Looking for MoJo on Sunset Rock
First things first, the race on 8.10 is long gone (but not forgotten) and next up is the Vegas Half Marathon on 12.7.08. The Best Damn Running Partners That Live Nowhere Near Me, Kerry and Jess will be meeting me out there. Jess is actually going for the 26.2 and Kerry and I will do the half and meet Jess with an icy cold beer at her Finish. I won't be running for a charity this time around, just pride, attempting to break 2:20:20.So, I gotta get training...and keep you all updated....it's the only way I'll get through it. I've been slacking lately, feeling a bit off my game, not quite right and then it hit me...I know what's going on, I've lost my MoJo...it had been gone for a few weeks.
Mmm...what to do when MoJo's MIA?
What's MoJo you say? Some may think Austin Powers and how he used it to describe
his sex appeal to 
women and well yes it could be that, but I think it's broader than that. As I see it, MoJo's the thing you can't quite put your finger on that makes someone who they are as well as gives them that "thing" that makes them attract others. For example, Jordan: craploads of MoJo; Brangelina: Massive MoJo; Oprah and Bono: Saintly MoJo; Gandhi and Mandela: Off the Charts Global MoJo. And, if for some bizarre reason you're not sure who any of these folks are, please, please crawl out from the rock you're under! Regular peeps like you and I, we have MoJo, but probably a little less than those aforementioned.
It first hit me that my MoJo was MIA when I was out on a run...not even the typical four guys shoved in the cab of a truck were hooting and hollering at me and I was even sporting my running skirt. This, coupled with my lack of motivation, everything from writing (the reason for the lapse in blog postings) to running (I didn't run for almost a whole week and I'm in training!) and socializing put me on a quest for my MoJo.
I knew I had to
get it back, but what to do? Simple - - I could go to http://www.wheresmymojo.com/ head to the MoJo shop. Ok, so neither exists. Instead I hopped in the car and after a brief stint in Boston for work (great to see ya Dave H. and Steve G.!) and a quick visit with an old friend (Jeanne L.L.) and husband in Marblehead, I kept on going and landed in good old Waitsfield, VT - a nook and cranny on the map and the place that reminds me most of Colorado (a place I called home for five years!) out East.
What's MoJo you say? Some may think Austin Powers and how he used it to describe
his sex appeal to 
women and well yes it could be that, but I think it's broader than that. As I see it, MoJo's the thing you can't quite put your finger on that makes someone who they are as well as gives them that "thing" that makes them attract others. For example, Jordan: craploads of MoJo; Brangelina: Massive MoJo; Oprah and Bono: Saintly MoJo; Gandhi and Mandela: Off the Charts Global MoJo. And, if for some bizarre reason you're not sure who any of these folks are, please, please crawl out from the rock you're under! Regular peeps like you and I, we have MoJo, but probably a little less than those aforementioned.It first hit me that my MoJo was MIA when I was out on a run...not even the typical four guys shoved in the cab of a truck were hooting and hollering at me and I was even sporting my running skirt. This, coupled with my lack of motivation, everything from writing (the reason for the lapse in blog postings) to running (I didn't run for almost a whole week and I'm in training!) and socializing put me on a quest for my MoJo.
I knew I had to
get it back, but what to do? Simple - - I could go to http://www.wheresmymojo.com/ head to the MoJo shop. Ok, so neither exists. Instead I hopped in the car and after a brief stint in Boston for work (great to see ya Dave H. and Steve G.!) and a quick visit with an old friend (Jeanne L.L.) and husband in Marblehead, I kept on going and landed in good old Waitsfield, VT - a nook and cranny on the map and the place that reminds me most of Colorado (a place I called home for five years!) out East.First stop was the local coffee house (no Starbucks in this small town!) for a cup of tea an
d BOOOM, I turned around and there was Lisle (pronounced Lie-l...photo on right and below) Mmm...how to describe Lisle: well, he's got some MoJo for sure and he's someone I met two years ago this week and it was a tipping point in
my life. After a chance meeting, he unknowingly encouraged and inspired me to just do what I want to do, dammit! In my opinion, he's arguably the unofficial mayor of the town and based on the time I've spent with him I can fairly conjecture that he's the kind of guy that most people want to know or want to be and it probably has to do with the fact that he goes to the beat of his own drum and most days while most of us are sitting in our offices or running around to pick the kids up, he's either riding through the valleys on his bike or skiing on the mountains, depending on the season. Yeah, the grass is always greener, but his sense of liberation is contagious...so usually when I see him, I swear, by the end of the time we spend together, my MoJo's been restored.
