RUNNING AND ONIONS

Another Arctic blast gripped our region yesterday. When I left for my run, the temperature read a very January-like 29 degrees. In the morning, a light blanket of ground covered the ground.

After five months of snow, and with April around the corner, it is my fondest hope that yesterday's dusting was our "onion snow."

Chances are, if you or your relatives are not from around these parts, you have no idea what I'm talking about.

After William Penn and the Quakers settled Pennsylvania in the late 1600s, Penn actually advertised his colony in Europe. The similar climate, terrain, and growing season appealed particularly to the Germans, who brought their efficient methods of farming to the hills of Pennsylvania.

Mistakenly called the "Pennsylvania Dutch," when they told the English settlers they hailed from Deutschland, they planted their early crops in March. One of the first crops to enter the ground was the onion crop. Hence, early-Spring snow has earned the moniker, "onion snow."

Now, I don't possess the farming skills of the Pennsylvania Dutch, (although my mother boasts German heritage), I usually try to plant onions in my garden around Saint Patrick's Day.

Not this year!

Today I ran my best five-mile workout since October. The temperature, only in the low 40s, was boosted by intense sunshine, and the sky took on a periwinkle blue hue. It was a great day to work outside, cleaning up winter's mess. I decided to prepare my garden for what I hoped would be an insertion of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and, of course, spring onions, later this week. As I swung the pick into the ground, the point stuck, gripped by an icy claw. To my dismay, the ground is still frozen, so the onions will have to wait.


However, temperatures have begun to moderate, and for runners, the next few weeks should bring ideal training and racing temperatures before the summer heat descends upon us.

Take advantage of the April and May days of spring. As life renews itself around us, renew your commitment to training. Snow, ice, and frozen temperatures are gone or a while, and we've once again survived winter's wrath.

The onions may have to wait, but running season is in full bloom.

A FINAL ROAR?

Here's the latest.

We are not strangers to snow here in northeastern Pennsylvania, but this is ridiculous. The latest statistic reveals that the 2014-2015 season will have featured five calendar months with snow on the ground.

Tomorrow's forecast is calling for 2 to 4 more inches of snow, with some sleet and ice mixed in just make things more interesting. Our first snowfall arrived the week before Thanksgiving, and we haven't seen much of the ground ever since.

The old saying declares, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb," so there seems to be hope.

An extra hour of daylight on March 8, Saint Patrick's Day, and the first day of Spring all arrive in the next three weeks.

Here's another positive sign of better days to come.

This morning I ran five miles at 9:00 a.m. The temperature was 15 degrees. The air was calm, not a bit of wind, and the sun shone brilliantly. It certainly did not feel like 15 degrees. The sun is now higher in the sky and its rays are becoming more direct. A few days of 50 degree temperatures and our massive snow piles will shrink.

If you have maintained your fitness level throughout these dismal months, the next few weeks will be exhilarating. The air will smell better. Warmer temperatures will slash your workout times. You'll be able to get back on to your local track for speed workouts.

It's all part of this magnificent cycle of life that we runners experience more vividly than most folks. We are right there to observe the blossoming trees and plants. We hear the sounds and see the sights more clearly, we appreciate the many things nature has to offer, and we truly realize that, for all of us, our best running days lie ahead.

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MARCH ON

By now, most folks, in most areas of North America (except for Alaska where a record temperature of 44 degrees was recorded earlier this week) have had their fill of winter.

Eight weeks from tomorrow, the Boston Marathon will be run. And despite experiencing one of the worst winters on record, the race WILL be run.

At the 100th anniversary Boston Marathon in 1996, a massive snowstorm struck New England less than a week before the race. The snow melted quickly. Too quickly. Massive lakes formed, turning the athletes' village at Hopkinton, into a quagmire. Ever resourceful, the B.A.A. brought National Guard helicopters into the starting area. Their low-flying blades sucked up the moisture, enabling a record field of runners to enjoy their pre-race time in Hopkinton.

So, let's look forward, not backward. We may have some more winter weather to contend with, but this time next week we will be in the month of March. Will it, "Come in like a lion and go out like a lamb?" We don't know, but we do know that March brings us some bright spots.

On Sunday, March 8 most of the United States will spring forward into Daylight Savings Time. That means it won't get dark until around 7:00 p.m. in most parts. No longer will you be forced to speed home from work, quickly change into your running gear, and hope to return home before dark. Longer days, with more sunshine, bring warmer temperatures, and quicker snow melts.

Of course, on March 17, everybody becomes Irish, as we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

On the weekend before and the weekend after March 17, races will abound. There will leprechaun trots and shamrock runs. My favorite is a local race near Reading. Pennsylvania, conducted by race director extraordinaire, Ron Horn, called the "Hooligan Hustle."

Then, on March 20, we finally reach the vernal equinox, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. The sun is now half way on its journey to its farthest intrusion to the north. There will still be plenty of cool days to follow, but we will be well on our way to more pleasant weather.

Better times are on the way.

We just have to March on.

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