4:13, 4:21, 4:34, 4:36, 4:46
My marathon times. I remember the times. Do I remember all the details? What year did I run the 4:13? Had to look that up. So no, I don’t remember everything. I do remember that I can’t brag that I ran fast than I did. I didn’t run a four-hour marathon. I ran a 4:13. Marathoners know what I’m talking about. You run what you run. Now there is the category of “sub.” I ran a sub-five, meaning less than five hours. I never say it that way because it’s hardly a bragging right as proud as I am of completing these races.
But for me, at my age and my Sunday running mentality, I would love to be able to say I ran a sub-four. But I didn’t, so I don’t. Anyone running a sub-three has real bragging rights though and if I did that I might shout it out. But I didn’t so I don’t. Leading me to Paul Ryan, who announced that he ran a sub-three, a 2-hour 50-something race. Wow. That’s would be impressive if that is what he did. But he didn’t, so it isn’t.
Here’s the thing: He rounded up by more than an hour. He ran just a bit over four hours…not even a sub-four, much less a sub-three. And here’s his excuse: “I literally thought that was my time. It was 22 years ago. You forget sort of these things. I hurt my back when I was in my mid-20s, so obviously my perception of races and times were off.” Um, what? You hurt your back so you can’t remember your one marathon time?
Do we take this as an indictment against his character? Don’t know if I’d go that far. But we should take it as a cautionary tale. Be careful with the details. Just about anything any of us say can be fact-checked. You could go now and verify my times. Why play fast and loose with the truth? It does show either a lack of character or a lack of substance. And certainly, a lack of preparation.
Maybe you will get away with, let’s say, overstating your experience on your resume or listing that you graduated with a 4.0 when you didn’t. But then maybe you will have a potential employer who will call your references and get your transcripts. Now you’ve lost the job and your reputation. Was it worth it?