Coming Last In My Sex Group

  Okay, I suppose I could have said "finishing last in my gender group" but if there's one thing I've learned is that a lot more people read posts if there's something racy in the title, so there you go!
   Yesterday, they posted the chip times for the Really Chilly Road Race from this past weekend here in London. I ran the 5K distance and my time was just a few seconds over 40 minutes. As bad as this time is, it was actually better than any recent training times so I was marginally pleased with it, particularly given the harsh conditions the day of the race (which you can read about here, if you'd like). 
   I found my chip time way down the list (where I knew it would be) and there were 7 or 8 people who came in after me. I remember checking over my shoulder a few times as the race was winding down, to see who might be catching up and I was aware that there were a number of people behind me. My only real fear when I'm running any of these races is the possibility of coming in last, so it was comforting to know that this was not an issue.
    I  did discover, however, after perusing the list of chip times, that even though I wasn't the last person to cross the finish line, I was the last male to to do so. This kind of took me aback, being the last guy.
   I tend to leave my ego at the door when it comes to running. I know full well that I started doing it very late in life, that I'm likely always going to be near the bottom of the finishers in any given race and generally I'm only going to be competing against myself. This is all fine and dandy but a race is a race and why bother running in one if there exists no competitive fire in your breastbone?! (or wherever it's supposed to be...)
   

My strategy from now on.

What makes me finishing last in the guys group even more problematic is that it didn't actually need to happen. For the last kilometer or so of the race I'd been running neck and neck with two other guys who were running together. I'd pass them and they'd pass me and so it went. As we all came into the home stretch, they were minimally ahead and the thought occurred to me that I had enough energy left to pass them. But I was too polite about it. I've always had a hard time with the thought of "showing up" other runners just before the finish line. If the speed I'm running at takes me past them naturally then that's one thing. If, however, I would need to intentionally speed up with the sole purpose of passing them, well, that's another thing. It just seems disrespectful to me.
   On Sunday, though, if I'd passed either one (or both) of those other male runners then I wouldn't have been last in my gender group. I'm now wondering whether this might have been the reason I'd need to have put on a little burst right at the end. I also wonder whether or not I might be thinking about that the next time....