The Sundays...

9:06 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

I firmly believe the Sunday slumps can be avoided with any sort of adventure! This weekend our friends invited us out to beautiful spot by the Salmon River to spend the day climbing and swimming. It's been years since I've strapped on a climbing harness and attempted any challenging rock problems. Andrew has some gear but I had to rent shoes - so tiny my toes still ache! But those tight shoes sure help you cram yourself into even tighter cracks. By the time we arrived the morning shade has slipped off the slab leaving the face exposed to the bright summer sun. We all sprayed on sunscreen in sloppy streaks trying not to get it on our hands and goo up the ropes. I ascended 3 times and each one felt more difficult than the last -not out of shape but certainly out of practice. The strenuous shimmying had me sweating but it was belaying my husband that cause the beads to run down my face. I didn't want to drop him!! He put out a solid climb and made it down to me smiling. All high-fives and hugs before we plunged into the chilly river and cool our dusty skin. I can't wait to do it again. What will we do next Sunday?!

8:17 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Can't say enough about the importance of trying new things! You never know what you'll discover about yourself until you do. Turns out I like Triathlons! Who knew? It was perfectly gorgeous at Frenchman's Bar in Vancouver, Washington the day of the Inaugural Girlfriend's and Dudes Triathlon. The week previous I found myself out-of-work and stuck in bed with a fierce bit of some stomach sickness. Yuck. I could barely move and didn't even think of putting on my workout wear- pj's only! Finally feeling better on Friday I feared for Sunday's event. A half mile swim followed by a 12.5 mile bike ride followed by a three mile run! Ouch. I had been looking forward to putting myself to the test for a while and no way was I going to stay home sick! Woke up Sunday feeling good and nervous - I'd never worn a wet-suit, my bike was days old, I just had the gross and I was about to do a Triathlon! The sunshine was bright and the rock-n-roll was blaring on our way to the beach. On your marks, Get Set, Go!!! Everyone was excited, smiling and talking together -what a great community event. We swam along the shore of the Columbia. Breath, stroke, breath, stroke until reaching the beach and running for the bikes. I managed to strip off the wet-suit, tie my shoes and buckle my helmet in under two minutes. The bike ride was long! I thought it would surely be the end at ever curve but no....more corn fields, and more corn fields, pedal, pedal, pedal. Thank goodness Andrew was there at the transition to remind me I just had to park my bike and take off running! I was trying to figure out what I was suppose to do? Just go! My legs felt like absolute lead, heavy and slow. But I knew it was almost over. With a smile on my face I took long deep breaths and took off for the finish line. Almost to the end I felt a great sense of joy know I had done it! I really did it. That was the best feeling. And I was certainly beyond thrilled and (almost) totally shocked when Andrew told me I'd placed 3rd! I haven't won a trophy since high school:) Try something new!

7:55 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Wow, what a week!  Where did all the time go?  In my last post I was busy riding my bike and this week I'm busy trying to find a new one.  After teaching a Outdoor Bootcamp in Pioneer Square (downtown Portland at an event called FitJam to benefit diabedes research) we rode our bike to a quick sushi meal before heading home.  After some debate about whose bike should be put up on the porch first (I had a ride planned for the morning) we must have forgotten to lock them. Mine wasn't there in the morning.  Absolutely heart-broken.  My trusty Trek was one of my first "major" purchases and I rode it daily for ten years.  Love.  Almost more difficult than dealing with the fact that I'll probably never see it again is dealing with the fact that I have to use the car again!  20 tanks of gas buys a brand new bike. Deciding what bike i'll love for the next decade is proving just as hard as I imagined.  There are so many choices but many less that fit my criteria.  Sporty, fast, light, solid, sexy and under $600.  I have a crush on a new Gary Fisher (the Wingra model) but have to kiss a few more frogs before making my final decision.  Not to mention the triathalon (My 1st) this weekend.  The race is quite literally ON!

Pumped

8:12 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Sun-drenched and sleepy after the festive, sparkly weekend.  The air is cooler and calmer today but I'm still sore and covered in band-aids.  No better way to celebrate "Independence" than on a BMX bike at a backyard BBQ!  Every muscle in my body is worked and twisted and my skin in spotted with bruises.  And it feels good. (A Full-body exercise for sure!) Eyeing the dirt mounded "pump track" all afternoon I knew it wouldn't be long before I hopped on a bike and rode.  Here's some info from bikePortland.org to explain this wickedly fun ride...