{"product_id":"the-plunge-maverick-swimmers-an-unlikely-quest-and-the-transformative-power-of-cold-water","title":"The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, An Unlikely Quest, And The Transformative Power Of Cold Water","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn To Run Meets Why We Swim And Breath In A GlobeSpanning Work Of Immersive Narrative Nonfiction That Dives Into The Hidden World Of Cold Water Plunging And SwimmingAnd What It Reveals About The Human Body, Mind, And Need For Connection.When AwardWinning Sports Illustrated Writer Chris Ballard Receives A Cryptic Text Promising To Extend His Athletic Life, He Has No Idea It Will Lead Him Into A Parallel Athletic UniverseOne Populated By RecordBreaking Grandmothers, Obsessive Scientists, Rogue Visionaries Chasing Olympic Legitimacy, And Everyday People Willingly Plunging Into Freezing Water Together, A Realm That Subverts The Idea Of What Elite Athletes Are Supposed To Look Like. What Begins As Curiosity Becomes A ThreeYear Reporting Journey Across Continents, From The Saunas Of Finland And Seas Of Ireland To Norway, England, And Boston.Blending Adventure Journalism With Rigorous Research, The Plunge Traces HumanityS Long Relationship With Cold WaterFrom The Ancient Greeks And Victorian Sea Bathers To Polar Plungers And Modern Laboratories Studying Stress, Resilience, And Mental Health, A Lifeline For Those Drowning On Dry Land. Reporting From The Front Lines Of Emerging Science, Ballard Explores How Brief, Voluntary Cold Exposure Can Sharpen Focus, Elevate Mood, Reduce Inflammation, Stunt Cortisol, And Retrain The BodyS Stress Response, Creating A Rare State Of Being Both Calm And Alert.Along The Way, Ballard Introduces Pioneers Like Legendary Distance Swimmer Lynne Cox, Follows Ram BarkaiS Improbable Quest To Bring Ice Swimming To The Olympics, And Charts A Global Movement ThatS Surged From Fringe Ritual To Mainstream Phenomenon. As His Reporting Deepens, So Does His Participation: Ballard Graduates From Cold Plunges To Competing Alongside Olympians At The Ice Swimming World Championships. Along The Way, His Body And Outlook Change In Surprising And Measurable Ways.Unfolding Through Vivid Scenes And Unforgettable Characters, The Plunge Is A Story Of Endurance, Science, And Human Connection, An Exploration Of Why, In A ClimateControlled, ScreenSaturated World, So Many People Are Choosing To Seek Out DiscomfortAnd What Becomes Possible When We Do Hard Things Together.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47958716678389,"sku":"DADAX1668055864","price":44.12,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/5804\/8501\/files\/710ZsjhI4OL.jpg?v=1775579041","url":"https:\/\/ergodebooks.com\/products\/the-plunge-maverick-swimmers-an-unlikely-quest-and-the-transformative-power-of-cold-water","provider":"Ergodebooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}