass comes up, baby animals are born, flowers come up and the candy store where I work is bustling with people who are happy to get out of the house after hibernating all winter.
Fellow Minnesotans, I feel your pain that spring brings. We have slush, surprise snowstorms and temperatures that make us wear a tank top one day and a jacket the next.
However, I still love spring. The weather has to go from frozen to sunny, and it’s not easy. It’s a transitional time that’s a lot like life. That is why I love spring more than any other season.
Holly McCamant is a sophomore at Frazee-Vergas High School.
