Half-Marathon

So my very first half marathon (last year) was absolutely horrible. It was in Connecticut, late in September, yet it was hot and humid. To say I was not prepared for this was an understatement. I felt as though I couldn't get hydrated and my energy level was completely depleted! My time was 2:45, I was disappointed and I told myself that I would never run another half marathon again! After I finished my race I felt nausea and I didn't know if I was going to throw up or....uh....yeah you get the point.

So this brings me to today. I ran my second half marathon on 11/11/12 here in San Diego. I do not know what gave me the courage to attempt another half marathon, maybe I had more faith in myself, or maybe I knew that I had properly trained for this one, either way, the day before the race I told myself that if I did not do well on this race I was officially DONE with this half marathon business!!!

5 am race morning!

The half marathon I chose to run was called the Silver Strand Half-Marathon. The race starts in Coronado California and ends in Imperial Beach California. It is a relatively flat course along the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I chose this course to boost my confidence in hopes that I would fall in love with this half marathon business.


Waiting for the race to start!

RACE MORNING

 It was a relatively cold morning, started in the lower 40's. Many runners chose to wear trash bags to keep warm (must remember this for the future). It was a long wait, approximately 2 hours until race start, but this time helped me get my thoughts together before being on that starting line!



The sun finally decided to make an appearance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first got to the start line it was quiet. There were only a few hundred runners in the area. Some warming up, some chatting, some even napping! It was quiet and I was loving it because I knew that soon the chaos was going  to begin!




In all their were about 3-4,000 runners for the half marathon itself and for this area, that is small. Their were runners who were first time half marathoners (they had shirts to notify everyone of this) and of course seasoned runners. I even saw one gentleman who had done the Tokyo half marathon in 2008, talk about intimidation!! I decided to keep to myself and listen to my iPod. It was the only way to keep my cool and keep my mind from wandering into the doubt realm that I had been trying to avoid.

 

When it was time to line up I decided to stay toward the front of the pack. One reason is because I did not want to wait 5-10 minutes before I crossed the line, another reason is because their is less pushing and shoving up there!! Once the race began it only took me 45 seconds to cross the start line which is a plus. I surprisingly felt well during my race. At times I did hit the random brick wall which made me feel like the race was taking forever, but for the most part I felt great!

 

Mile 12 baby!!!

 

This is a picture of me at mile 12. I was so thankful that mile 13 was steadily approaching!!! I kept telling myself not to stop.....


So the verdict?! I ran the half marathon in 2 hours and 9 minutes!!!!! I was beyond proud of myself! I ran the whole thing and honestly I didn't ever feel the need to stop. I felt great, well other than the crazy leg cramps when I stopped running, and I finally gained the confidence to sign up for another one soon.

After the race with my girls!!!







New semester here I come

Well the last few weeks flew by, whether I liked it or not, might I add!! Seems like just yesterday I was finishing finals, and here I am preparing for another long semester!

Though I enjoy my time off from school, I do admit I get a little bored when I don't have a crazy assignment to work on. Granted I have stayed pretty busy running the girls around and also volunteering in the elementary school technology department, but when I don't have school work to do I feel like something is missing. :)

I am excited for this semester, but I am a bit nervous. Most of the nervousness is psychological due to my lack of experience and the fact that I am not actively working in the IT field. The professors require us students to introduce ourselves to the class. I have classmates that have up to 30 years’ experience in the IT field while others are actively utilizing IT techniques and strategies. Then of course you have me. My blurb usually consists of "Hi my name is Jen....I am a SAHM, I cater to my kids needs all day and I am an excellent homework helper to my 7 year old"......Sure sounds like I fit in huh? I am my own worst enemy, to say the least....

The classes this semester really interest me. I am taking an Intrusion detection and prevention class, and cryptology and data protection.....

Well this will be my last blog post for a while. My head will be buried in school books for the next 12 weeks.....

 

Much needed break...

Okay so this semester seemed oh so cruel! I took two classes, one for Project Management and the other for Systems Analysis and Design. To say my professors were tough, is an understatement.

Okay, I admit I did lose sight at the beginning, it is my fault, my kids were on break and I went home to see my family. Unfortunately this proved to be a major distraction. I guess I struggle a little bit with being that "ideal" mom, but at the same time I know that I do not want to be a stay at home mom for the rest of my life. I am a very independent person and I feel that when my girls see me putting 110% into something they will be inspired by my fight, and my commitment. Sigh....

So I ended up with 2 high B's this semester. Apparently in my specialization this is average, but I am not one to settle. The good thing about my "bad" grades is that I am even more motivated to kick butt next semester.

