Today’s topic for Tuesdays on the Run is Best/Worst Race photos. I am the queen of bad race photos. I apparently run most of my races with my eyes closed and my feet never leaving the ground. But I do have a few pictures that are so bad that they are good and a few that I love. Before I share those though, I have to share a bit about my weekend.
Somehow, in my whole “let me just go with the flow” plan for the year, I did not pay close attention when I started saying yes to things. You know what happens when you do that? You end up with two volunteer gigs and a race in the same weekend. Yep.
Saturday started off with a 2am alarm. I was quickly out the door to get to the North Face Endurance Challenge by 3:30am. I spent the next 4 hours greeting everyone who was running the 50 miler, the 50K, and the marathon and pointing them in the right direction down a muddy path to the start line. Bonus: I got to meet Mirna from Fat Girl Running and Latoya from Running Fat Chef. I don’t think I went too fangirl on them. Such lovely ladies at stupid early in the morning and I think they both had a nice race.
As soon as I finished there, I raced home, grabbed a couple of hours of sleep, and then dragged Shoo to help me volunteer at a Beer Relay with my Ragnar buddies. Our transition had the challenge of getting a cookie from your forehead to you mouth without using hands or getting help. Needless to say, it was a highly amusing time.
Sunday morning I got up at 4am to meet up with MRTT friends before the Women’s National Half Marathon. If I were going to be totally honest, I seriously considered not running. I’ll write a race report soon, but here’s a spoiler: I had an amazing race and it was my fastest race in 4 years and my fifth fastest ever!
Today I spent making a beer dessert and juggling jobs, grocery shopping, and attempting to create some semblance of order in my house. (I was hardly home all weekend. Why was my house trashed? Oh, right, kids.) Now, onto the good stuff: race pictures.
Pictures so awful you have to love them (I was actually surprised to find as many as I did, since I don’t buy bad pictures…)
1. No, I don’t really want to be here. Yes, I feel as bad as I look.
2. Yes, I am covered in leaves and it’s 90+ degrees and I haven’t slept in 24 hours.
3. Right now, I’m just trying really hard not to puke. But thanks for the flower.
4. My running form sucks and apparently I need to poop, but I did just chick both of you…
6. Let’s just pretend that my skirt isn’t falling down and that the shorties aren’t all up in my crotch, while the photographer takes a picture from below. (Not a Skirt Sports skirt, by the way.)
7. No, I don’t want to run another lap, but give me the damned rubber band.
8. This is the last time I eat chocolate gu at a race…
And the amazing pictures that make up for the others…
1. Did I hear the word BEER???
2. Yes, I am happy to see you…
3. Yes, I can run a sub-10 mile and look happy doing it.
4. A picture so good even the Marines liked it…
5. Excuse me while I go all fangirl on Bart Yasso (also my favorite race picture EVER.)
Show us your best and worst pictures! I’d love to know I’m not the only one who looks like they are dying during a race.
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Great pics! I seem to have both extremes…either really good with jazz hands (but very few of them), or very nasty (the majority). They always seem to catch me when my legs are bent at very awkward angles (like at mile 12.5 of a half) or with my mouth half open…so, I don’t buy hardly any.
You have the best captions for your pics! At least your “bad” ones are funny! And you have some really great ones too- love the one with Bart Yasso!
you are so cute in all of your photos! I feel like I’m that one person who is always unintentionally hiding behind someone in my race pics so i never have to many – you see an eye poppping out or an arm but my bib is hidden so I’m hard to find.
Let’s just say if I see the photographer, my photos are usually good & if not — let’s just say I often look like a chipmunk hording nuts in its cheeks!
Apparently you thrive on being overbooked. 🙂
Your weekend sounds amazing, but you may need another weekend to rest up from your weekend! I enjoyed seeing your race photos, both good and bad. I don’t have nearly as many as you, but most of mine fall into the “bad” category. Hey, who wouldn’t go fangirl on Bart Yasso?
Oh my word, your weekend made me tired just reading about all those early mornings! It does sound like a lot of fun though too 😉 I have love-hate relationship with race photos but my biggest irk is when you think a photographer took an awesome pic and you never find it or it was actually of someone else! Ha!
OK I’m just tired reading about all you fit into a weekend!
Great pics! I love the MCM Mom one and the Bart Yasso shot. Sadly I do not look as good in my race pics as you do in yours, which is why I don’t buy them 😉
I love your commentary! You definitely have some great pics to make up for the ones you don’t care for.
I have so many race pictures that I didn’t buy. I usually look really tired at the finish line and I’m focused on finishing, not posing for a picture.
Oh man, those are some good pictures – both the “bad” one and the good ones! You are so expressive and that’s exactly what all of us feel during a race. lol
That picture with Bart is so cool! I’d have totally done the same thing!
And holy cow, what a weekend you had! How the heck did you manage to keep it all together?
Ha! These are so awesome. I’m digging through my archives now!
Your pictures are so good!! I love the one where you look excited about beer being at the finish! Lol!
those are some fun pics!
You have had some great pictures over the years!!
And congrats on your race! It’s awesome when you feel like you’ve got your speed back.
What fun pictures! I am enjoying navigating everyone’s sites. Thanks for the linkup!
ha these are great! I have more bad running photos than good!
Love the Bart Yasso pic!
I’ve got some doozies! I should pull up the bad ones. Pretty funny!!
The one of you and Bart is one of my favorites too! He’s pretty special!
These are GREAT!!