To talk to this girl

[Oysterbabe]

I’ve been walking the same route to work for about a year and inevitably see a lot of the same people every day. What they may or may not know is that I am secretly racing them. There is one girl in particular who is usually walking up my road as I leave the house. She’s pretty fast and sometimes she overtakes me and sometimes I stay ahead of her. We’ve never made eye contact or spoken but I feel sure that knows that we’re racing and I’m sure she purposely swishes her ponytail at me as she’s overtaking. She wears very cloppy shoes so I can usually hear her approaching from behind even when I have my headphones on.

I’m 23 weeks pregnant now and getting a bit slower as my hip has been giving me a bit of bother. She wins most days and this is just going to get worse. This morning I set off down the road and straightaway could hear clop clop clop so I upped the pace a bit, determined to at least beat her to the traffic lights at the bottom of the hill. It was going pretty well as her clops got a bit faster too but weren’t getting any louder so I thought I was holding her. Upped the pace a bit more to the point where I had a bit of a light sweat on and still no sign of her overtaking. Made it to the lights first (yes!) and risked a glance back over my shoulder and saw that no one was there. Was a bit puzzled by this until I started walking again, heard the clop clop clop and realised that my keys had been knocking against my phone in my bag when I walked and this was what I had been hearing.

While finishing my walk to work at a rather more leisurely pace I started thinking about how I’m probably slightly mad. Do other people secretly race to work? Would it be unreasonable if next time I smiled at my swishy haired opponent and maybe said good morning? Would this be breaking some kind of commuter grand prix rule? To be honest she doesn’t look very friendly but maybe she’s just focused on the race.

[OTheHugeManatee]

Just .

[flanjabelle]

That has really made me smile op.

Talk to her! Probably avoid mentioning the race though.. or she might start walking faster for a different reason haha.

[catfordbetty]

Don't talk to her! Have her iced. Do you know any hitmen?

[BitOutOfPractice]

You are bonkers. But lovely bonkkers. You've really made me laugh

[Unreasonablebetty]

You are a bit mad. But in the loveliest way possible!

[lizzydrippingsghost]

next time say
on your marks get set GO
at least let the woman know shes in a race

[LemonPied]

I race a man to be first on the train each morning. He doesn't know that I race him. Means I usually beat him

[Marmitelover55]

Made me smile too OP and I'm have a shit time at the moment. Thanks

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

Just stop her and ask how she gets her ponytail so swooshy!

[Binkybix]

I do this too!

[Lj8893]

Oh your so wonderfully mad, how could anybody not want to become friends with you! Absolutely talk to her!

[RiverTam]

Oh, that's really made me laugh. You can't possibly talk to her though, she'll suspect some kind of sabotage.

[HackerFucker22]

I thought it was just me!!! I was still walking to work at 38w, by that stage though I used to pick more 'suitable' people to race - like 80 year old with walking sticks!!

[BitOutOfPractice]

Maybe you need to nobble her OP to make it more of an even contest while you're up the duff?

[mapmyface]

You sound absolutely crackers! (In a good way)
Yes talk to her, just probably never tell her what you've just told us

[lordStrange]

Bring a whip with you tomorrow.

[Ookmybanana]

What an awesome thread. It sounds exactly like the type of thing I'd do.
Yes, you should definitely talk to her but manoeuvre her into a place where you have the re-starting advantage so when you set off again you are in pol position. Or perhaps given your pregnant state, get some heelys.

[Pointlessfan]

DH secretly races someone to the station every day too! Sometimes I drop him off and I always see a woman who dresses amazingly, she always looks fab and I especially love her coat. She gets DH's train so I asked him to pass on the compliment but he won't incase she thinks he's stalking her or something!

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

I used to do this, I also had a complicated back story for people on the bus and used to matchmake for them in my head.

I've been a sahm for 8 years but I still see some of the people I used to get the bus with. They don't remember me but due to my crazy imagination I remember them!

Maybe don't race while pregnant though, I ran for a bus at five months gone and felt a click in my pelvis, which was never the same afterwards :-()

[SantanaBinLorry]

I race my neighbour on the school run. I Win most of the time, even with toddler in tow disadvantage. She really isnt taking it at all seriously :)

[BackInTheRealWorld]

Noooo don't talk to her otherwise you'll have that awkward thing of having to acknowledge each other every time you overtake each other!

[laureywilliams]

HA HA HA.

Sometimes I agonise over whether I should overtake someone on my bike. When I decide to go I then feel I have to maintain 110% speed until I'm about to drop. The fear of being re-overtaken is always with me.

[SunnyL]

When I cycled to work i definitely raced the men. It was always funny to overtake them and count to 10. I could guarantee within 10 seconds they'd overtake me again at full pelt, bright red in the face and peddling like mad. Gave me great enjoyment to call out a jaunty good morning as they passed because i knew they could barely breathe let alone speak.

Now i walk and miss my mind fuckery games

[Naicecuppatea]

Buy some cloppy shoes like hers, then you can try and out clop each other