Cyber Friend No Longer Virtual

Meeting Natalia in Boston was like meeting a long lost best friend.  We clicked instantly. Over the past few years we have exchanged emails and commented on each others blogs and  in person we were chatty best friends that understood each other.

At the expo

Arranging to meet at the expo could have backfired based on the sheer number of people that would be attending but we arranged to meet early.  Like a scene from a movie, we were both on our cell phones trying to locate the other person when I look up, see her on the escalator and knew instantly it was her (of course she looked like her pictures but was much prettier in person.)  For the next 2.5 hours we zig zagged our way through the expo chatting the entire time. I learned that you're supposed to toss your sports bra's after a year (mine are grey, dungy and many years old) and that Natalia is a wicked fast runnuh.  Natalia must have felt so sorry for me having old sports bra's because she later gave me a gift...a new sports bra.  Out with the old; in with the new!

Natalia finishing strong

Natalia post race

On Sunday Natalia was running the 5K, which is on a portion of the Boston Marathon course, and I headed over to cheer her on. Getting up early in Boston wasn't a problem for me because I was still waking up at 6am (3am Phoenix time) At the start line there were 5,000 plus people and I knew I wouldn't find her.  About 20 minutes before the start of the race I called her....she was just leaving the house! It would only take her 10 minutes to get there.  This is one area were we differ.  For races, I'm an anxious nervous rat arriving at the races an hour before and couldn't imagine showing up 10 minutes before the race even if I did already have my race packet and bib.  After the start of the race I climbed into the stands to watch her come through the finish.  I worried I wouldn't be able to pick her out in the crowd yet after a bit, she came through looking strong.  I waited for her to pop out the other end of the food tent and we talked about her race  and walked around until my pre-race nerves and tired feet got the best of me and we parted.

Natalia, Stuart, John and Christina

On Wednesday, Natalia wasn't sick of me yet and we met for dinner with our significant others.  3 hours later when we parted it seemed like only an hour had gone by.  Natalia originally is from South Africa and her husband is British so both of them have the coolest accent. The night passed so effortlessly I was sad to say goodbye.

Meeting Natalia was one of the highlights on my Boston trip and I look forward to meeting her again...maybe Vegas?