My New Love- Don't tell the wife.

Last night was our third date. I just feel so young when I’m with my new love. Ever since the day I first swam with my new wetsuit I just knew she was the one for me. I LOVE MY WETSUIT AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

Last night was our last continuous swim and I knew that I wanted to get more time in the wetsuit. The entire team crammed in to one lane for the start. The pool is set up for long course and the lanes are a little wider then normal in this pool put it was crowded. The first lap I was swimming over people and making my way through the pack. After about 200 meters I found the poor soul that I was going to draft off. I stayed right on his feet for quite a long time. I could see that he had me and at least 3 others behind me that he was pulling through the water. After a while I felt like I could pick up the pace so I passed him and swam by myself for a while. I just feel like a different person swimming in the wetsuit. I get so much out of each stroke. After a few hundred meters I caught a fast swimmer and got in behind him for the rest of the swim. He set a great pace and I felt like I could swim for hours. I ended up swimming 2000+ meters and felt great doing it. I LOVE THE WETSUIT!

After I finished I got out and watched the rest of the team finish. Swimmer after swimmer climbed out of the pool with great big smiles. A few of the slower teammates had a lot more swimming to do and it was so great to see how the team cheered and encouraged them to finish.


The last swimmer had the entire team waiting and pushing her to swim further then she thought she could ever swim.

She wrote the following email this morning to the team:
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you
that stayed on deck and cheered me on as I swam, and swam and swam to
finish "The Big Swim". Oh how I dreaded even showing up last night,
because I knew that I would be the last one out of the water and all
of my teammates would be standing there WATCHING me. I have always
been intimidated by this team, because you are all such good swimmers
and I took my first ever swim strokes in February. As I walked
across the deck to swim my last round, I was crying in my goggles and
I told Beth to tell everyone to go home! She said no, they are your
teammates and they want to be here to see you finish. As I swam all
those lanes with Heather and Jaimie at my side I had A LOT of time to
think about how far I had come. I thought about Michael and Nanci
and how when I took my first strokes at a weekend clinic, Nanci was
swimming along side me in the other lane and Michael was on deck with
a huge smile and clapping. I know his mother is going to be a great
guardian angel for this team! I also thought about all the coaches
and mentors and how they must have needed a stiff drink while trying
to get me to this point.

I really want to tell you, I am glad you stayed and WATCHED me,
because, as I heard the screams, cheers and Beth saying "Come on
Rachel, you got this" it honestly gave me the strength to finish
something I thought I could never do! I now know that with the
wonderful support from my teammates and a little ride under the wings
of our guardian angel Betty, I will do okay at Wildflower!