One Step at a Time

Signing up for races

2008-12-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

I need to sign up for some half marathons to do before my vineman 1/2 ironman. Here are a list of a few that i am willing to do, but I am open to suggestions and reccommendations!

1. Lost Dutchman (February 15)
2. Whiskey Row (may 2)
3. Sedona Marathon (February 7)
4. Arizona marathon in Glendale (February 15)
5. Valley of the Sun Half Marathon Only (March 8)
6. Valley of Gold 1/2 Marathon only (march 29)

and any others??

I would love to have company at any of these! Anyone want to come with me?

Finals Week

2008-12-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today I took my business test for finals and sat around in my english class being creative. After today I know I will have an A in english and I really really hope for an A in business. They are borderline grades. But the business test, I either got 99 percent or 100 percent on, because not one of the questions were a mystery to me. :) Tomorrow, I take my biology exam and my statistics exam. There is such a large curve on my stats exam that I think i can get 50% of the points marked off and still get a b on the test. So i will shoot for my best with hopes of getting a b and therefore, keeping my b in that class. Maybe he will round up high enough to give me an A though...we will see. My biology test will be easy since I have all the questions and answers to it already and have been studying these topics for two years...it is a two year long course. I can get and 80% on the test and get an A in the class. On Friday I take my history exam which is an OPVL (analysis on a primary document) no studying there! and an essay on the rise and/or rule of Hitler. I will have to pull historians names, dates and specific facts, but it shouldn't be too stressful. I love to write essays so it's not a big deal. Then I give an oral commentary/presentation on freedom being an illusion in TOK (theory of Knowledge). It is a group presentation of only 7-9 minutes long, and I speak about genetics determining our personality and therefore our decisions. It will be an easy A grade and I already have an A in that class. What a joke :) So this semester, I will end up with all A's except for maybe a B in my math class. I do the homework, but can't do well on quizzes for all my effort :(

On Friday I wanted to go out to celebrate the end of the semester, but no! I have to go to work for a staff "meeting" where they will make me wear sweats, swim in them and jump into the pool to save people over and over and over again until I start drowning on my own! I guess this is what they call winter training.

I am nervous for this Christmas...it seems every year, it is my luck to have something go wrong and i feel it coming. Hopefully I am incorrect!!!!

Time to study and workout! going to the gym to build my muscles up and look like amanda lovato :-p

XOXO Claire

It's the last week of school and

2008-12-11T16:45:00.001-08:00

Everything is going great! I've been running everyday and riding on the computrainer in between runs. Today I set up the computrainer for the Vineman 70.3 course and rode half the distance. It doesn't seem too bad, but it's the last half when looking at topography that scares me. It looks like thumbs sticking up in the air! After running as much as I have been, and I did hella lot a hills the past few days, my knees are hurting, but it's not a bad hurt. I am feeling confident in my run lately. I am getting stronger. This weekend I am riding up north to the towers and around cave creek area which will be a long-ish ride for me, hopefully close to 3-4 hours.

I like to eat healthy, like I would eat anything healthy if I had it, but my house doesn't have much "healthy" food in it, since I don't shop that much and I'm the only one who is picky about what kind of food is eaten. I wish I could empty out my pantry and refridgerator and stock it up will anything from Trader Joes and Sprouts. I feel bad if I eat anything "bad for you," so most times I don't eat a lot at home. Soon I will go shopping and fill my pantry with food that I will like. My parents will probably still eat it all and make me go shopping for it shortly after anyway, but I don't mind shopping for food. :)

at school classes are boring as usual and this week I haven't had anything but busy work to do to get ready for finals. Most of my finals are projects or tests that I already have all the questions for. This is a very low stress time for me. Christmas break is coming quickly and I am ready for it. I think it will be a small Christmas this year with my mom, dad brother sister and our friends. But it will be worth it to spend time this year with the people that mean so much to me. I would like to go see ZooLights since I've never been and I've heard its very pretty. I will do anything to get into the "Christmas Spirit" since so many people miss out on all the fun things during this time of year.

Tomorrow I plan on going to school, as usual, coming home or going out?!...and running to see Christmas Lights in a neighborhood again. The lights are so pretty and when you run at night, it feels like you are floating. Plus the cold air is a wonderful thing.

