Running with Your Spouse...Are Men Just Naturally Fast???

**Thanks for the help on the photo deal! Google Chrome fixed the problem!!**

I am one of the lucky (well maybe lucky, LOL) ones that has a husband that runs! He has always ran with me kinda here and there nothing regular and NEVER to train for something! Well ever since November that changed....
Spring/Summer 2012 the hubs said he was hanging up his running shoes for a while and was going to focus more on "the gym" aka weights. He works on Saturdays so he isn't able to run as many 5k's as I do but there are several that we usually do together. After the 3k in March he did none! We ran together maybe a total of 5 times in the evenings but nothing much.
And then November rolled around and he's ready to run again??!! I had just finished the Monumental Marathon so I was (and am) slow and on a cut back schedule, there was several 5k's left for the year and several that he was able to do!

The first one we did together was the Southern Lights Stroll at the Kentucky Horse Park November 15, 2012. This was on a Thursday evening, evening races can be such a challenge after working and eating all day. I must say I was a little nervous about not being able to do well and I really wanted to place the last 3 years I've come in 4th or 5th and I wanted at least 3rd! But then I came to my senses and told myself to just "run"! After making through the crowded start surprisingly I slowly was taking a farther and farther lead away from the hubs.  I finished about a minute ahead of him and I took that 3rd place I was chasing!!!

The next week we ran the annual Thanksgiving Day Thoroughbred Classic. This is a big race for our area, they capped it off at 2400 people this year. For me this is just one of those races to say I did it and a great way to start off Thanksgiving Day! Again not that I am fast but I told the hubs I was going to stay with him side by side the entire time. Except that he took off a little faster, I caught up to him I thought we was together until I made the turn around and saw he was a little behind!

I only finished about 30 seconds before him but I beat him again! That is a rare thing he almost always beats me in races.

The next week we ran the Jingle Bell Jog 5k, this is one of the hardest 5k courses around with a few good size hills. This is a fun 5k  because you pick up a present along the course carry it to the finish and its yours! Who would have guessed on December 2 it would be 70*!! I think that made LOTS of people come out and the fact that this race is for a great cause Alzheimer's. A race of normally 200+ people turned into 400+!! That is awesome! My friends host this race as her dad was affected by the disease so I was happy for them! They asked for us not to pick up presents since there was a much larger turn out than expected which was no problem! The hubs and I stayed together this time well until the end. In the last half mile I just really lost it winded and worn out (I ran a 6k the day before also). I told him to just go on with out me I would try to catch up.
And off he went.......

He was only about 30 seconds ahead of me!

After that race I was done with 5k's and races for 2012........so I thought! A couple of weeks later was the Santa Shuffle 5k in Somerset, Ky. This one the hubs wanted to do and even arranged to take off work to go. I was so hopeful it was going to be a small crowd, it was a pretty cool morning there ended up being about 150 people.

I wasn't familiar with the people from this area so I had no clue on the competition. While we was waiting for the start we heard someone talk about how hilly the course was....Oh GREAT! By the start of the race I was  only excited that I got to wear my stripped socks. Well whoever said it was hilly didn't lie HOLY COW it was crazy hilly. Within in the first .25 was a hill so steep I was bent over almost in half getting up it! Umm yea not the race for me and my music messed up so I didn't have it so I just did a run/walk thing and let the hubs just go and not even try to keep up with him! He finished way ahead of me this time but the poor guy there are lots of fast men in his age group every where we go, I ended up with second in my age group :)!!

Now we are running together at least 3 times a week and usually its with other people. I can not keep up with him! He is way faster than me and just started running regular in November?? Dang! I looked back at my "faster" times and just back in October I could run the 4 mile loop comfortable at 8:45 - 8:50 which is about where he is at. Now I am struggling to hold a 9:30 and on a good day 9:15! I just keep telling myself its only January and my new training period is only beginning, I WILL GET THERE!!

Oh yea and we are training for

 Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon something he said he never wanted to to:)

So what's your opinion, Are men just naturally faster? I think certain people are just born fast but it does seem like men are faster in general.