pulling out the big guns

I was running yesterday when some guy wearing black shorts and an orange T-shirt passed me. He looked buff enough but not super-fast. But this stranger came over my right shoulder and kept on charging. I picked up my pace, telling myself that obviously I wasn't running faster just because he happened to have overtaken me. I tried to stay with him. I wanted to look like maybe I was his training partner not the chick who was getting her butt kicked. A few hundred metres down the road it was clear that I couldn't keep up. But now I have some secret weapons:

I went shopping last week. I brought my old asics and the assistant pulled out a bunch of similar runners for me to test out. Then she made the dangerous move of allowing me to try the Noosa Tri 5. I fell in love. I bought them. (Correction... actually my mum bought them for me!)

Over Sunday lunch I was chatting with Beryl and I mentioned that I was the proud new owner of the coolest, craziest pair of pink asics racing shoes that you've ever set your spectacles on. I wasn't expecting eighty-something-year-old Beryl to share my passion but she replied, "Interesting... my daughter works at asics. Let me know if you want to get another pair." I called the Sydney office and bought these these GT-2150 trainers for less than half of the recommended retail. Sweet price.

Dear Mum: thanks heaps for the birthday gift.
Dear Beryl: you're awesome.
Mr Middle-aged man in the orange T: you have been warned.