Time to eat dinner (stir-fry with chicken) and relax :)

Claire Bear

Thanksgiving with Claire

2008-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was the best I've had in a while. It is our tradition to go to the mountains and get our Christmas tree up there the day after Thanksgiving. So the holi-day I woke up early to go to Goodyear with Brian for the Thanksgiving reverse triathlon. It was very cold out and actually did feel like winter, like it's supposed to! :0) He drove me to the race which was nice because I got a little more time to wake up. I originally was going to do the triathlon, but I was under the impression that reg. was closed, so I did not come prepared :( Oh well, i took lots of photos instead. While I was waiting for my super ride to show up, I replaced my car tires with bike tires and took a spin.
1.5 minutes before the start of the race, I hear someone shouting "Claire Moty!" from the start line area so I start running towards the athletes. It was Brian and he had forgotten to put on his chip! so here we were digging through his bags and his clothes to find the little piece of plastic that would keep track of him better than he could that day. I had to laugh as he ran back to his spot in the start line, ready to go. Brian got third overall which is great right after an ironman. We left to go back to the Tempe Artc Center where I left my car and we both went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with our own families.

The rest of the day for me was full of cooking and smelling good foods. The turkey we made on the grill and it was the best turkey i've had. After dinner, my family and I went out to the hot tub for a while until the lightning got too close for comfort and we came back inside. It was bedtime thereafter.

On Friday, my mom, sister and I headed out to one store to get semi-good bargains and we found some christmas gifts. After, we drove home and got ready to go to the mountains for our tree. I went in the car with Bridget and Dave and Dave's dog. Bridget is my older sister who is 20 years old and getting married in a few years. It was a quiet drive and kind of scary around the turns with the wet roads. We had to make several U-turns before we found where we actually wanted to be. :-? I felt bad for dad for losing his way. Once we stepped out of the car, the chill filled my lungs and the light not only reflected off of the clouds but also off of the snow. This was the first time I saw snow this year so of course, I made a snowball :)
As we walked through the trees and up and down canyons, I realized my passion for the woods. It is where I belong. So we cut our tree down and two others for my sister and for my brother's girlfriend. Our family tree though was about 10 feet taller than the other two. It almost touches our roof as I look at it now. I stood on the top rung of the ladder and put my hand above my head and still cannot reach the top of it! This will be hard to decorate.
On the way home, I went in my dad's car with Stuart and Jen. It was a quiet ride until we played a memory game with the alphabet. everyone would say an item or word that starts with the next letter and the next person would have to remember each word for the letters. Anticlimactic, bubbles, catastrophy...etc. It is a suprisingly funny game. At the conclusion of our game, we had some trouble on the road...duh duh duh duh.....

I heard a snap and the wind got louder. I looked up to see the tree flying up from the roof of our car! So we pulled over to the side of the road, our other car pulled over behind us and we "fixed" it for now. Taking off again, once we reached 70 mph, it happened again and I began to think we wouldn't get this tree home! Jen and I had to pee so we opened our car doors and used the space like outhouses...what an interesting experience! peeing for boys must be so easy. anyway, finally for the second time, the tree was "fastened" down. So we took off again. I kept looking out of the sun roof as we took a tight curve and saw the tree slide to the left and off the left side of the car. Had to laugh as it hung by a few feet of tree to the top of the car. For some reason I thought I was in national Lampoon's Holiday Vacation...hmmm. Got that fixed, and rode at 50 mph all the way home.

Once we got home, turkey dinner was served again and Brian came over to share the time with us all. My brother made a comment that I thought was comical but may have not been entirely true, not yet. Bridget noticed that all the boys were left handed! this is so cool! Left handed boys must be a Moty-thing then. We headed up to play guitar hero after dinner and only allowed each other (aside from Jen) to play on expert only. The best anyone could do was about 1 minute into a song before failing! Stuart, Jen, Brian and I watched WallE. WallE was a good movie the first time I saw it, but this time around, with the company, it was one hundred times better and more meaningful. Pixar did a great job with it.

To sum it up, this Thanksgiving was the most comforting and fulfilling holiday I've had in a while, and I'm especially glad to have been able to spend it with such wonderful people. Thanks to all.
goodnight!
xox Claire Bear

A story about Michael Phelps

2008-11-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

Had to write a poem in Class in Iambic Pentameter (Chaucer style) about a person in today's time. So I picked the professional athlete and wrote a false story.

