The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Lessons from the 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

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    Ruth Carter

    Photo by Crystal O'Hara

    I completed my third half marathon this past weekend. My goal was to finish the race is less than 2 hours. I destroyed that goal & finished in 1:52 – 14 minutes faster than my previous personal record.

    1. The Race Will Accept An Altered Liability Waiver.
    I alter every liability waiver before I sign it. The race organizers wanted to avoid all liability, no matter what. I have no problem accepting responsibility if I trip over my own feet, but if they run me into oncoming traffic or a pit full of tigers, I want to sue them. This year, I wrote in a provision that stated that the altered agreement superseded all previous agreements. I’d never written in a provision & I was pleased when the race accepted it.

    2.  KT Tape Is A Godsend.
    I had issues with shin pain during training. I wore KT tape on my leg almost every day between mid-December & the race. It made it possible for me to finish my training with minimal discomfort. At the pre-race expo, KT Tape had a booth where they provided free tape jobs. I had them give me a fresh tape job on my shin & one on my left foot that had started feeling sore. I felt no pain in my foot or leg for the entire race.

    3.  Stay In Front Of Your Pacer.
    The organizers provided runners who maintained a particular pace for the race. Each one held a stick with a sign on it indicating what pace they were keeping. In my starting corral, there was a runner with a “2:00” stick. I knew I had to cross the finish line before him to accomplish my goal.

    My friend’s dad suggested that I get at least a quarter mile in front of my pacer. My pacer was supposed to run 9:10-minute miles, but pacers aren’t human treadmills. They’re faster some miles & slower others. It’s best to get in front of them & stay there. Once I got in front of my pacer, I was afraid he’d overtake me. It kept me motivated to keep my speed up.

    4.  The Back Of Your Shirt Matters.
    In the past, I started the race with my friends who are faster runner than me, & as a result, I was passed more than I passed others. This year I had the opposite experience. I learned that the back of your shirt provides entertainment for the people running behind you.

    Photo by Tyler Hurst

    5.  Having A Cheering Section Makes A Huge Difference.
    I saw my friends & family at miles 8, 11, & 12. Seeing the familiar faces & hearing their voices boosted my spirits. I remember being at mile 4 & thinking, “Only 4 more miles ‘til I see my friends.” After I saw my friends, thinking about them kept me motivated until I saw my next cheering section at mile 11. My friends humored my masochistic side by yelling things like, “Move your ass, Bitch!” In aggregate, I saw my friends & family less than a minute of the race, but having them there made a huge difference.

    I also need to give a huge hat tip to the supporters who made multiple appearances along the route. They would be at the sideline to see their runner to go by, jump in the car, drive to another part of the race route, & be there again. That takes some serious planning & dedication. Even though they weren’t there for me, I appreciated their support in general.

    6. Put One Foot In Front Of The Other & Believe.
    I knew I was running faster than the pace I needed to finish the race in under 2 hours. The race clock at every mile marker helped me estimate my pace. Everyone around me was running so fast, & I had serious doubts that I could keep up my pace for the entire race. I took a risk & believed that it was possible to have such a strong finish. I nearly started crying at mile 12 when I saw that it would take a disaster to not finish in under 2 hours.

    I was beyond pleased when I saw that I finished in 1:52 – average pace: 8:36. It still blows me away that I did so well. It’s a reminder that amazing things can happen if you give yourself permission to give it your all.

  • Please Insult Me During the Half Marathon

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    Ruth Carter

    I have long accepted that I am a bit of a masochist. Looking back over my life, there is a pattern of events and activities where I have paid people to hurt me or to give me the opportunity to hurt myself: competitive gymnastics, body piercings, tattoos, deep tissue massages, paintball, law school, and now running.

    Adam Almaraz & I Smiling before the 2010 Half Marathon

    This Sunday, January 15th, I will be running the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon for the third year in a row. I have two rules for running the race.

    1. Don’t stop running.
    2. Don’t die.

    My goal this year is to break the 2-hour mark. I finished the race in 2:09 my first year and 2:06 last year. It will be a tall order, but it’s doable. I’ve always appreciated the support of the crowd cheering all of us on. I didn’t understand how beneficial it is to hear people cheering and to see all the signs until I ran the race. It makes a huge difference, especially when you’re tired and your body hurts.

