Another Year . . .

. . . another plunge. Happy New Year! This marked my 6th consecutive year of taking part in the WaveMasters Society's Polar Plunge. It was a cold, rainy and windy day. I went out for our regular Monday morning bridge run and ended up cutting it in half, because the cold rain and wind gusts were brutal! When I got home, The Mr. was getting ready to hit the beach with me, and I let him off the hook. It was too much to expect him and the kids to endure those conditions just for me and my thrill seeking. By the time I'd changed out of my running clothes and into my swimsuit, he'd already climbed back into bed. I kissed him and the kids goodbye and headed back out into the elements.

I stuck to my usual routine of arriving early for prime parking and bought my shirt. As I headed back to the car, I ran into a couple who said their friend, an experienced surfer, backed out of going in for the plunge, not because of the cold, but because of the >20 mph winds, and I started to get nervous. I decided to head back towards the beach to see what exactly I was getting myself into. The surf was the choppiest I have ever seen, and the tide was pretty high too! It dwarfed the beach immensely, and I really started to worry. There was a little less than an hour left before the plunge, so I decided to collect my thoughts in the car.

What am I getting myself into?!

As I sat in the car, I decided to check out Facebook's "On This Day" feature, and there were Polar Plunge pictures from the past 5 years. I looked at my friends and how our group dwindled a bit each year until it was just me in 2017 and again today. I sent my husband pictures of the surf, and we joked  for a bit. A large truck pulled into the parking lot next to me, and I watched the driver get out and head toward the Pavilion. Several minutes later, the driver returned with a shirt and climbed back into his truck. I thought he, too, was going to hang out in the parking lot like me, but he started his truck and drove away! Shortly after that, I received text messages from my sister, and she encouraged me to stick to my plan. As I went back and forth between conversations, the parking lot began filling up. Before I knew it, it was 15 minutes before the plunge, so I hurried out to the beach to find a good spot.

Seeing all the other people on the beach gave me the motivation I needed, and I was ready to go, even though there was a little over 5 minutes until plunge time. It seemed I wasn't the only one with that sentiment, because I heard several people say the same thing. One guy even ran in waist deep and splashed around minutes before the official time. I snapped a couple selfies, undressed, then found a nice bystander to snap a "before" picture. Then, it was time to go, and go we did! I ran in waist deep and waited for a big wave before ducking down under the water. It was about 10° warmer than the air temperature, and it was quite invigorating. I splashed around for a bit, then decided I shouldn't press my luck any further and got out. As I redressed, I met a man who was on his 26th or 27th Polar Plunge, and he told me about how his kids started going with him as early as 8 years. His wife usually comes along and brings his coffee, but she was out of town today. He still had his coffee though.

I opted for a slideshow instead of my usual pre-plunge photo. Enjoy!

On another note, I'm kind of sad to see 2017 go, because I think it was one of my best years in a long time. I know, 2015 blessed us with a new child and a new home, but 2017 was about my personal accomplishments and rebuilding myself after the devastation of 2016. There were several PRs (including a couple half marathon PRs and a sub 30 minute 5K), I completed my first sprint triathlon, I trained for a century (Hurricane Irma derailed those plans), and I fell just shy of running 1500 miles! I will do my best to get you caught up on all that. I, literally, have several drafts waiting for me to complete and publish, if only I can find the words/time to get it done.

How did your first day of 2018 go? What are your goals for this year? Until next time . . .