#Runnerslove and love of runners

I thought I would post about the #runnerslove meetup and all the people I met over the weekend!  I came away from this experience realizing the other runners are what really make this whole experience worth it.  I met so many amazing ladies and had so much fun. I had a list going of people I wanted to meet and didn't barely scratch the surface.  Again, balancing a trip with other people and a trip to run a half was delicate.  I think next time I will go on my own and the whole weekend will be about the race and runner fun.  

After The Expo we headed to the #Runnerslove meetup that Kristy and Meg coordinated at The Polynesian beach.  We were late after having to go back to the resort for my phone. (I'm never late, BTW.  Just sayin')  I was blown away as I walked up to the meetup and heard someone whisper/say "There's Karen".  Seriously folks, if you are the one that said that, you made me feel like a rockstar.  I forget that I'm not just blabbing to myself here and that people actually read and know who I am.  I geeked out a bit on that.  I'm also fairly shy (I know, SHOCKER!) with people I have never met, but I warm up fast.  I walked up to Meg and got the hugest-squealing-hug I have ever received in my life! If you have never met Meg, you must.  She's amazing!

I immediately started taking photos.  I think some people thought I was nuts, but this is just what I do. Gotta document people!   Besides, it helps with the nervousness,  LOL.  I saw so so so many faces that were familiar and I wish the rain had not foiled my plan to chat with all of you!  Meg & Kristy asked if I could take some pictures of the gifts their sponsors gave away, so I started happily snapping away. 

So many familiar faces and not enough time!

 

I panicked a bit when the rain started to come down harder. I had enough time to give Meg a hug and run! Patty escaped with me, Hi Patty!! *waving* 

 By the time we got to cover, I realized I needed to head to Downtown Disney for our dinner reservation, so we headed out.  Curse you rain!  I missed Rachel by seconds, she arrived and texted me as we were stepping on the bus.  Boo. Hiss.  

Have no fear though, I have determination!  Rachel met me at the Pop Century pool on Saturday afternoon and I'm so glad she did.  We had a blast!  

We chatted by the pool and then proceeded to embarrass my 13 year old daughter by getting up and doing the Cupid Shuffle in the middle of the pool!  Savannah wasn't too embarrassed though, as she was happy to take photos of us dancing! Unfortunately, my camera is tempermental with people that don't use it often and she didn't set it on auto, so it was on my own settings and half the shots were out of focus. So much fun though! 

 

When what to my wondering eyes should appear?!!!  My twinkie!  I have been calling April my twinkie since last summer when we seemed to get the same injury or go through the same thing all the time.  I was so excited to see her!

She even brought me a "My first Half Marathon" button from the expo AND a Sparkleskirt.  Uh, could she get any better? ;) 

We spent a couple hours at the pool chatting, we moved to a table when a brief rain came through and they schooled me on Florida weather.  We had been talking about meeting followers of our blogs when out of nowhere Wendy appeared!  She asked if I was Karen and told me she read my blog.  Uh...first fangirl moment!  I was so excited, she started to walk away and I had to ask for a picture.  She then proceeded to ask if she was my first!  LOL!  Yep!  

Wendy, my first! 

Even though I was doing Disney stuff with the Savannah & Eleanor, there were still more runnerslove moments for me over the weekend.  My twinkie not only met me for the bus and hung out with me before the race, but she supported me when she found me around 8 1/2 miles (& I needed it!) and crossed the finish line with me.  More on that later, but she truely earned BRF (Best Runner Friend) status during the Princess weekend! 

 

I set up a superspecial meetup right before the race to get a picture with someone that Savannah & I both follow on twitter.  Jessica is a huge Ed Sheeran fan and when I saw what her costume was going to be, I had to set up a secret meetup and suprise Savannah (the hugest Sheerio on the planet!) I sent the picture to her and she loved it!  

 

After the race, I finally got to spend some time with Meg, we met up at Epcot and she bought me a drink!  She is so absolutely fabulous, I seriously based my decision on whether to run again next year on whether she would be there or not. 

Ok, so I know I'm gushing a lot here but I seriously realized that without the other runners, this race wouldn't mean nearly as much to me.  I'm so looking forward to next year and spending time with the fabulous women that run this race.  I hope that I can meet up with those of you that I missed!  

Do you spend a lot of time meeting up with other runners?  Does it impact your race and experience like it has mine?  How about juggling family and runner stuff?