Walking in spring is a Minnesota tradition. After months of snow and wind and packing on winter pounds, Minnesotans ache for bluer skies, warmer temperatures, and a chance to walk off our "extra layers." My husband, a year-round runner, calls those of us who slack for winter's six months, "half-letes" (half-athletes) and loves sailing by us as we pant and struggle.

For me, half-lete is better than none-lete. So, when Lime called for a Walk Out, I came out of hibernation and started my spring walking program. My destination: Lake Harriet, my favorite of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. After just one mile, I realized my husband had a point: a half-lete has an uphill climb in the spring. When I passed another walker, who said her customary "Hello," I had to gasp for breath to respond. With a sense of dread, I realized just how long it would take for me to re-build my endurance and make it nearly 3 miles around the lake.

Discouraged, it became easy to make the ‘no time' excuse. I found myself taking an absurdly long time in the grocery store, deliberating whether to buy organic or brown eggs. But then, I remembered the health benefits of walking, tied my shoelaces, and set out again. I listened to the cardinals' trill and the chickadees' call. I admired how the sun has driven waist-high snow banks into itsy-bitsy patches of ice. And I heard the music of a frozen lake breaking up, the ice splintering into shards that tinkle and crash.

I haven't made it around the lake yet, but I will. And when next winter's winds make my lungs feel like shriveled balloons, I won't slack; I'll ‘Walk-In,' and rack up my miles on the treadmill instead.

Swati Avasthi

Minneapolis, MN