The setting is at highschool re-union and the people telling their stories.

Michael Phelps Canterbury Tale

In Michigan I swum for long hours
Swimming as best as I could in my powers
So one day I could fulfill my dreams of
Winning in the Olympics and finding love.
For it was a burly girl in my dreams
Who like me, a winner, graced by her genes.
This sweet woman if found in my life
I’d charm and fancy, take her as my wife.
Where could I find her? I would not know
Until Beijing 08, Olympics I’d go.

From the pool deck I watched for women
By all the types I was shocked, stricken.
A couple of them chatty and rude
Another was more attracted to food.
Disappointed I quit searching for now
And wondered, would I find her here and how?
Well it came time to do nature’s duty
And on my way, caught glimpse of a beauty
Blonde and tall, arms like a monster
Afraid to miss her forever, I met her.

“Um, Hi” I said with my senses tingling.
With me she politely starting conversing
Chatting to me about simple things like racing
But I knew what I wanted, my mind pacing.
So I listened to her tell me of plans
For her future filled with coach’s demands.
One swim on her list through the English Channel
Led me to charm her with two tickets for travel.
It was now I thought I had found the one
The cost would pay off in the long run.

She told be she had wanted to marry
A man who with her, two lives he could carry
Through fame and money earned by his sport.
I listened and charmed her in the Beijing airport.
Under the conclusion that doing the swim
Would help our relationship, went out on a limb
And paid for hotel, dinner and trip
Until after the swim, I hadn’t a grip
On reality of this situation
And jumped right in without contemplation.

Deceived and stubborn, I hadn’t a clue
What was to come as my feelings grew.
Afraid I would miss her, I swam alongside
Struggling to keep up with my to-be bride.
When the sun peaked out from behind a cloud
I felt a bump, got scared but I was too proud
To stop or slow down to see what it was
Now I wish I had been smarter because
Without my legs, ruined were my plans
Of marriage to this lady, living hand in hand.

I soon found out what had been done
During that swim supposedly for fun
Through shark infested water I lost my legs and mind
In turbulence of deception by my own kind
A woman so strong and wiser than I
She saw me without legs and said goodbye
This trip to me was the best I could do
To, with a woman, start a life new.
But after the shark bite I was so useless
My relationship with her was surely put to rest.

I thought I could charm, I thought I was classy
Here and now, I ask for some sympathy
For through all of my efforts and intensive care
All I was given was life with my wheelchair.
Not a robust wife around to love
But doctors fitting prosthetics with gloves.
Through my youth my life has changed
Through the years, I’ve become estranged
Maybe here, after my story told
I can find a wife with a heart of gold.

Ironman November 2009 Report (from the flip side)

2008-11-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

I did not race this year and do not think I wil ever race an ironman, at least not until college is over. But I do love ironmen and everyone who can tough it out for the day and the days leading up to it. My respect for those people grows each and everytime I see them racing, training and chat with them about it. From the view of a volunteer/spectator and friend this is how the day went.

I set my alarm for 4:45 am so I could pack everything I need and get going in time enough to see the swim start. Unfortunately, this alarm did not go off!!! instead I woke on my own at 6am and hurried out the door without breakfast or any time to really wake up. Driving on the highway was easy, there were only a few cars out, but those that were out really annoyed me, they felt like they were moving too slow, or my mind was moving slow...either way, I may have been impatient. I made it to swim start last year and the year before that and I told people I would film it for them. I was desparate to get there. Unfortunately, parking was a bear and I had to walk a few miles to get to the start. Made it one minute late :( very dissapointing.

Got a good spot to watch people come out of the water. Took pictures of the lead boys and girls then waited to see Brian come out of the lake. Finishing the first part of the race in 1:04, he had a very nice swim. Looking strong he took off on the bike. Saw Dean Johnson come out of the lake as well and he seemed great...little did I know, he would not have such a good day out there. So after watching the swim, I headed out to the bike course where I could find the lead people and track everyone again. Since the course changed since last year, I was having a little difficulty finding a good place to position for photos. But alas, got some good photos of a few friends and ran into Erica Jones. She was all decked out it orange and yellow looking cute as ever. She may be my favorite triathlete lady!

