Hello, internet. I am still here.

I've been through writing slumps in the past, but I think that this is the slumpiest slump that has ever slumped a slump. I haven't stopped running (well, not exactly... but I'll go into that in a bit). It's been 4 months and 8 races since my last blogging. This is going to be a quick and dirty recap without a crazy amount of detail, or it will end up taking longer than the Lord of The Rings trilogy to get through.

Epic blogging failure, right here.

So after the soaking wet adventure down at the Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival, it was time for the Monument Valley 50K, which got dropped down to the Monument Valley half marathon. (You'll see this drop in distance become a theme, so watch for that.) I just hadn't been dedicated enough to my training to be ready for the 50K distance, so the half was a good option for me.

I love this place, so I wasn't going to not race some distance while I was there. 

Out on the course, walking a ton due to my heart rate, pulling faces for the camera. Photo cred to Scott M Stringham.

My heart rate dictated a slow pace but we had a great time, as always, soaking up the breathtaking views in Monument Valley. Going there should be on everyone's bucket list.

After Monument Valley, I was able to go to France for 9 days, the amount of walking we did while we were there was insane, and helped to offset (somewhat) the amount of pastry eating I did while there.

Actual pictorial account of pastry eating. Thanks to Scott for documenting my gluttony. To be fair, we both participated in the eating of these delightful delicacies. 

After my eating tour of France, it was time to get back to trying to train and run races. It didn't go so well... But I had paid for these races, so I showed up and gave it a go anyway. The Salt Lake half marathon was up next. At least when I signed up for this one, I knew I wouldn't be ready for anything longer than a half marathon after a decent time abroad. 10 points to me for planning ahead!

Scott's been running most of these races with me, and again, my heart rate dictated a slow pace. We took it easy and enjoyed the course. It was a welcome moment when we were directed away from the full marathon course and got to finish up our race.

Swagalicious. 

Now Salt Lake turned out to be my 90th half marathon, and this got me thinking that I could get to my 100th this year if I found a few more half marys to throw in. So that lead me to running the Provo City half marathon next. Scott didn't run this one with me officially, but ran up the course to meet me and get his mileage in at the same time. I was managing a slow but steady pace, keeping my finicky heart rate in check. Even at the snail's pace I was moving, I was still able to pass a decent amount of people in the last three miles. That's one thing I've learned over my years of running races, if I pace myself, I will always end up finishing well ahead of the people who burn themselves out early on.

The next week, we ran the Dino Half, and as many of you know, it's my favorite race. The course is delightful, the medals are incredible. What more could a gal ask for?

We are excited for this one. Obviously. 

I was hoping to run it faster than we did, but we didn't... And that's okay. The theme of all my races this year has been watching my heart rate. And that little bugger doesn't want me to go fast. (Like I was ever "fast" before. *insert snarky face emoticon here*)

That medal though.

The following weekend was the Ogden Marathon. Somehow, I was under the impression that getting one tiny run in during the week and one long run on the weekend would allow me to run a marathon without dying. Okay, so I didn't die, but let me just tell you that finishing up 10 seconds before the race ends isn't really thought of as a "win". I was pretty sore for a solid few days, imparting the wisdom of dropping to the half marathon distance in the future if I'm not properly trained.

24th marathon swag.

After the Ogden debacle, Scott and I threw in a couple of 5Ks, running the Run of Remembrance and the Art City Days 5K. I used to hate 5Ks, because I used to try and run them at a faster pace. Now my heart rate won't let me, so 5Ks are actually pretty nice. I just kind of cruise through at a leisurely pace and it's over in under an hour. Then breakfast burritos happen. Viva le 5K!

Change "drink" to "eat" and we're in business. 

That brings us up to yesterday, where I was signed up to run the Utah Valley marathon, but had the good sense to drop down to the half because there's no way in h-e-double hockey sticks I would be able to finish the race before the cutoff. The sad truth is that I can't run a six and a half hour marathon right now. It's not possible with my atrocious level of training and rebellious heart rate. But Scott had a show to play that afternoon anyway, so dropping us both down to the half marathon actually made the whole day much more manageable.

We ended up getting the same 10 year anniversary jacket, so we were good with it. 

In between the 5Ks and the Utah Valley half, I finally took a step towards upping my training. When I moved from my mom's basement, I lost regular access to my favorite treadmill, Odin. So instead of leaving my husband and moving back into my mother's basement, I decided it was time to invest in my own nice treadmill. Here's a thing that you should know about me. I'm incredibly lazy. Like, soooooo lazy. I have a gym membership and all that. But the thought of having to dress in a socially acceptable manner and drive to the gym before the sun even comes up is not even slightly appealing. Getting all kitted out to run on the streets surrounding my house in the wee hours is just as bad. But the thought of rolling out of bed and throwing on whatever I grab first and getting my run in while watching Netflix is actually something I'm totally on board with.

Squeeeeeeeeee! 

There she is. Valkyrie (Val for short). The Nordictrack Elite 3750. This baby can do decline of 3% even. Treadmills can do decline these days! Who knew?! Since we've had Val, I've managed to follow my training plan to the letter. It's amazing what spending nearly $1500 does to your motivation level. But seriously, I should have done done this a long time ago. She's going to get me back on track, and for real this time.

I may need to see a professional about my heart though... I've had three separate instances where my heart just started racing and then I almost blacked out. It never happens while I'm running, it's always when I'm in a reasonably relaxed state, although I am wondering if it could be a form of panic attack. It's been almost two months since the last episode though, so who knows if I'll ever make that doctor's appointment. I know I'm not the only one who puts off going to the doctor, so no one gets to chastise me here. My husband and mother will do plenty of that. It's their job, after all.

I will try to do a better job of blogging in the future. I actually have a fair bit of fun stuff coming up, race wise, so I need to make sure it gets the credit its due. Until next time, happy running, cats and kittens!