Monday, the day of laboring, was a rest day around here. We headed to Water World for a last ditch effort at summer fun. I wore a white bathing suit with white underwear and white pumps because it was the last day to wear white. After Labor Day, you get arrested.
Okay, I was kidding about wearing all white.
I’ve said it before – I’m not a big fan of amusement/theme parks. Too many people, piercings, tattoos, lines and screaming children. Not that I’ve got anything against piercings (I had my ears pierced in 4th grade!) and tattoos can actually be pretty intriguing and studly (although I do not understand the sun tattoo around the belly button. Reminds me of something that rhymes with nut roll). I will say that belly button piercings should be reserved for those few who are blessed with amazing tummies, but most people missed that memo.
Moving on, it’s been a good week in my running world.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 miles with 4 mile tempo @85% heart rate max (HRM)
Wednesday: 7 mile easy @75% HRM
Thursday: 4 miles with 2 mile tempo @85% MRM
Friday: 7 miles easy @75% HRM
Saturday: 90 minutes hot yoga
Sunday: 12.6 miles (trail/climbing) @75% HRM
Total miles = 36.6
This morning I tried out my new Saucony Kirvana 3s.
The reason I got these is that I had read great reviews on them from you all and places like Runner’s World. I really want to be in a shoe with a low heel to toe drop because this makes finding my mid foot easier. I also like a light, flexible shoe. I’ve been running in the Brooks Pure Cadence, which I like, but they weren’t the perfect shoe for me. With just a 4mm drop and weighing in at 7 ounces, the Kinvaras seem to fit the bill. Cool color assortment too! So far I’m finding them to be comfortable, with a soft feel. I like that the toe box is not as wide as the Brooks.
Now bear with me while I tell you something I don’t understand - what is with Paul Ryan fudging his marathon time? If you missed it, last week in a radio interview he was asked if he had run a marathon before. Ryan said “Yes”, and when asked what his time was he said, “Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something.”
This answer caught the attention of Runner’s World since most people don’t run that fast even when they are P90x superstars. Runners World did some vetting to find that Paul Ryan ran the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in 1991 when he was 20. His time? Four hours, one minute. Hmmm…that’s kinda different than 2:50 something.
I am not making a reference to politics here, people –please don't make this that debate. I would call out any Tom, Dick or Harry (including Biden or Obama) in the public eye who fudged like this. I mean we’re not talking a few minutes discrepancy here!
To non-runners, this might seem inconsequential. So what if he misquoted his time by over an hour? He probably forgot! And for God’s sake our nation is in an economic crisis! But as runners, we know that it’s tough to forget your marathon time, especially if you’ve only done one. Ryan later claimed it was actually his brother who ran the fast marathon time, and he got mixed up. To which I said, “Yeah, I ran a 2:24 marathon once. Oops, no that was Kara Goucher.”
I do think it’s fun to note how many of those on the national ticket have run marathons: 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 (I think global warming got to him that day).
Do you remember your marathon times (especially your first or your PR)? What are they? You can brag here. I’ve only run three marathons, but I’m not forgetting my times anytime soon, even if I become famous. My first was 4:03 and my PR is 3:43. I could recite those numbers in my sleep.
Did Ryan forget, or was he just trying to look good? I don’t know. By now, he has to know anything he says will be scrutinized, so maybe it was an oversight? (I’m being nice)
Do anything fun for Labor Day? After a tough day at the water park I made bean burritos, had some wine and watched the season finale of Breaking Bad. Glad to see it’s coming back next year!!
SUAR
