On Sunday, New Year's Day 2012, I will be "taking the plunge". No, I'm not getting married.. I'm doing the Tulsa, OK Polar Bear Plunge! After a lot of back and forth about whether or not I should do it, I finally signed up today. It is only a 2 mile run. No big deal, right? A 2 mile run is the warm up to my weekly runs which consist of anywhere from 5-7 miles, as I am in my 3rd week of marathon training. I think I could run 2 miles in my sleep at this point. So what's the big deal about this Polar Plunge? Well, let me just tell you...
January is a cold time of year in Oklahoma, where temperatures are sometimes below freezing and there is normally ice, snow, or both on the ground around this time. The Polar Bear Plunge is a 2 mile course with 3 pools. You take a Rumple Minze shot, jump in a pool, get out, run 1 mile, jump into another pool, run another mile, and then jump into a pool and dive to the bottom to get your 4.5" medal. Yes, in the dead middle of winter this does sound pretty crazy!! The only reason I decided that it would be a good idea is for the medal that I HAVE to have and the fact that it is actually supposed to be 50 degrees on Sunday during the race. I've done 5k's, 10k's, Quarter marathons, and a half marathon... But never have I done anything this out there. I think it's quite a start to a new year as long as I don't end up with hypothermia or pneumonia. Keep your eyes out for an update and some pictures :)