Ok, the trip wasn't entirely about chasing down my MoJo - I was on a mission to chat with Lisle and his mom and whoever else I could g
et to talk to me about him since I'm writing a feature story on him to have published. (Any publishers out there?) The dude's an interesting guy, having flat lined three times and still as fearless as ever with his latest challenge training for Costa Rica's four day bike race through every kind of element you can imagine, La Ruta (you can read about the last time he raced it by clicking here) and prepping for another year at Sugar Bush coaching his little rippers by way of non-traditional coaching methods (YouTube video below of these kids...they're catching some serious air on their jumps!) So, we spent some time jabbering at the Hyde Away, the local coffee joint and the Farmer's Market, but certainly not without interruption as there was a constant stream of adults and kids coming up to him one by one by one with greetings and shouts of "Lisle, how are you?" They were all as nice to me as to him and I suddenly wondered if I wouldn't do better in a small town where everybody did know you name...ho hum...back to my story...
d BOOOM, I turned around and there was Lisle (pronounced Lie-l...photo on right and below) Mmm...how to describe Lisle: well, he's got some MoJo for sure and he's someone I met two years ago this week and it was a tipping point in
my life. After a chance meeting, he unknowingly encouraged and inspired me to just do what I want to do, dammit! In my opinion, he's arguably the unofficial mayor of the town and based on the time I've spent with him I can fairly conjecture that he's the kind of guy that most people want to know or want to be and it probably has to do with the fact that he goes to the beat of his own drum and most days while most of us are sitting in our offices or running around to pick the kids up, he's either riding through the valleys on his bike or skiing on the mountains, depending on the season. Yeah, the grass is always greener, but his sense of liberation is contagious...so usually when I see him, I swear, by the end of the time we spend together, my MoJo's been restored.Ok, the trip wasn't entirely about chasing down my MoJo - I was on a mission to chat with Lisle and his mom and whoever else I could g
et to talk to me about him since I'm writing a feature story on him to have published. (Any publishers out there?) The dude's an interesting guy, having flat lined three times and still as fearless as ever with his latest challenge training for Costa Rica's four day bike race through every kind of element you can imagine, La Ruta (you can read about the last time he raced it by clicking here) and prepping for another year at Sugar Bush coaching his little rippers by way of non-traditional coaching methods (YouTube video below of these kids...they're catching some serious air on their jumps!) So, we spent some time jabbering at the Hyde Away, the local coffee joint and the Farmer's Market, but certainly not without interruption as there was a constant stream of adults and kids coming up to him one by one by one with greetings and shouts of "Lisle, how are you?" They were all as nice to me as to him and I suddenly wondered if I wouldn't do better in a small town where everybody did know you name...ho hum...back to my story...Lisle suggested a hike to Sunset Rock and I thought that would be inspirational and about 100 feet into the hike, I found myself sprinting rather than hiking to keep up with this uber athlete navigating the rocky and lush mountain terrain on the brink of changing from green to bright orange, yellows and reds. Not surprisingly, he knew most people on the trail and would stop for some chit chat which brought much needed relief to me and time to catch my breath. After a pit stop at the secret community cabin (I kept wondering out loud, "How'd they carry all the materials up the mountain?"), we made it to Sunset Rock. Just as I caught my breath, I lost it immediately. I stood there and couldn't believe what I saw as the sun was just beginning it's journey West, but a rainbow within the scattered clouds (picture above under title, small rainbow on right in pic, if you can see it.) Could it be my MoJo?
We finished the hike, I filled my belly with a good old burger that night (thanks to Lisle's friend Tim!), hit the hay early (thank you Mr. and Mrs. C. for the accommodations!) awakening the next day and joined Lisle at the coffee joint for some more chit chat. Then it was time to go and somewhere between the five hour drive between VT and NJ, it hit me...it was like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (Ok, maybe a bit of a strecth...) MoJo's all from within and I just needed to give it a jump start, Vermont being a defibulator of sorts.
And hey, it must be working...just yesterday when I was running three guys squashed in the front seat of a van honked and smiled. Ok, so maybe they're not BF candidates, but nevertheless, my MoJo's gotta be on the up and up!
So folks, I'm off and running!
Lisle with his Little Rippers catching some serious air at Sugarbush!
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