You ARE beautiful!

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Did you miss the 1st epic HLS recap post?

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Part IV: Beautiful People. Beautiful Food.

I went to bed Friday night hoping my sore left tonsil [just being specific] was the result of too much laughing with new friends; though, when I woke up with a scratchy voice Saturday morning, I knew the reality was that I had caught a cold from a lack of sleep in conjunction with a week of travelling. Terribly disappointed – as the summit hadn’t even officially begun – I slipped into comfy attire [by ‘dress code’] and joined the rest of the attendees for a delicious breakfast buffet. After oatmeal with fresh berries + nut butter [we’re food bloggers, after all], HLS 2010 was under way!

After listening to the keynote speaker, I attended the following tracks:

• Fueling for Fitness: Perform Well and Recover Quickly from Your Workouts

• Stepping Up Your Blog Photography

• The Ups and Downs of Pressing Publish: Getting Real about the Blogging Community

• The Five W’s of Strength Training

• Stop Staring Over Your Shoulder: How to Avoid the Self-Comparison Trap

I’m not going to review or summarize each talk I attended because, frankly, I didn’t learn a whole lot of new information, and I wasn’t all that impressed. Unfortunately, my darn cold caused a lack of enthusiasm, but that’s not to say I did not enjoy every moment of the summit. I didn’t travel to Chicago to listen to lectures about the lifestyle and habits I already live; I traveled thousands of miles to meet people like Caitlin.

This girl inspires me beyond belief!

She truly makes me feel beautiful… despite my awful humidity glow.

Though, I didn’t walk away from the summit enlightened with innovative health or blogging knowledge, I did walk away inspired, proud, and ever so thankful to have found this community… my niche. Ten months ago, I thought I was one of the only 20-year-old girls that put their health and wellbeing at the forefront of their schedule, that didn’t guzzle sugary alcoholic beverages every weekend, enjoyed discovering new nutritious foods, and exercising for pleasure. Stumbling upon this virtual world of the healthy living community was a candle in my dim life. It made me excited about something. It made me hopeful. To have the opportunity to turn these so-called ‘virtual friends’ into real friends this past weekend, was an absolute dream come true.

After the last summit session, I rested in my room for a bit before getting ready for dinner at Brasserie Jo. Allie had kindly invited me to join her and her roomies for a more ‘intimate’ dinner. A quieter dinner was just what was in order after much socializing, while not feeling my best.

 

 

Raw, carrot sticks with a divine vinaigrette were brought to our table upon arrival.

I sampled a beer cheese beignet.

And ogled over this crispy pizza

 

… but stuck with my own choice, the special of the night.

Herbed Chevre, Cherry Tomatoes & Roquette [a.k.a arugula]

As we walked back to Michigan Avenue after a dinner rich with laughter and five star food, we got a taste of the Saturday night life in the city. Though tempting, the only room left on my plate was a good night’s rest.

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Part V: Pinch Me

All summer, I had been looking forward to the ‘fun run’ at the Healthy Living Summit. When I came down with a cold, I was terribly disappointed that it might not end up happening for me. If I were at home, I would have given my body another day of rest; though, since I was in Chicago with my biggest idols and inspirations, I wasn’t going to let a silly cold ruin my once [hopefully twice!] in a lifetime opportunity to run with some of them.

Anyone interested some Sunday exercise was to meet in the lobby at 8:00am. There were walkers, joggers, and hard core marathon runners running a 16-mile training run – more power to ya! I joined the 10K group of about 10 people, including Angela, Anne, Kath, and Tina. We ran south on the breathtaking lake path, stopping frequently for water.

Of course, we stopped to take a few photos as well [it’s what we do!].

 

Skyscrapers & sunshine.

I pulled a Skinny Runner, and snapped a few blurry shots in action.

Chicago seems like an active area – the lake path is a popular place for Sunday runners and cyclists.

As soon as we reached 6 miles [~56 minutes], we were free to walk the last couple blocks to our hotel.

Will Run for Bacon Tofu Photo courtesy of Anne.

I imagined running with Kath and Tina on either side of me, but never knew I’d see the day… pinch me. It is, without question, one of my most memorable runs to this day. I don’t regret one, hot, sweaty minute of it.

Without delay, we all scurried inside to the lobby for air conditioning and cold water. I showered, packed up, and recharged with an AllieBar. Then I said my goodbyes to new friends before we parted our separate ways [sad face].

Hold up! My Chicago adventures don’t end here…