After seeing Brian come around for two loops on the bike, I headed over to help at the Phoenix Triathlon Club Western Shootout Corral aid station. If you can call dancing, volunteering, than volunteering is what I did. We had a whole western town built from plywood including a saloon, a jail, a freight building and gallows. We set up the gallow with three feet clearance from the ground and angled so the athletes could see it from 1/4 mile down the road. With two friends, I turned the set into a dance floor. It definately cheered some athletes up. Brian came around for his first time running quickly and looked lively! Good News! Dan Beaver also was looking pretty strong and Mary had to make sure to whip him along using our PA system... haha. Well after Brian came around for the second time I went over to a close grocery store and bought some of his requested items. My only dillema was that I did not have a cooler to store these frozen foods in. I made a makeshift cooler with sponges and ice and a T shirt to keep it as cold as possible, however, by the time I found brian after the race, it was a chocolate milkshake :( sad!

At the finish line, I planned on standing right where the athletes get their photos taken and walk out of the finish corrall, but I ran into Patrick Bless and George who dragged me along to watch in the corrall where the finishers ran through. It was fun to meet George who does marathons and some triathlons and also lent me his sweatshirt..very nice! And Patrick told me to not listen to Brian about doing Ironman until later...uh oh! (we all looked for you Brian!) but he was no-where to be found for about an hour. Sadly I missed out on helping collect his gear and his warm clothes (so sorry)!!! Also sorry I can't drive stick shift....ha

So anyway, made some friends and am so proud of everyone who finished Ironman last night! It was a great day and I confirmed why I love triathletes so much.

Thanks for all volunteers and racers for sharing my passion.

Can't wait for next IM

-Claire bear

What a strange Thursday

2008-11-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today I learned, from the savant Brian Folts, a new respect for video games and people who are good at them.

And got hit with some case of what kids called senioritis.

I noticed a lot today people did not work together, everyone was colliding all day. maybe tomorrow will be a tad bit more cohesive.

As i watch Survivor and eat my lasagna, I think back on what happened and sum it up in a few words: Mis-understandings and relative chaos...

That's all I've got.
XOXO Claire bear

The Beginning

2008-11-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm just getting back into the swing of everything after taking a few months off due to injury (from having fun when I shouldn't have been). A few weeks back I swam 2.4 mile swim with Brian and rode and ran the rest of the day, which seemed like the start to a new training program for me (thank you Brian and Elizabeth who I also ran into) . I decided after that day that I would try a new kind of racing, kind of scary kind of racing for me, half ironman distances. The longest race I have ever completed was Escape From Alcatraz (2.4 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8.2 mile run) so this is going to be epic. I picked Vineman July 19th to be my first half where I'll be taking 5 days to travel, race with my dad and mom in California. My mom and dad have both done ironmans so some of the things I need to know I can ask her about. But this race is a long time from now.

Coming up in the recent future is college appointments and tours, one last SAT test, Ironman Arizona, and of course, the Holidays! (not in that order of course) Yes this weekend is a big one for many and I am just as excited to see them perform and do their best. Kona is the talk of the town lately and I hope everyone gets where they want to be. Saturday I will be volunteering in some small neighborhood in Cave Creek in a bird rescue event for a club at my school and later head home to babysit for the evening. Sunday is Ironman and on Monday, one of the biggest papers I have written for school is due. I will be done with everything stressful in school after Monday and it feels great! Writing about gun control can only be so much fun anyway.

Went to the pool tonight and ran into my synchro swim team (i am their endurance swimming coach) interesting... but fun. Did a 500 warm up freestyle and 4x50's butterfly and breast-stroke. The masters jumped in and started to do their workouts as I took off on my weekly mile for time (1650 yards). they were sprinting 100's and I was keeping up with some of them which made me feel better about my loss of swimming strength. I was reassured that most of my strength I will be able to get back shortly. Swam the 1650 in 21:20 which is O.K. (about 1:17.14 per 100 yards). I plan on doing a mile timed everyweek to make sure I get faster. If I can swim my half IM swim in under 30 minutes, I thought I could start the bike with the pros, but they get a head start! :(

With all the hustling in the day I even got a chance to write a song which I still need to put to music. But for now, I should work on this daunting essay I've told you about.So, Good luck Ironmen, you have worked hard so make this Sunday YOURS.

XOXO Claire Bear