The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Recap of the July 2011 Arizona Bar Exam

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    Ruth Carter

    I survived the July 2011 Arizona Bar Exam!   I never want to do that again.  I’m grateful for the love and support of my family, friends, and professional mentors during this time.  I wanted to share my top 5 tips of what I’m glad I knew or wish I knew going into the test.

    1. An assortment of Jolly Rancher candies
      Image via Wikipedia

      Eat a Filling Breakfast: We had to be at the convention center at 6:45am on Day 1 of the test and we weren’t going to break for lunch until 12pm.  In the week before the exam I did a breakfast experiment and found that oatmeal made with ½ cup water, ½ cup milk, raisins, sliced almonds, and brown sugar kept me full all morning.  I was so nervous on both mornings of the test that it was hard to force myself to eat, but I knew that would be better than getting half way through the morning and being starving.

    2. Sleep:  I’ve heard it takes the body 2 days to feel tired after a bad night of sleep so the night that really mattered was 2 days before the test.  I often have insomnia, especially when I’m nervous.  I took a sleeping pill 2 nights before the test to ensure that my body and brain would get adequate rest.
    3. Take the Free Lunch:  ASU did a very cool thing and provided lunch for us during the bar exam.  It was nice not having to worry about getting lunch in just over an hour and having to deal with the general public.  ASU even humored a superstition that many people in my class have and provided Jolly Ranchers for us.  It was also nice to see some friendly faces from the school.
    4. Prepare for Arctic Conditions:  When the Arizona Bar Exam is in Phoenix, it’s held at the convention center, and it’s freeeeezing.  I heard about this and wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt on Day 1.  By lunch, my lips were blue and I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingers.  I asked a proctor if we could raise the temperature in the room and she dismissed my request saying that “It’s always this cold.”  For Day 2, I wore a thicker fleece and I was more comfortable, thought by the end of the day, my feet had started to go numb.  I should have brought an extra long-sleeved shirt, fingerless gloves, and a lap blanket.
    5. Do What Works For You:  When I’m running in a race and being passed by other people, I often remind myself that I need to run at my pace.  The same idea works for the bar exam.  It didn’t matter how fast or slow the people around me were going.  There was no need for me to freak out when someone finished and walked out of the room with an hour left on the clock.  All that mattered was that I was thinking clearly and answering the questions to the best of my abilities, and ultimately passing.
    Standardized Test
    Image by biologycorner via Flickr

    I gave it my all on this test.  When I walked out, I had no brain power left.  Since the test, I have been sleeping a lot and slowly been regaining my cognitive functions.  I’m glad that I’m spending my first week after the test on vacation where I don’t have to see anything related to law school or the bar exam.

    To the loved ones of people taking the bar exam:  The best thing my family did for me during my bar prep was to give me space.  From the time I graduated until the bar exam, my family never called me.  I occasionally called them to let them know I was alive.  They knew to leave me alone and let me do what I needed to do.

    I need to give a special shout out to the woman who went into labor during Day 2 of the New Jersey Bar Exam.  She calmly finished her exam, walked across the street to the hospital, and delivered a healthy baby boy 2 hours later.  You are a phenomenal person.  I hope the labor pains didn’t interfere with your ability to pass the test!

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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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  • Half Marathon Recap 2011

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    Ruth Carter

    On January 16, 2011, I ran in the P.F. Chang’s Rock n Roll Half Marathon, my second half marathon.  I had a personal best of 2:06:18, nearly 3 minutes faster than my time last year.  This was, hands down, the most painful race I have ever participated in.

    I started my training back in October.  I was pretty diligent about getting in my miles every week until mid-November.  By then, my school work had picked up and I had the decision to either go running or get enough sleep.  Not wanting to destroy my immune system, I often opted to sleep.  After finals, I went to my parents’ house in Northern California.  I packed all my warm running clothes so I could get back on track, but I soon learned that, “It’s cold,” was a viable excuse not to go running.  When I got back to Phoenix, I was determined to get back to running, but unfortunately my overzealousness caused shin splints.  In all of my training for this race, I did not run more than 5 consecutive miles.  Originally my goal was to finish the race in under 2 hours, but I changed that to finishing the race without stopping or walking.

    I was careful to pace myself at the start of the race.  Even before I reached mile marker 1, my body was starting to hurt.  I did what you’re not supposed to do, and took 600mg of ibuprofen right before the race, and it didn’t keep the pain at bay.  My toes, knees, hip, back, and feet all hurt during the race.  When one body part would start to hurt, I thought, “Hang in there.  In a mile, something else will hurt.”

    You-Can_Do-It
    Image by Katchooo via Flickr

    The best part of running the half marathon is the people watching.  I enjoy watching the people, reading their signs, and seeing the funny outfits the various cheerleading squads are wearing.  Every time I saw a familiar face or something amusing, it lifted my spirits.  I don’t think most spectators realize how much it means to the runners that they are there.

    In case you were wondering, these are some of the thoughts that went through my head during the race:

    • You can do it… You can do it…. You can do it….You can do it…
    • Hang in there.  You’re doing great.
    • You’re almost there.
    • It’s only hard.

    Around mile 10, I kicked it up a notch and started running faster.  I saw on the race clock that I was close to my pace from the previous year.  I wanted to try for a personal best.  I ran as hard as I could and I gave myself permission to collapse the second I crossed the finish line.

    When I finished the race, I was in pain.  My joints hurt; my muscles hurt; even my internal organs hurt.  I went home and went to bed.  My friend came over to congratulate me after the race, and he could barely hug me because it hurt so much.

    I’m pleased with my performance overall, but I definitely learned the hard way about the repercussions of being under prepared for a race.  Next year, I hope I can train more effectively and break the 2-hour mark.

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