Pure Michigan

If you don't like it, wait five minutes - so the Michigan weather adage goes.

It's easy to get jealous of those sporting latitudes nearer to zero than myself.  Most of us Michiganders (and most of us prefer that demonym), will point to the fact that we have four distinct seasons as a reason our state is so wonderful. We are the same people that ask "What happened to spring" when the weather jumps from 40 to the mid 80's in a few hours as it did Sunday. 

The temperature swing happened as I was on a 15 mile run through, interestingly enough 6 different cities.  Six different cities and 40 degrees in the course of a morning got me thinking about the extremes we see in Michigan, despite our moderate lat/long. 

Temperature swings are one thing, time is another. We're "blessed" to use a daylight savings "system" causing us to jump between -4 and -5GMT and causing daylights swings so dramatic that the first hint of morning can be seen just eight hours after that last light of day in June.  Winter, of course brings the depressing opposite, where 8 hours of real light causes many of us to wake up in the dark, drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark.  While light perks up any day, it's strange that work probably still isn't the "perkiest" time during a cold winter day. Fortunately, cabin fever is clearing up all over the state.

Now that we in the midwest are getting away from the penguin walk induced by long periods of cold air its almost nice to look back at all the extremes we in Michigan experience.  Although, as far as running is concerned, we can postpone the 80 degree days another five weeks or so.

And we have funding for our wonderful tourism campaign.

Speaking of running, I have to figure out a 17 mile route for this weekend.  I'm growing pretty tired of the area near my house and might actually have to drive-to-run, which I generally avoid, most often because of the short days we have in the winter and spring months!  At least I'll have an opportunity to see something new!