This Winter WAS So Bad
This winter was so bad that I can't remember a worse one. This winter was so cold that the marketing 
departments at environmental groups stopped using the term global warming. They replaced it with the term climate change. This winter was so cold that you could walk across Lake Superior. You could. I wouldn't. You get the point. This was a rough winter.
It was rough on the trucking industry. We kept seeing crashes where the number of trucks involved reached double digits. Interstates were closed. Loads were delayed. This was a winter that tested your skills as a driver. More importantly it tested our judgment. It tested our judgment as drivers and as business people. We could look at risk reward ratios differently. Was it more profitable to run through a storm, or sit it out. Customers would be pleased if you made it through. Insurance companies and your CSA scores would not be happy if you crashed trying.
That being said the vast majority of us did not even scratch a thing. We showed good judgment. Some of us sat out some of the biggest storms. We learned to use technology to watch the weather. Information about weather conditions using ways that were unimaginable when I started driving.
Even beyond that our bodies hibernated. I know that mine did. It was so cold that even some of the most dedicated among us broke our exercise routines. I feel as if I replaced 10 pounds of muscle with 30 pounds of fat. Most of the people in my marathon training group seem a little less enthusiastic this year. This winter was so bad that even Wisconsin marathoners were cold.
Alas in the last few weeks we saw actual puddles in north east Wisconsin. My river is beginning to open up. The Cubs started playing baseball. Sadly they still stink. They may have been mathematically eliminated within the first four games of the season. They are ready to tee off at Augusta. The Boston Marathon promises to be the greatest ever as Americans thumb our noses at cowardly thugs. Spring is here.
Yes, spring is here. As we venture outside we take off our winter coats and discover that we need to get out 
there and move. Winters like these seem to add layers to me. The slight openings in the river make me want to slide the kayak out there. By all means go outside and move. Be careful though. Walk before you run. Start slowly and be persistent. My plan is to do what worked last year. Spend an hour a day doing something-ANYTHING. Last year I did an hour of something everyday and it worked. The more different things I did the better it worked.
I started two days ago with an hour long walk in Canton, OH. This morning I did a 7 mile run/walk in Belgium, WI. Tomorrow I plan on riding my bicycle. By the looks of the river by next weekend I will be able to kayak. This year I will lift weights and use my FIT system. Yes, I have awakened from what seems to be the longest winter ever and I don't like what I see-a lot more me. It is time to celebrate the passing of Winter and the birth of Spring. It is time to get moving.