The other day I found out that I got the highest grade in my class on my final exam. I was so excited and Jilly asked what I was so excited about. I told her "mommy got an A!!" The rest of the day, whenever someone would call me, she would urge me to tell them about my good grade. Makes me happy to see that my daughters are proud of me. Many times play time is traded for my homework time. It may seem selfish to some, but this is what I want. I want to be a contributor to my family, and I want to instill in my girls that they can be anything they put their minds to!

I know my hardwork will pay off in the end. Grad school is not easy by any means. So many times this semester I cried, screamed and just plain wanted to give up. I guess part of it is the fact I am now a single mom. It can be a bit of a challenge when you are trying to complete a 15 pager while the kids are fighting.

 
Well another semester down, another to go. I can see the tunnel slowly coming towards me, but I still have a ways to go. I guess I can look at it like my running, slow and steady.

(Oh and these two pictures, I made for a couple projects this semester :)  )

Green Monster Breakfast Shake!

I love veggies, and I wish I could eat more of them, so I figured what better way to incorporate them into my diet than eating them for breakfast! So here is my recipe:

1/4 c. raw whole almonds
1/2 c. almond milk
1 banana
2 hand fulls of spinach
1/4 c. pineapple
4 strawberries
2 tsp. flax seed

I added all of the ingredients to the blender and blended on high for 2 minutes. If the consistency is too think you can always add more almond milk.
Here is the finished product!

Also you could always use whatever fruit that you have on hand, or even frozen fruit!

I love this shake not only because it has spinach which is rich in in vitamins and minerals, but it has raw almonds! I love the benefits of raw almonds and all they have to offer! Believe it or not raw almonds have potassium, B vitamins, magnesium, pro-biotic properties, and of course protein!

My little monkey turns 4!

So my Nessa turned 4 last month. Can't believe how fast time flies! We ended up having 2 birthday celebrations. One with daddy before he left and one with my family up north!! It was so much fun and she had been so excited about turning 4. Wish my babies would stop growing!

So here are some questions that I asked Nessa...
1.What's your favorite color? Purple
2. What's your favorite toy? Jessie and Woodie
3. What's your favorite fruit? Cantelope
4. What's your favorite TV show? Powerpuff Girls
5. What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and Jelly
6. What's your favorite game? Pinkalicious scrabble
7. What's your favorite outfit? My orange dress
8. What's your favorite snack? Pretzels
9. What's your favorite animal? Monkey
10. What's your favorite song? California Girls- Katy Perry
11. What's your favorite book? Beauty and the Beast
12. Who's your best friend? Cadence
13. What's your favorite cereal? Chex
14. What's your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my scooter
15. What's your favorite drink?  Juice
16. What's your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you? My monkey
18. What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Chex
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to do hair
It is so funny to see how different my girls are, yet in so many traits they are the same! I look forward to see how the answers to these questions change as the years pass!

Slacker!

Ok,  I admit, I really haven't kept up with my blog that much. I think of things to write but then of course I never get around to it.  I guess this post will be more of an update than anything.

We had a big adjustment when daddy left. I couldn't believe how hard it was on the girls, especially Jilly. Going from shore duty to sea duty really threw us all for a loop. In March Jilly received an award from school for her academic efforts...talk about proud mama here!!! The schools here are VERY demanding especially since her school is #1 in the district.

Though we had troubles at first, we were able to enjoy Easter together after a little set back. April really flew by for us. I finished my first semester of Grad School, and we geared up for Jillian's birthday! Also I had some much needed time with my cousin who came to visit us for the weekend.

           

Other than that I have been doing stuff to keep the girls busy, and also maximize my time off from school. We love going to the beach, and we are really getting used to beautiful San Diego!

Mother's Day weekend was absolutely AMAZING! Not only did I get to spend time with my beautiful children, I got to spend time with my best friend and her husband...

We got to cruise Mission Bay while watching Iris and Sam try there hand at wake surfing!

Well I think we are all caught up!  My new semester starts soon so that means back to the grind for me :/ but I know that my hard work will pay off in the end!

My Jilly-Bean is 7!

My amazing friend Andrea gave me an awesome idea! Here are a few questions I asked Jillian on her birthday, I hope to make this a yearly questionnaire to see the differences each year!

My baby just a couple weeks old!

1.What's your favorite color? Violet
2. What's your favorite toy? Monster High doll
3. What's your favorite fruit? Peach
4. What's your favorite TV show? Powerpuff Girls
5. What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pizza
6. What's your favorite game? Xbox Kinect
7. What's your favorite outfit? My purple dress
8. What's your favorite snack? Banana
9. What's your favorite animal? Cat
10. What's your favorite song? Monster High Song
11. What's your favorite book? Green Princess Saves the Day
12. Who's your best friend? Madi
13. What's your favorite cereal? Honey Bunches of Oats
14. What's your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my scooter
15. What's your favorite drink? Water and grape juice
16. What's your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you? Keke
18. What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Teacher