    Most of the signs I see during the race say “Go ________” or “__ Miles to Beer.” The best sign I’ve seen at a race was “Hurry up. We’re Hungry.” I’m happy to see every signs along the route, but I wish there were more signs that insulted me. I want to see signs that say things like

    • “Hahaha…You’re Running,”
    • “You Paid Money for this Torture,” and
    • “I Have Warm Coffee and You Don’t.”

    If you’re in the Phoenix area Sunday morning, please come out and support the runners. The half marathon route goes through Tempe and Scottsdale. Apparently, I’ll be running right by the fabulous Echo Coffee in Scottsdale. If you’re along my route, please make a sign that makes fun of me, especially the fact that paid money to get up early on a Sunday and run the cold.

    And in case you were wondering, yes, I’m altering my release and waiver of liability agreement again this year. I will never let the organizers avoid all liability, especially things like gross negligence. If I trip over my own feet, that’s on me; but if I fall because of something they did, I want to have the option to sue them. This year I’m writing in a statement that says the hard copy agreement supersedes any previous agreements, in case I had to electronically agree to the waiver in order to sign up for the race.

    I’m hoping to have another fun race this year. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m super excited that two of my cousins are running it with me – their first time doing the race. If you are a lawyer, law student, or friend of the legal community and running the race on Sunday, I created an event for us on Facebook so we can connect and network before the race.

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  • Warrior Dash Recap 2011

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    Ruth Carter

    This past weekend my friends and I did the Warrior Dash in Florence, Arizona.  This is my type of race – 3.4 miles with 12 obstacles along the way.  It requires endurance, strength, and strategy to be successful.

    (cc) Jeff Moriarty

    There are two types of people who do this race – the serious athletic types who are focused on getting through the course as fast as possible and the types who are there just for fun who often do the race in costume.  I was the former.  Two of my friends were the latter: one dressed up as a Roman gladiator and chased my friend through the course who was dressed up as Jesus.  All of us had an awesome time and are already thinking about what we want to do for next year’s race.  I wanted to share some tips about things that my group was glad we did or should have done.

    Train as if the Race was 5-miles Long:  The course was only 3.4 miles, but it was on dirt, uneven ground, rocks, sand, and mud.  It was much harder than running 3.4 miles on asphalt.

    Do Strength Training:  When I saw which obstacles would be on our race course on the website, I was motivated to add push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and squats to my workout.  It made a big difference on race day.

    Wear Clothes that can be Destroyed:  The course might have dirt, sand, water, fire and/or mud on it.  Don’t wear anything that you’d be sad if it was ripped, stained, or otherwise destroyed.  This includes your shoes and sunglasses.

    Expect Mud to Get Everywhere:  Regardless of your body type or what you’re wearing, you will be covered from head to toe in mud.  Expect to have it everywhere by the end of the race – including inside your underwear, sports bra, and shoes.  Be sure to trim your nails and remove all jewelry before the race to eliminate having to scrub mud out of small crevices.

    Use Gear Check:  Red Frog doesn’t promote this enough.  They have an area where you can check a bag while you’re running the race so that you don’t have to worry about where you’re going to put your keys during the race or have to go all the way back to your car to get fresh clothes when you’re done.   You will want to have your phone, keys, plastic bags, a towel, a complete set of fresh clothes, and a pair of flip flops in your gear check bag.

    Make Sure You Can Move in Your Costume:  One of the best parts of the race was the amazing people watching.  We had racers in crazy outfits – Oompa Loompas, Richard Simmons, German bar girls, and lots of people in capes, tutus, kilts, and wings.  Make sure you can run in your outfit and be careful not to snag your wig while you’re crawling under the barbed wire.  Regardless of what you wear on your body, be sure to wear proper running shoes on your feet.

    (cc) Jeff Moriarty

    Wear Underwear: You never know if the elastic in your shorts is going to snap while you’re crawling through the mud pit.  After the race, they have an area where they hose you off.  You may want to strip all the down to your skivvies to ensure maximum mud removal.

    I was a little under-prepared for this race but I’m very pleased with how I finished.  My official time was 36:51:45.  I finished in the top 9% in my division and in the top 21% overall.

    Thank you Red Frog Events for putting on such a wonderful event.  A special thank you to Monster for being on-site promoting their new Anti-Gravity drinks and their promoter who opened my beverage for me because I was too tired to do it myself.  I can’t wait until next year.

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