I Run Like A Girl

Wow, is all I can say. My first days in SF have been everything I thought it would be, and more. I don’t know how I got so lucky, and I am just so beyond happy to be here and to start my new live in this beautiful city.

I flew in on Saturday night. By 11am the next morning, I signed my new apartment! I was so ecstatic to not have to apartment hunt all weekend and actually get to ENJOY the Memorial Day holiday.

I decided to stay with Scott for a few days before I could move in which ended up being such a blessing. (Side note – I am beyond excited to reunite with Scottie in SF!) He introduced me to his friends, and we spent my first two days chilling in Dolores Park and drinking coconut rum, eating Mission Burritos, going out, and throwing a Memorial Day party. I felt so blessed to already meet some friends within my first 48 hours in a new city!!

I’m usually in a mad rush to settle in each time I move, but this time, I’m just taking it day by day. I’ve been living out of a backpack for longer than I’d like to admit. I used a cheap but sketchy shipping service that involved throwing everything I own onto a bus and watching it drive away…it’s still en route, so at the moment, my room looks like this. I’m sure I’ll look back fondly at these degenerate days.

The vegetables here are super fresh. People in general seem to make it a priority to treat their bodies & the earth well. I will definitely be cooking more in my new casa! 🙂

This was also my first week at the new office! I just love the tight-knit SF office in SoMa. (Jeans everyday policy > business casual at the New York office!). I felt at home right away since I had met most of the other actuaries before. Also the food around the office is incredible. My favorite: Benito food truck – poke bowls to die for!

Last but not least. THE RUNNING. Oh. My. God…take any run I’ve ever done in New York and multiply it by 10 in every way – the scenery, weather, hills, difficulty, running high. I am in runners heaven. I’m living in the Marina, near some of the most beautiful running paths in the city (huge draw to picking this apartment).

3 miles on Tuesday + 6 miles yesterday at sunrise along the peninsula. Friggin beautiful.

Also close to me is the Presidio, which is filled with tons of cool trails. Another 6 miles today exploring around this area. I went through several trails, but my favorite was along Lovers Lane, which shot straight up and was killer on the calves, but so worth it for this amazing view of the Bay. So stoked to make trail running more of thing.

This weekend, I’m aiming to get in a long run (a fun way to explore and get to know the city), make progress on building furniture, and also head to Sunnyvale on Saturday 🙂

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Gonna end by talking briefly about my motivation for the move, which I realized I have not gone into detail yet on this blog since breaking the news a few weeks ago.

To be honest, I had no reason to move other than the fact that I wanted to. It was not for a job, for family, for a significant other…it was just for me, and that was a hard thing to justify to others. But mostly to myself. Now looking back on this amazing first week and seeing how everything fell into place; words can’t describe how blessed I feel to have things work out this way.

One of the greatest things I learned from running marathons is that if you really love and want something and you want to experience it, if you have that urge in your heart and know that’s there’s value there, no amount of fear or pain can stop you. You will make it happen.

My closest friends know that I took a LONG time deciding to move to SF (try 2 years!!!), but now that I’m here, I can’t describe how right it feels. I know it’s naive to think this high will stay forever. I’m sure the loneliness will hit soon as my closest friends and family are all back in New York. But for now, I’m just riding this amazing wave life has given me.

Happy weekend y’all!!! 🙂