If I were you, I'd plan the first 30 days around two anchor habits and one experiment slot. In the first three days, figure out your neighborhood, ask HR or a teammate about employee groups, and check the events calendars for a running store and a library or board game shop. Pick two weekly commitments you can keep for a month, like a no-drop run club from a running store and an open board game night at a library, cafe, or friendly local game store. Show up three times, arrive ten minutes early to chat with organizers, and volunteer for small tasks like shuffling people into tables or helping with route photos. Add one low-effort volunteer shift in week two, like a food bank sort or park cleanup, and register for a 5K at the end of the month to give you an easy shared goal and talking point. Bring an easy gateway game in your bag, like Sushi Go, Ticket to Ride, or Just One, and at the event say mind if I join or would anyone like to play this rather than waiting to be pulled in. On the running side, join the store's Strava club, stick to the conversational pace group, and ask a couple openers like which local routes you like most or any good weekend runs. For safety, keep first meetups in public, share your location with a friend, get yourself there and home, and set a two-drink max or stick to coffee. Use a default yes rule for the first month but only for invites that are public, budget friendly, and end by around 10, and politely say another time to late bar crawls or house parties until you know the hosts.
To turn casual hangs into friendships, follow up within 24 hours with a specific and low-pressure invite, like that was fun, want to try the Tuesday five mile loop or play Cascadia next Thursday at the cafe. Consistency beats intensity, so aim for six to eight touchpoints with the same few people by showing up weekly and tossing small check-in texts or kudos on their runs. When someone seems lukewarm, back off and keep it breezy, but when it clicks start a tiny group chat and float a recurring plan like Sunday coffee run or a monthly game night at a neutral spot.