I just found the results of Thursday's Resolution Solution 5K race. There were 248 finishers. I was 21st overall and first of 17 in my age group (men 50-54). My chip time was 3.34 seconds faster than my gun time, so I ran a second per mile faster than I thought I did.
Addendum: The overall winner, Richard Neill, is in my age group, so really I finished second of 18 rather than first of 17. I can't believe how fast Neill runs. He beat me by more than three minutes! I should return my first-place medal.
Addendum 2: For those of you who don't know what "chip time" means, let me explain. Many of the races these days (not all) are chip timed. The organizers give each runner a small (reusable) plastic chip, which is attached to the top of a shoe by a plastic tie. There's a carpet across the road at the start, which I assume contains an electronic sensor. Runners line up behind the carpet. When the gun sounds, the runners take off, crossing the carpet when they get to it. When you finish the race, you run across the carpet again, which records your time. The gun time is slower than the chip time, since it may take a second or more to cross the carpet after the gun sounds. When I get a chip time, I use it for my statistics, since it's more accurate. In some races, the awards are based on gun time rather than chip time, even if a chip is used. This is a good rule, in my opinion. Imagine someone starting the race two minutes after everyone else, but running the fastest. It's not fair to the lead runners that they don't see this runner in front of them on the course. There is strategy in running. It's not just a test of speed.
