Helloooo from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania! I’m having a blast so far and the Runner’s World Festival & Half hasn’t even officially started yet!
After a quick flight from Boston, I arrived safe and sound at the Philadelphia airport where I met Monica, Sarah, Brittany, and Janae, who I was especially excited to meet in person for the very first time. She’s as sweet and friendly as I expected!
The five of us hopped in van and, about an hour later, we arrived at our hotel for the weekend. I’m rooming with my favorite red-headed Mexican.
When we checked into the hotel, each of us was given a bag full of goodies from Runner’s World. Yay! I love the “Powered by Tuna” box! Yeehaw!
A short while later, our group (there’s 20 of us bloggers) boarded a (party) bus and drove to the Runner’s World (Rodale) offices for a welcome dinner and tour of the facilities by Bart Yasso.
Woohoo! Excited to be at Runner’s World!
Dinner was a catered barbeque with burgers, hot dogs, various toppings (mmm”¦ caramelized onions), and a couple of different salad options.
My plate””I swear there’s a cheeseburger under all of those greens!
And, of course, I left room for dessert!
After dinner, Bart took us for a tour of the Rodale offices.
Treadmill workstation = awesome!
Bart’s office was one of my favorite stops of the tour!
He told us that most of the bibs hanging on the walls and door are from him changing in his office right after a race.
I also enjoyed hearing some of the behind the scenes info about Runner’s World from Editor-in-Chief, David Willey.
He told us that the “bread and butter” of Runner’s World content focuses on four major topics: training, nutrition, injury prevention, and gear/shoes. And, each year, the magazine plans for specific topics in certain issues. For instance, the April issue always focuses on weight loss while the October issue is always centered around nutrition.
Random: Here’s a flat cardboard cat that I spotted in someone’s office. My mom and sister will get a kick out of this.
The evening ended with s’mores, conversation, and a ride back to the hotel.
We have an early start to a busy day tomorrow, so goooooood night!!!
Questions of the Day
What famous runner would you most like to meet?
Would you rather eat a brownie, chocolate chip cookie, or s’more?
P.S. Be sure to check out the #rwhalf hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to follow along with the fun at the festival!