My mojo has left the building

For the past two days, my mojo has decided to enjoy the beautiful weather outside without me, leaving me to workout indoors.  Alone.  With no spunk.

Actually I wasn't alone.  I just wanted to feel sorry for myself.  Because being spunkless just isn't bad enough.

Yesterday I did core exercises, and then threw in a cardio kickboxing DVD since I have to miss my kickboxing class this week.  I LOVE this cardio kickboxing DVD, and the super-peppy instructor is usually able to get me pumped no matter how many times I've watched the routine.  But something was really off yesterday.  Even Miss Super-Pep couldn't pull me out of my super-funk.

Maybe it was because yesterday was technically my day off, and I really debated with myself whether I should work-out, or whether I should go shopping.  I figured shopping isn't a good enough reason to be lazy, so down to the gym I went.  Little did I know my mojo went in the other direction, exited the building and was strolling in the sunshine, while I round-housed with very little enthusiasm.

The work-out wasn't an entire waste.  I did get some good reps in during my core exercises, and the kickboxing session does end with a killer core workout.  Still, I felt a bit betrayed by my mojo.  Maybe tomorrow will be better, I thought.

Well, tomorrow was today, and today was my dreaded cycling class.  My mojo was still absent.  I'm pretty sure it went for a hike.  I really had no desire to cycle up fake hills and then cycle back down those same fake hills (or maybe they're different fake hills?  I dunno.  They're fake.)  But I had already committed to this class, and I knew it was going to be a good workout.  So in a desperate attempt to lure my mojo back, I did a very brazen thing:

I smiled.

Last week, I listened to the Krissy Moehl interview on URP, and her advice to ultrarunners?  Smile.  She always makes a point of smiling as she comes into an aid station.  Also known for her smile?  Ellie Greenwood, whose most recent accomplishment is back-to-back wins at the American River 50.

Ellie Greenwood still smiling after 40 miles
via sacramentorunning.com 

There must be something to this whole smiling thing, I thought.  So, I smiled the whole damn class.  I probably freaked my fellow fake cyclists out.  But I told myself the pain wasn't worth it if I wasn't having fun, so just enjoy this crazy class and smile.  And it worked!  My mojo came back!  I finished strong and I had a blast.

Moral of the story?  Smile and you will never lose your mojo.*

*To clarify: I am using the term "mojo" to refer to one's self-confidence and self-assuredness in general, and not to confidence in specific places or in specific horizontal positions.  This is not that kind of blog, people!