The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Undeniable Recap of 2011

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    Ruth Carter

    It’s been quite an eventful busy year. Thank you to all my family and friends who supported me through this year, even during my moments of pure stressed out insanity. Here are my top five events and experiences of 2011.

    Photo by AJ Grucky
    1. I Passed The Bar! The process of graduating from law school, studying for, taking, and passing the Arizona Bar Exam and the process of applying and being admitted to the State Bar of Arizona took about 7 months of my year. It was exceptionally stressful – easily the hardest thing I’ve done in my professional life. It was a huge relief when I learned that I passed the Bar and Character and Fitness.
    2. Personal Record at the Half Marathon Injuries prevented me from training the way I would have liked for the 2011 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Arizona. Despite being in pain starting at mile 2, I had the same rule for this race as my previous half marathon – no stopping or walking. Around mile 9, I realized that I was close to being on pace for a personal record, so I kicked my speed and finished 3 minutes faster than the previous year.  I was in so much pain by the end of the race, but it was an incredible lesson in determination.
    3. Sponsor A Law Kid I succeeded in getting my blog sponsored for 46 days during the beginning of the year to offset the cost of my last semester of law school. It was a challenge to create quality content every day and to face the backlash from some members of the legal community. I love that I was able to do this. My only regret is not doing it sooner.
    4. I Wish Your Wish One of the most powerful experiences this year was attending Rivane Neuenschwander’s I Wish Your Wish exhibit. It took me down to my core level and connected me with what I want for my life. For over two months, I had a pink ribbon tied around my wrist that said “I Wish To Die With No Regrets.”
    5. Photo by Jamey Peachy

      Big Brain Award Nomination I was shocked and overjoyed when I learned that I was nominated for a New Times Big Brain Award for my work behind the scenes with Improv AZ, the flash mob/prank troupe I co-founded in Phoenix. Ever since I expressed interest in flash mob law, I questioned whether it was a viable area of law. Just being nominated validated my professional aspirations and showed me that there is a need for the work I’m interested in.

     

    Celebrity Encounters in 2011:

     

    Firsts in 2011:

  • 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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  • SALK Day 78: Arizona Animal Races

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    Ruth Carter

    Today’s sponsors are Micah and Danielle Larripa, two of the most wonderful people I’ve met during law school.  Micah is my classmate and a proud member of the U.S. Marine Corps who is perpetually “living the dream.”  Danielle is his beautiful wife.  They asked me to write about the “awesomeness of obscure animal racing events in Arizona.”  I did some digging and here are the top 8 animal races in Arizona.

    1. Just anther day at the Ostrich Races
      Image by Zach Inglis via Flickr

      Ostrich Races:  The ostrich races are part of the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler.   There are races where ostriches pull chariots and races where participants ride the giant birds.  It’s a hilarious crazy event where you’re likely to see the birds spinning in circles and races where every jockey falls off their bird.

    2. Pug Olympics:  I had to throw in a pug event for the Larripa’s pug, Scout.  This annual event takes place every January in Mesa.  From what I can tell, they let the dogs run wild on agility equipment.
    3. Dog Sled Race:  This race is part of the annual Winter Games at the Hon-Dah Resort Casino in Pinetop.  The Winter Games also raise money for the local humane society with a purebred dog show a “mountain mutt” dog show, and a dog weight pull competition.
    4. Pig Races at Schnepf Farms:  The pig races are part of the pumpkin and chili festival every October.  Hillbilly Bob calls the races as the little pig race around the dirt track.  This is a great family event where attendees all get pig noses for being there.
    5. Desert Dachshund Race:  This event looks adorable – dachshunds zipping down a race area in little colorful race bibs.  This race occurs every October and benefits the Sahuaro Dachshund Rescue.
    6. Goat Dressing : This isn’t a race, but it’s an animal event that was too hilarious not to put on the list.  The Arizona Gay Rodeo Association hosts the Road Runner Regional Rodeo for the International Gay Rodeo Association every February.  Along with the standard rodeo events (bull riding, barrel racing, roping, etc.), they have Goat Dressing – an event where teams of two compete to see who can put a pair of panties on a goat the fastest.
    7. Mascot Race:  Ok, so this is not exactly an animal race, but I’m sure that there are people dressed up as animals.  Mascots from local restaurants race one mile as part of the annual Gilbert Days every November.
    8. Warrior Dash:  The Warrior Dash is an event for humans with animalistic spirit.  This hellish 3.4 mile race is peppered with twelve obstacles including a cargo net, a river, barbed wire, and fire.  Participants receive a Viking helmet and a beer upon crossing the finish line.  The Warrior Dash has races in 30 cities in and out of the U.S.  It’s coming to Arizona for the first time this spring.  And in case you were wondering, yes, I’m doing it.

    Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsors are Micah and Danielle Larripa.  For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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