Yesterday was one of those jam packed day that leave you exhausted and energized at the same time!
I woke up for the 2nd time this week before 5am in order to get in a morning run without missing out on any fun. A small group of us met at 5am in the Hyatt hotel lobby to head out for 13+ miles before Healthy Living Summit kicked off. It was earlier than we originally planned but we wanted to have plenty of time to shower, stretch and eat breakfast before the sessions.
I had the pleasure of running with Valerie, who was attending Healthy Living Summit on behalf of her company, Porter Novelli, and participating in the Blogging with Brands session with a few of us bloggers Saturday morning. It turns out that Valerie is my dear college friend Robin’s best friend back in Washington, DC! It truly is a small world and it was so fun to connect the dots this weekend and finally get to know the lovely lady of whom I’ve heard so much over the years from Robin. 
We kept a great pace for the first few miles along the lovely Charles River, chatting and enjoying the morning scenery. Unfortunately Valerie wasn’t feeling too hot so we parted ways around mile 7 and I continued along the river on my own, jamming to my music and missing my rowing days as I watched skulls glide past me on the river. Around mile 9 it started to drizzle which was wonderfully refreshing and just added to the perfect running weather, cooler than my normal sticky NYC runs and a scenic change. 
After a quick shower and a breakfast beyond my wildest dreams, thanks to Wild Harvest and their blogger recipe competition, I was fueled and ready to begin a day of learning from fellow bloggers, brands, fitness groups, and experts from some of our favorite brands and PR firms! 
The morning kicked off with a get to know you ice breaker in small groups of 15 or so people. It was so much fun to get to know the new and old faces alike over such topics as AIM screen names and favorite books. In case you were wondering, my answer to the below question is Anne of Green Gables and The Bible. 
After the opening we had a chance to break a sweat with the local Crossfit gang and learn the basics behind the workout and some of their favorite moves, such as air squats and jumps. There were over 150 people in the tented space lined up in rows so the instructors could monitor form and give pointers. They had an awesome soundtrack for the workout and were so upbeat that you couldn’t help but smile while you squated low. 
The next session I attended was Holding a Virtual Challenge, hosted by the lovely Amanda from Run to the Finish! I’m going to provide details around this session in this week’s Tuesday Tips but let me just say that I learned so much and was inspired to do my own challenge in the near future.
Next up, was the moment I’d been worrying about all morning, Blogging with Brands, a session that brought together three brand and PR aficionados (Kelly Olexa, Valerie, and Laura Stanton along with three bloggers (Theodora, Anne, and myself) to share tips and thoughts about working with brands.
I was honored when Lauren asked me to join the panel and looked forward to not only contributing but also learn from everyone participating. Theodora did a great job recapping her thoughts in today’s post. (picture via Theodora)
While we didn’t have a formal presentation, Lauren prepared questions for each person to answer and then we took Q&A from the crowd. 
It was great because almost every topic allowed for both a blogger and brand to share their thoughts which exposed the audience to multiple opinions and schools of thought. I think the live tweeting summarized the highlights better than I ever could since the things that are Tweeted tend to be the most noteworthy and effective. Here are the highlights from the #HLSBrandtalk twitter feed. 
The session went wonderfully and our bundle of nerves was over faster than anyone wanted! The packed house had great questions and I can only hope that they gained at least a few useful tips.
After our session we were able to laugh again and enjoy a delicious lunch which proved that the Hyatt really knows how to cater for large groups. The meals this year blew the socks off all of us! Tender chicken that was served moist versus dry. Dishes served in Le Crueset? Amazing flavors?
The rest of the afternoon was spent in more sessions and networking with brands until around 5 when we couldn’t wait to toast Meghann and the gang for all their hard work! (bottom pic via Gretchen!)
While the HLS sessions were done, our day wasn’t over. I’ll be back tomorrow to share our epic dinner at Evoo thanks to the folks at Chobani!
Hope you had a great weekend!
