There are few things in life that I hate more than saying goodbye to new friends. Little did I know when I registered for the Healthy Living Summit that I would be using the word “friend” to describe so many of the new bloggers that I met or that I would be as sad as I was when it was all over.
Last Sunday was Day 3, the final day, of the Healthy Living Summit. For the first time I drove to the hotel because I knew I wouldn’t be there for long and wasn’t sure walking three miles, running three miles, then walking three more miles home was what my body needed after the hardcore Saturday workouts. When I entered the hotel lobby, I was excited to see how many people were planning to come on the 5K run/walk. This photo was borrowed from the Healthy Living Summit facebook page and was provided by Courtney.
Some people chose to walk the 5K distance while others, myself included, decided to run. I had skipped the prior day’s 8 mile run, so I wanted to make sure I stayed at least a bit on track before my upcoming road trip (during which I knew I wouldn’t be doing much running).
I ran the first half of the distance with Min, but was later separated from her during a switchback in the run so I finished with Chelsea. It was so nice to get in a run along the Charles River before it got too hot. Despite having the Charles at my disposal on a daily basis, I rarely take advantage of running along its paths. The morning run reminded me how lucky I am to live in a runner-friendly city.
While some of the bloggers ran back up to their rooms to shower after the run/walk, I hung around and waited for breakfast after cleaning up a bit in the bathroom. Luckily I had just received my Bulu Box the day before and in it was a product called ShowerPill, which is an athletic body wipe. I was skeptical at first, but the wipe worked really well. It’s really big and the directions say to keep folding it so you only use a portion for each body part. It worked like a charm! I got plenty of use out of it to feel fresh again after the run. It’s also antibacterial, which was great given that I was still nursing the battle wounds from my run on Thursday night.
Just before breakfast was set to begin, I saw Caitlin and Heather come down the elevator with their bags and jumped at the chance for a picture with the two of them. As I’ve mentioned before, Caitlin was the inspiration behind my #AmazingMe post and Heather was the winner of my Recipe Roundup. These ladies are wonderful, it’s no wonder they are best blends! That’s blogger friends for the uninitiated. 
After saying goodbye, it was time to sit down to breakfast. Once again, we were absolutely spoiled.
So much delicious food, so little time and stomach space!
As wonderful as breakfast was, it was a bit bittersweet because I knew it marked the end of an amazing weekend. Throughout the meal bloggers were packing up and saying goodbye.
I was very sad to see Meg and Chelsea go, but I am certain I will see these ladies again!
I also made sure to grab my Zumba friend and faux roommate Melanie before she left.
I call Melanie one of my faux roommates because she let me use her shower after Zumba on the first day. So kind!
I also made sure to grab a photo with Heather, who did so much throughout the weekend and was super helpful every time I had a question. If you haven’t yet, check out her site and Healthy Living Blogs.
Finally I grabbed a picture with Elizabeth and Michelle, my Ultimate Bootcamp buddies.
I call them this because Elizabeth’s experience with Ultimate Bootcamp is one of the reasons I decided to sign up in the first place, back in the spring. Michelle, on the other hand, was part of the workout on Saturday at HLS12. There’s nothing like bonding over bootcamp! Too bad I wasn’t looking at the right camera (alas, that is the trouble with taking multiple photos, I suppose).
Afterward I looked around and noticed that the breakfast crowd had thinned considerably as almost everyone was heading out to catch a flight or a train. As much as I didn’t want to leave, I walked to my car and made the sad drive back to my apartment.
To say that this weekend was memorable would be an understatement. I met so many amazing people, heard so many touching stories, and learned so many important things about blogging and myself that I can honestly say the weekend changed me (or at least helped me grow). I am so glad I registered for the conference (and grateful that it was in Boston, which gave me the extra push). I foresee a lot of healthy living conferences in my future and hopefully a lot more time with other healthy living bloggers as well.
Have you ever been to an event that changed you for the better? I’d love to hear about it.
