Hello everyone and Happy February!
I started this month by participating in an awesome charity weekend for the Special Olympics Delaware...the Polar Bear 5K and Plunge!! Special Olympics Delaware is a fantastic organization, and has been changing the lives of Delawareans for 40 years. They focus on sports training and competition to prove that no disability is too great to overcome. I participated in this weekend in memory of my Uncle Buddy, who had Down Syndrome. Uncle Buddy never let anything get in his way, and he was known for being a joker in the family. I am sure he would have gotten a kick out of the weekend!
The weekend started off with a 5K Run to the Plunge. Now, I am not a great runner and I will be the first to admit it! I actually just recently started running 5Ks, and my involvement with them has been less than a year. I started off HATING to run, now I would say I don't love it, but I dislike it less! :) I enjoy participating in 5Ks because it allows me to be active, but also give back and learn about so many great organizations. My friend and I joke that we are part of "Team Jog" because we are not the fastest runners, but we always manage to finish, even if it is at a jogging pace! This was my first 5K for 2012, and surprisingly I did pretty well and actually cut my time by 6 minutes!
I started this month by participating in an awesome charity weekend for the Special Olympics Delaware...the Polar Bear 5K and Plunge!! Special Olympics Delaware is a fantastic organization, and has been changing the lives of Delawareans for 40 years. They focus on sports training and competition to prove that no disability is too great to overcome. I participated in this weekend in memory of my Uncle Buddy, who had Down Syndrome. Uncle Buddy never let anything get in his way, and he was known for being a joker in the family. I am sure he would have gotten a kick out of the weekend!
The weekend started off with a 5K Run to the Plunge. Now, I am not a great runner and I will be the first to admit it! I actually just recently started running 5Ks, and my involvement with them has been less than a year. I started off HATING to run, now I would say I don't love it, but I dislike it less! :) I enjoy participating in 5Ks because it allows me to be active, but also give back and learn about so many great organizations. My friend and I joke that we are part of "Team Jog" because we are not the fastest runners, but we always manage to finish, even if it is at a jogging pace! This was my first 5K for 2012, and surprisingly I did pretty well and actually cut my time by 6 minutes!
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| Run to the Plunge 5K |
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| Ice Sculpture Contest |
Then Sunday was the Big Day...the Plunge! This was my first Plunge, and I was a little nervous; I am not a fan of the cold!! The water temperature that day was 47 degrees, which apparently is the warmest to date...although it didn't feel like it!! I participated in the plunge with my friend Marisa and Miss Brandywine Outstanding Teen, Sammi Ponsell (it was her first plunge too!) We did lots of jumping jacks and dancing in place right before our coats came off to warm up..it didn't make much of a difference, lol! When it was finally time, all of us sprinted into the ocean and very shortly sprinted back!! It was COLD!! It took me about an hour before I was able to feel my toes again!!
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| Rocking my Plunge Sweatshirt! |
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| Marisa, Sammi & I with the Polar Bear |
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| Me and the Turtles! |
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| Getting ready to Plunge..SO COLD! |
Some of my friends and family thought I was nuts to get into the ice cold ocean in February. But I would do it again in a heartbeat and am looking forward to next year! The energy that day was amazing...3,685 Polar Bears participated and over $650,000 was raised to benefit the Special Olympics Delaware! I am so proud to be part of this great contribution!
Until next time,
Melissa Kirk
Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
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