When I got to the beach the waves crashing onto the shoreline reminded me of powder in the mountains, I could see my breath ballooning out in front of me and I felt a knot of anticipation growing in my chest. With the moral support of other swimmers, I ran across the sand; each step absorbed another ounce of warmth until I leapt into the ocean and was hit by a wall of ice. I breathed as deeply and regularly as possible and felt my body light up like a fire.

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