Moving to a new place is definitely not easy; after four amazing years of community and support in college, the transition has been anything but easy. I’ve been very transparent about my experience and feel comfortable discussing it, but that doesn’t solve the real problem. Where do you meet people in real life?

I’m not into bars or partying, so much that option is out…

I have met up with fellow alums from my school, but I want to diversify. Luckily, I’ve have been apart of an amazing blogger network of empowered, fitness-focused women for the past few years: Sweatpink.

As luck would have it, the Sweatpink San Francisco Chapter had their first ever meet up just a few weeks ago and of course I went. Sure I didn’t know anyone, but I knew these women had similar goals and values.

 

We met up at the base of mission peak at 7AM and from the moment we met, I felt complete comfort and ease (until the hike began haha).

It started off easy enough with fairly flat terrain (and quite a few grazing cattle). It was slightly warm, but a lot of the trail was shaded.

45 minutes in– me: “wow, I think we are probably almost there, right?” I say between pants. My friend checks her running watch, nope. We have hiked a mere. 8 miles of the full 7 mile hike. Luckily fun, questbars, beautiful views, and good conversations helped the next few miles go by quickly.

As we approached the peak, I saw a young girl, maybe about five years old, climbing up as well. I immediately realized “If a five year old can do this, what’s my excuse?”

And with that dose of healthy comparison and motivation, I made it to the peak, saw the incredible skyline, and celebrated victory with plenty of good photos.

We had such a wonderful time together and by 11AM I felt so accomplished and had so much day left. I could already feel a soreness settling into my hips on my drive home, so I stopped and bought some BCAAs on the way home to help with muscle recovery.

While I still had to take some Advil the next day, I am so excited that o found such a great group of ladies and can’t wait to keep exploring fitness and the Bay Area with them!

Thanks for the fun, Pauline, Melissa, Sara, and Jocelyn!