Shout Out to My “Blog Friends”

WordPress just informed me that I’ve been with them for 5 years. 5 years (first post here – Carlsbad race report, the time I broke 2 hours)!!! I never would have imagined that I’d stick with blogging that long, but I guess it makes sense because I have always loved writing. This blog has never been something that I let stress myself out or that I use to make money (although it has afforded some great perks at times). I don’t put pressure on myself to get a certain number of readers, likes, comments or shares. I just do what I do, and if you like it, then I like you and if you don’t, I’ll still like you. This is just my corner of the internet.

The most rewarding thing about blogging, other than the intrinsic joy I get from putting pen to paper (errr… fingers to keyboard), is the friendships it has created for me. I’ve made REAL LIFE friendships from this blog. I call these people my “blog friends.” Some of this friends I’ve actually met in real life (met up for a run, saw each other at a race, shared hotel rooms or long plane rides, and one even came to my wedding), others are close enough that we text or e-mail without ever having met, and others are those who I feel a sense of friendship with just by the mere fact that we read and comment on each other’s blogs.

I usually am drawn to blogs that are written by people who don’t make a living off of them – the ones that are just real people doing their thing (which in this case, is usually running and/or triathlon) and writing about their version of it. I don’t like to read a lot of sponsored posts (although I will at times if they seem genuine or I’m interested in the product), which is why I don’t write a lot of them and tend to shy away from blogs full of them.

The reason I love to read other blogs and become friends with random strangers from the internet is because we share the same passion – running. Despite living in beautiful and very active San Diego, most of my friends don’t run. I have a few running buddies (hello Asia, Brooke, Amy and Allison!), but it’s sometimes difficult to coordinate schedules and training cycles at times (plus, pace  is an issue when you’ve got some super speedy friends!). Plus, I really like to read about what people are doing to get faster and get in their minds as they prepare for a big race. I love to read a good race report where a fellow runner has achieved their goal, or be able to commiserate with them when they don’t.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of bloggers come and go. People drop off and don’t come back, but usually if they’ve become my friend (hello to my first “blog friend” Robyn!), we still keep in touch, via Facebook or the occasional e-mail or text.

So will I be blogging in 5 more years? I’d guess not, but 5 years ago I would have said the same thing. We’ll see how long this ship sails, but for now, I’m happy to go along for the ride with all of you! Cheers to blog friends, past, present and future!

Do you make friends on the internet? If so, who was your first blog friend? What kind of blogs do you like to read?