Chicago Polar Plunge: Go Jump in the Lake!
I did it. I jumped into a freezing cold Lake Michigan on a cold day in March for the annual Chicago Polar Plunge.
When we arrived at the event to benefit Special Olympics, The guy overseeing it all made this announcement:
The bad news: it’s 49 degrees outside.
The good news: the water is 33 degrees.
It actually ended up being a beautiful day for a dip. It was pretty warm out considering the freezing weather we’ve been having lately… at least comparatively. So don’t get me wrong, it was still pretty damn cold.
The whole thing was a huge adrenaline rush but the worst part was definitely the anticipation. We were freezing standing outside in a Chicago winter in nothing but our bathing suits. When it was our turn to go, running towards the lake, holding onto my Siamese twin Heather’s hand I seriously was regretting the decision. But, with one foot in front of the other, we just forged ahead.
Once my feet hit the water and I was polar plunging into the freezing cold lake water and jumping in and frolicking about it was pretty damn awesome. We didn’t feel cold, we just felt alive.
And afterwards, heading back to the beach, back inside, I didn’t feel the cold, the tingling, the frost: I just felt euphoria.
Of course, we still quickly had to go inside and change back into warm clothes because that “euphoria” could have easily translated into “pneumonia,” especially since I already had a bad cold…
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the polar plunge, everyone who came out to our benefit, and everyone who supported me today! And also a big think you to Emily, Heather, and Liss for inviting me along and taking the dunk with me! You guys ROCK MY SOCKS!!! It was definitely a winter bucket list-worthy day I will never forget!
Photos from the Chicago Polar Plunge:
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