Many things Monday

1. I ran 7 miles on Sunday, and it was pretty awesome! It was just slightly cooler (still ridiculously hot and humid, but less so), and it felt so much better. Come on, Fall!

2. Also, after much discussion on Sunday, I decided to replace my February half marathon (St. Pete Rock 'n' Roll, which was cancelled) with a Gasparilla race. The Gasparilla Distance Classic consists of four races: a 15K and a 5K on Saturday and a half marathon and 8K on Sunday. The logical choice would be to replace the half with a half. But, I'm illogical ... and I really want a jacket. So, to get a jacket, I need to do a challenge. The plan: 15K and 8K (Bud Select Challenge). I really like half marathons and kind of want to throw that into the mix, too. Or maybe I'll just find another half (after I win the lottery).

3. I watched a lot of football this weekend. I even planned some activities around football games. Hopefully, this is just an NFL opening weekend thing because it could get kind of ridiculous. Well, I'm fairly certain I won't be watching the Tampa Bay Bucs anymore, so that's one less game each week.

4. But, my watching of football allowed me to see this.

5. EEEEEK! I just love this guy. I really need to chill out on him, though, so I don't become crazy-annoying fangirl. Sometimes I find myself telling myself, "Stop it. Not everyone wants to hear about Bruno. Not everyone thinks he's the best thing ever." So, after this mention, I'll lay off of him for awhile. Unless I win the trip to see him in Vegas. Or London. Or if he's on an awards show. Or if I dress up as Elvis for Halloween because that's something we have in common. But, other than that, I'll restrain myself (and the masses few people who read my blog rejoiced). 

6. Did you see the rerun of the Saturday Night Live that Bruno Mars hosted this weekend ... oops.

7. My dog's favorite thing ever is walks. Well, maybe walks are behind Milkbones, but they're a close second. She loves them. So imagine my surprise when she sat down and refused to walk. Stubborn dog. I have no idea where she gets that from, ahem. 

You think I'm moving? Funny.

Have you ever gotten a jacket for a race? I haven't, and I'm super excited about it! Did you watch a lot of football this weekend? If not, what did you do?

Looking back and ahead

I finally organized my  "Upcoming races" and "Race results" pages. My upcoming races make me excited. I really love running half marathons, and I can't wait to start in October (in a costume)! But, it really made me sad because it doesn't have the St. Pete Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on it. I received the news on Wednesday that one of my favorite races is cancelled. I'm still sad about it, but it's time to find another February half marathon.

Some options:

• Best Damn Race, Feb. 1, 2014: I'm already signed up for the 10K (because I love this race), but I'm thinking about upgrading to the half. For anyone interested in this race (and you all should be), there is currently a discount code, ROCKROLL, for $5 off. It is active until Sept. 17.

One of the best damn races from 2013

• Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans, Feb. 2, 2014: I love Rock 'n' Roll, and I adore New Orleans. This seems like the perfect combination. Well, except for the fact that I live in Florida. And the fact that it's the day after the Best Damn Race that I'm already registered to run. But, if I could swing one of my favorite race series in one of my favorite cities, it would be pretty sweet! 
• Gasparilla Distance Classic, Feb. 23, 2014: I've never run this race, and I hear good things ... but something keeps me from really wanting to do it. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe because I work a few blocks from the start line, and I want to keep my weekends away from work? I don't know. 

I'm not ready to make a decision yet (or say goodbye to Rock 'n' Roll St. Petersburg), but I do have some quality options when I am ready to move on.

While the "Upcoming races" page made me excited, the "Race results" page made me kind of sad/mad/determined. I was kind of upset looking at my half marathon times for the past year. I don't want to sound whiny or overlook accomplishments (because I did get a personal best, and I did run eight half marathons). But, I really think I could of and should of done better. So, that's what my goal is for this half marathon training cycle: become a faster half marathon-running turtle. 

How am I going to do that? Good question. I'm still working on that. But, I am going to start posting about my training weeks again. I need to see how I'm doing and for accountability. And, I'm going to get serious about some cross training. And, I'm going to work on silencing that pesky voice in my head that says, "I can't." I think that will do it. 

Have you ever run any of these races? What do you recommend? Have any other races for me to consider? Any tips for getting faster?