thirty days with a grateful heart. day fourteen.

day fourteen.  the white house.

I love running in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the pmp, as we affectionately call it, because there is so much wonderful running to be had.  Flats and climbs and rocks and sand, you can literally (and I have) run for hours back in there and incredibly enough, you're also smack dab in the heart of the city. 

And although each of the trails has an actual name I believe, as I've run with friends back there, I've learned the local nicknames as well.  We have jj out and back and the rachel loop and honey ridge  and reunion point, the devil's backbone and four peaks.  I love them all, but for some reason, the white house holds a special place in my heart.

Just to the east of the first peak off the 32nd street trail, high up in the preserve is this white house.  I don't think anyone lives there now, and she just sits up on a mountain by herself - acting as somewhat of a landmark to runners who might not be sure which way to turn once they're inside the preserve.

We don't run that way very often unfortunately, but on days when I want a little extra mileage or days when I just need to clear my head a bit - I head up her way. 

Maybe it is the little climb up to where she is.  Maybe it is that suddenly the air seems a little bit clearer once you're there.

Whatever it is - her magic always does the trick - and today was no exception. 

Grateful.

xoxo,
momo

thirty days with a grateful heart. day eleven.

day eleven.  wednesday girls.

A few months ago, I started meeting a few sweet girls on Wednesday mornings to run the trails by my house. 

Initially it was simply because my girl, Jill, wanted to learn to trail run.

Although now it has become somewhat of a lifeline for me.  A safe place with just one non-negotiable ground rule - what is said on the trail stays on the trail. 

It is funny how I can spend years trying to build friendships with people, trying to connect in some meaningful and important way, but then I get out with them on the road or on the trail, where we have nothing to prove and all the time in the world, and suddenly they are simply... part of me.

I've had a few of them over the years.  My runner girls.  Women with whom I have shared miles and miles of joys as well as great sorrows with.  And even though we may not be running at all together now - they are as much a part of my soul as running itself. 

I am grateful for the time I had with those girls then. Just as I am grateful for my time with my Wednesday girls now.

And even more grateful that my Wednesday girls became Sunday girls and spent some time with some wine and me yesterday. 

Truly, truly grateful.

xoxo,
momo

thirty days with a grateful heart. day seven.

day seven.  i run.

Hello, I know you all know that I run. 

But do you know iRun?

iRun is a local running store owned by a wonderful couple I met, unsurprisingly enough, running.  The store has been open a few years now and has become the place to go if you need trail running shoes, advice, help, a group run or just want to kick back a bit in the cozy chairs and chat running with people who do it.  A lot. 

No, really, I'm talking a lot.  A crazy lot.  Like Western States and Hardrock a lot.  A hundred miles at a time and more lot.  A lot.

When I started putting my feelers out a bit looking for something to do now that Four Seasons is quickly coming to an end, Mark, emailed me and asked if I would think about working part-time at the shop, as many or as few hours as I like, to help them...  sell running bras. 

No, seriously, that's what he said.

And although I did not know one thing about running shoes, or running clothes or cash registers or anything sales related for that matter, I do know what I like and I have always loved iRun, so I said yes.

And that was even before I realized that me and my sweet girls live on the run wall.  See those hineys?  Yep, that's us.  :)   And believe it or not, and I'm sure you believe it, it was even before I asked him what he was going to be paying me. 

So, right now I'm working two days a week, three hours at a time, and it is an absolute blast.  Really.  I get to work with Mark and Katie and James, who is crazy sweet and lets me feed him all my baked good experiments, the more sugary and chocolaty, the better. 

I get to play with new baby, Cade, who come visits now and again.   I fold stuff.  Organize.  File.  And every once in awhile, I'll model a jacket or two.  Although, imho, the single best part of the whole gig is that each time I am there, I get to talk what I love - running and the local trails - with anyone and everyone who comes in the door.

And while I've yet to sell someone a pair of shoes all by myself, I do now know about the new North Face line so if you're looking for some winter weather gear, come on down and see me.  ;-)

Oh, and sports bras.  I totally got that one covered. 

Grateful!

xoxo,
momo

thirty days with a grateful heart - day four

day four - the views from the top

(of the jjonb)

Tuesdays are one of my favorite run days.  On Tuesdays, we run the jjonb which stands for JJ (Jeff Jones, my running partner who created the route) out and back.  I'll be honest though, I haven't always liked Tuesdays.  Especially when I first started running with JJ and had to walk the majority of each of the five big uphills on the route while he and Steph kept getting further and further away from me.  And then I hated it even worse when I came back from California this summer and it was six thousand degrees outside, even at 5 am, and not only could I not even begin to run the uphills, I was doing a pretty good job of stinking it up on the downhills, too. 

But then September came.  And finally, after religiously running the same route Tuesday in and Tuesday out for six months, something clicked.  And it has continued to click.  And now I can run, unbroken, all of the ups except the tip top of the first peak from the 32nd street trailhead.  And I can run every bit of all of the downs, even the rockies, even in the dark.  And, on days like today, when the weather is crisp, and the company is good, and the running comes easy, and I am at peace - on days like today - I like to look around, take in the view from the top, and be grateful that I am right where I am.  Right where I am supposed to be.  It's all good.