Running + Politics

This might be a huge no-no…why do we want to drag our beloved running into politics, where we may not see eye to eye? But this whole Paul Ryan lying about his marathon time thing is fascinating to me.

I’m just sayin...

http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/09/02/the-only-lie-that-seems-to-matter-paul-ryans-fudged-marathon-time/

The only lie that seems to matter: Paul Ryan’s fudged marathon time

For all of the lies and half-truths GOP VP Paul Ryan has uttered as of late — and that we’ve fact-checked him on some– none is getting as much, er, run as his fib about how fast he ran a marathon.

For those catching up, last week Ryan told conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt that his personal best was “Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something.”

Some context: If you’re running 26.2 miles in under three hours, you are moving into SERIOUS marathon time.

Except Ryan didn’t. He was fact-checked by, wait for it…Runner’s World magazine, a repository of marathon times. They couldn’t find his name as having run in any marathons. Finally, Runner’s World reported that the campaign told them that “that the Republican vice presidential candidate has run one marathon. That was the 1990 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, where Ryan, then 20, is listed as having finished in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds.”

No shame in that. You try running 26.2 miles that fast. But what is raising eyebrows is what Ryan’s official statement was afterwards: “The race was more than 20 years ago, but my brother Tobin—who ran Boston last year—reminds me that he is the owner of the fastest marathon in the family and has never himself ran a sub-three. If I were to do any rounding, it would certainly be to four hours, not three. He gave me a good ribbing over this at dinner tonight.”

Take it from the spouse a hardcore runner who has run a few marathons and bunch more half-marathons: Everybody who has run a marathon or even a half knows their PB (personal best.) It’s something you NEVER forget, like an anniversary (“D’oh!”), your best golf or bowling score, the most you ever bench-pressed, etc. It’s a number tattooed on your brain and your heart. You just don’t forget it. Especially if you’re a jock like Ryan who exercises every morning with Bakersfield’s own, House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy. A couple weeks ago the phrase “Paul Ryan shirtless” was trending on Google. (Yes, yes, see shirtless Ryan photos here.)

So why bend the truth on this? It’s about a marathon the dude ran half a lifetime ago. Regardless, it is creating a Lyin’ Paul Ryan narrative that the GOP has got to stop ASAP before the likes of “Saturday Night Live” get a hold of it and Ryan gets Palinized..

And it’s not like it was a slip. When Hewett expresses amazement at the the fast time, Ryan reloads and says “I was fast when I was younger, yeah.”

Yeah...

On ABC News’ “This Week” Sunday, former President George W. Bush adviser Matthew Dowd calls out Ryan for his lie-tany of recent false statements. At some point, Dowd says, “the truth should matter.”

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For the record, I was always impressed by George W. Bush’s 7 to 8-minute pace runs around the White House lawns. Runners World Magazine actually noted that “John Edwards has run 3:30; George W. Bush has run 3:44; Sarah Palin has run 3:59; and Al Gore has run 4:58.” They also indicated that Democrat John Kerry may have fibbed on actually running the Boston Marathon. You can read the full story here: http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/08/31/paul-ryan-says-hes-run-sub-300-marathon/

I wanna give dude the benefit of the doubt, like maybe it was 20 years ago, maybe he just doesn't remember, but that doesn't seem realistic. shrug. who knows.

inauguration day musings

So at 4am, Zoe woke me up. We went downstairs, got some chocolate milk and camped out on the couch, since there just wasn't going to enough room for me, my hubby and Jada, who'd arrived bedside hours earlier.

As she slurped away, she said "Mommy, Mommy! We have to tell Miss Hedda (translation: Ms. Heather, her teacher) that we have to watch Barack Obama (pronounces o-BAMM-a) today! We have to tell her." awwwwww, she's so proud and doesn't even know why. And yes, the inauguration was in fact part of their agenda at school today.

After dropping Zoe off, Jada and I made our way up Lakeshore Drive for our daily 110-block trip (one way). We couldn't help but think how odd it was that we were, one, receiving some serious lake effect snow that we never saw in yesterday's forecast, but that the sky up ahead was blue. It could only mean one thing: Brighter days ahead!

Picture Caption Contest #1

No comprendo

Ok...I try not to talk about politics too much, so as not to offend anyone with my concrete political views....but this Sarah Palin of the "political powerhouse of the state of Alaska" as McCain's choice as running mate, as a nod to those maybe still upset about Hillary?

Follow my line of thinking for just a moment please. John McCain is no spring chicken. He's old. Older than Reagan was when elected, and that was old, too. One of McCain's drawbacks is that he is so old. In choosing a VP candidate, one has to consider the readiness of the candidate to ACTUALLY LEAD THE COUNTRY in the unfortunate case that the president dies or is incapacitated. So how is she qualified? I mean, if Barack Obama is not qualified to be president, let the Republicans tell it, do you want someone of even less political experience literally one heartbeat away from the presidency?

And further, I think to imply or assume that Hillary fans would instantly be wooed by her is disrespectful to Hillary. I mean, let's face it, Hillary Clinton has credentials on top of credentials. Doesn't she?

I dunno, maybe I'm just too blinded my my liberal ways. I'm just glad it's not Pawlenty. I saw him on GMA yesterday and despised him within 2 minutes.