Pushing It Palin-Style

During one of our water breaks on our long Sunday runs, Tiffany asked me what time I put down on the application for the Disney Marathon.

“Well, if I run at my slowest pace of 11 minute miles, that’s 55 minutes to run 5 miles.  Given that pace, I figure I should finish it in about 5 hours, right?”

“Good!  That’s what I thought, too!” Tiffany replied.  “My goal is to beat Katie Holmes’s time: 5:29:58.”

“Oh we could so beat her!”  We’ll kick Katie Holmes’s a$$!”

Then, this past week, Tiffany asked me if I knew that Palin ran a marathon.

“Palin ran a marathon?”

“Yeah, it was in Runner World.  Her time was 3:59:36.”

“How old was she?  Wow.  The other Denise was right.  She is a super woman.  She is a machine, but I still ain’t voting for her.”

I began to visualize Palin running a marathon along the icy polar caps of Alaska while holding a rifle and shooting baby seals.  How does a mother of five and a governor find time to train for a marathon?  How can she be that fast?  She simply can not be human.

My training trance was abruptly interrupted when Lori commented on how my pace suddenly picked up a bit.

“Well, I thought we only had to be Katie Holmes.  Now, I have to beat Palin’s time!”

Indeed, Palin did run a marathon at the fabulous age of 41.  She ranked 15th place in her division and 63rd out of 203 runners.

If I can’t beat her time in January or February, then it’s something for me to strive when I hit the big 4-0!

Other Politicians Who Have Run Marathons

  • George W. Bush, Houston Marathon 1993 (3:44:52)
  • Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts, Boston Marathon 1951 (3:31:00)
  • John Edwards, Marine Corps Marathon 1983 (3:30:18)
  • Bill Frist, Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:54:36)
  • Al Gore, Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:58:25) 🙂
  • Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, Little Rock Marathon 2005 (4:39:04)
  • Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa, Little Rock Marathon 2005 (5:28:39)
  •  Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Marine Corps Marathon (3:11:xx) 1979

 

Celebrities Times I have to Beat

  • Katie Holmes, New York City Marathon 2007 (5:29:58)
  • Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon 1994 (4:29:20)
  • Will Ferrell, Boston Marathon 2003 (3:56:12) -As if I could run that fast!  LOL
  • David Lee Roth, New York City Marathon 1987 (6:04:43) – I could so kick his rocking a$$!
  • Mario López, Saved by the Bell, Boston Marathon 2002 (5:41:41)

6 comments

  1. morethananelectrician says:

    I am really surprised Will Ferrell ran a sub 4 hour marathon…Palin too. That is no small task and a lot of time involved.

    It is even harder for regular moms and dads who have real jobs (not that politicians and celebrities doon’t make an honest living) and responsibilities.

  2. pamajama says:

    I was fascinated by the times of all the different people, in particular that Oprah beat Al, Mike, Katie (badly) & Mario. Most impressively, how knew Clarence Thomas was so completely kick ass?! Thanks!

  3. Tiffany says:

    Let’s knock them all off–one marathon at a time! I think we can beat Katie, Mario, David Lee Roth (what did he do walk??? Stop and have a beer???), and Tom Vilsack at Disney.

    Seriously, that was really interesting. Being a lawyer, I am especially impressed by Clarence Thomas.

  4. dwyatt64 says:

    Other Denise here: so can I say I told you so? Sarah Palin kicks ass and takes names for later. And I went to her rally on Monday….she should have traded in the naughty librarian look for the Wonder Woman attire. (Luv the pic!) I wouldn’t mind you kicking George W.’s ass, but leave my girl Palin’s time alone. Or at least until you’re 41! 🙂 I know I can’t change your mind about her (even though she’s awesome), but you have to admit she’s got game.

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