Still running... though much less!

Anthony dazzles the crowd at Holmes Beach

I realized it's time to change my blog picture and header information three months after the marathon is over! Hey, I have priorities with my free time, ok? It's hard to believe after all the hard work the marathon came and went. No more 40 miles-a-week training; I'm back down to running a comfortable 15 miles or so a week. That is combined with my part-time work as a fitness instructor, where I'm teaching classes about 10 hours per week-- yoga, pilates, body sculpting, and soon, Les Mills Body Pump! I went through the intensive 3 day training last month and starting next week, I'll be team teaching with an experienced Pump instructor. Teaching classes is a great part time gig that I love, and that allows me to spend more time with Anthony. I've started studying to take the Personal Trainer certification exam later this year so I can broaden my career scope while still remaining in the fitness industry. I know now this is exactly what I'm supposed to do. Running wise, I don't know what my next goal will be because a long, hot summer is approaching and we may decide to get pregnant before the year is up. I'll just stick with my 15-20 mile weeks and just see how it goes.

This past weekend we took Anthony to the beach-- the real beach, not that little crappy one near our house. He had a blast. This year he's not afraid of the water like he was last, so even though it was chilly he loved shuffling his feet around the waves. We had a moment of crisis when he missed a uneven spot in the sand and went face-first into the water... he was none to thrilled about that but he handled it well. The best part was watching him attract an audience with his uncanny drumming ability. I should've set out a separate bucket for him to catch spare change! Some kids on a nearby blanket donated their sand buckets to his cause, and before long he had a full bucket spread. With his beach hat and sunglasses, he looked like a Coral Reefer in training!

Everyday I'm amazed more as his vocabulary increases and he learns more about the world around him. He speaks in phrases and sometimes full sentences now, and has a very good handle on asking for what he wants. It's nice also he can tell us when something's wrong or hurts, though he still hasn't grown out of the whining phase yet, unfortunately. He's also very affectionate now, and has just learned to say "I love you!" Talk about making a mommy's heart melt!