My MOJO was on the Kokopelli Trail!

So I tried to hit the "restart" button about 1 month ago and apparently it was just a little out of reach...until now. Thanks to Matt's 40th birthday and my ability to power through any crazy effort I think I am starting to find my MOJO again.
Plus my new drug to combat my weak thyroid helps too! I have been taking it now for 6 weeks and only in the last few days I have I started to notice a difference. So many people wanted to tell me how to handle my diagnosis with food, supplements etc and to be honest, I was looking at 5 weeks of travel and I was thrilled to find 1 pill that might help me feel better sooner! At least the pill will get me headed in the right direction and then I will work with Kindra F., my acupuncturist, to see if we can get me realigned with Chinese remedies, more sleep and better nutrition.
The last couple of months have been jammed with business travel and weekend adventures. Riding mountain bikes with John, Heidi and Matt on the Kokopelli trail for 4 days was an unexpectedly challenging adventure…I might pay more attention to the profile maps etc next time. I wouldn’t have had any more time to train and I would not have backed out so maybe the ridiculous elevation gains and brutal rock gardens were best left as daily surprises! The countryside we rode through was spectacular and it was the perfect time of year to enjoy the fall colors, cool evenings and warm camp fires. Matt and Heidi are so much fun to travel with and so easy to hang out with! Thankfully they’d done a trip like this before so they knew the best food to prepare and how to pack it. And, since I left for the trip from Newark it was a blessing Heidi could do most of the food prep for us. We traveled with a company called Hermosa Tours out of Fruita. Basically they haul our camping gear and food from campsite to campsite, set up the kitchen and then hang out while we ride, fix our meals, set up our tents etc and then we make our own breakfast, pack and hit the road again. If I were to do it again I might take the “they cook for us” option so that we have more time to relax and enjoy hanging out after riding for 8+ hours. The short days didn’t afford is much time between riding, cooking and sleeping.
The 4 days were jammed with amazing views, wicked weather, brutal climbs, plenty of hike-a-bike and tons of good food and laughter. I highly recommend the trip to anyone who wants to see the world from Fruita to Moab and who can stand to sit on a mountain bike saddle for 6+ hours a day! Always a challenge!
I flew from Grand Junction to Seattle, not having showered for 4 days, and settled into my final trade show of the season. I flew home for one day and then turned around and drove back to Moab to do The Other Half marathon, which takes place at the top of 128 starting at Dewey Bridge and ending at Sorrell Ranch. No, I had not been training for that time or distance so it was up in the air if I was going to run or not.
About 2 ½ months ago I managed to pull my left leg out of the hip socket and although it popped back in it seemed to stretch and piss off all the connective tissue around it. I’ve spent the last 2 months working with Dr. Sheridan and doing 3/1 workouts, riding my mountain bike and chilling. Definitely NOT preparing for a half! I spent most of October in a hotel and a crappy hotel gym so I have mastered my power hotel workout, which some of the people I coach can tell you is pretty hard. It is like a circuit session between a lousy piece of hotel cardio equipment and my own weight bearing exercises. It is better than nothing!
Moab was a great weekend. I missed John as he decided to stay home and try to get some house projects done. We need to get some things done before the snow comes…it is snowing tonight. Ah well. Nicole, Michele, Christine, Nancy, Priscilla, Monica, and the boys all hung out and rode road bikes up to “big nasty”, dirt biked and ran the half. The schwag was awesome as ever and we all invested in new Black Diamond headlamps! They are inexpensive and put out awesome light! We used them when we hiked out to watch the sun set over the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. I LOVE that park and that hike! It was really really windy so we didn’t stay very long! Besides we needed to get to Milt’s milk shakes before they closed at 9:00! Phew, we made it just in time!
The next couple of months will be focused on improving my swim form and times, healing my hip and getting to know my new bike team members and coach! Yeah Altitude Cycling! I am also taking a course that is consuming a great deal of time and I am learning a great deal about how to do things in my life differently. I am still coaching and am hoping to add a few new athletes this year and build up our group workouts for next season.

Looks like the snow is covering the patio now and the stars are gone. Winter is here, a time for healing, recovery, good food and good friends!