Meeting women my own age/interests

[VeganBikeChick]

How do you all do it? I moved to Denver a month ago and am having the hardest time ever meeting people, especially girl friends to hang out with. I thought I'd have luck at my job, but I'm one of 2 single women, and the other one is only concerned with finding the perfect guy - I've tried getting her to go out and do something, but no luck. The other women are all married with families.

Part of the problem is my work schedule - i work until 8-9:30pm during the week and only have weekends free. I've thought about joining a running or cycling group, but I'm at a very basic level and being passed by everyone would only frustrate me. Any ideas out there?

[jessmarimba]

Not sure where you are, but my running group is great We've got quite a variety of speeds/distances/etc. From a couple Boston qualifiers to 5:30+ marathon times. (And we seem to have lots of folks in the medical field, you may even work with some of them). We meet in Wash Park on Saturdays and then go eat but I'm skipping today to work the beer festival.

But I know how you feel. I've been here for three years, and outside the running folks I have exactly 0 female friends in Denver. Only a handful of male friends that I've met through my second job. It's tough.

[emily_in_nc]

In the cycling club I was a member of in North Carolina, there were riders of all speeds, so don't let that stop you. There were a lot of slower riders who rode together a lot and became good friends. Most rides will be advertised to be of a certain pace or will break into two or more groups, so obviously don't go to an "A" paced ride if you are slow, but if it's a B-C type ride, it will usually break into several groups, and some people will almost always be around the same pace as you. I had many great conversations and met some great women friends that way. There was also a women-only ride that was fun.

What other interests do you have? Perhaps there are other clubs, organizations, or groups you could join, attend meetings, etc. From book clubs to dining clubs to whatever...I would be surprised if a big city like Denver didn't offer numerous ways to meet people. But you have to get out there -- that's the hardest part. And be patient -- you've only been there a month.

[Shellyrides]

I have had the worst time finding friends. I tried a couple outdoors groups, but even though I could keep up with them on hikes I felt that they where almost afraid that my fat would rub off on them. My friends I have now think I am insane and do not understand why I want back to my old life style so bad and think its just a "thing" I am going through. I even tried posting on CL for training buddies. no luck here.

[Hi Ho Silver]

Check out Meetup.org for groups in your area that focus on interests similar to yours. There may be a biking group that has separate rides for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels.

[emily_in_nc]

Check out Meetup.org for groups in your area that focus on interests similar to yours. There may be a biking group that has separate rides for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels.

That's a great idea I always forget about. A friend of mine in NC met a lot of nice women through various meet-up groups in the local area. There was one just for women of a certain age who wanted to go out for a glass of wine and lady-chat from time to time, one for her dog's breed, one for people with a particular psychological issue... there are ALL kinds of meet-up groups -- crafts, music, sports, book lovers, the list goes on -- it's really quite amazing.