This year, the word selfie has been added to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary:

self·ie :  an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks

 

BeachTripCarSelfie

I started this blog post last summer at the beach after I took my very first selfie in the car on our way to the Outer Banks.  Six hours in the car will do that to you!

There are many types of selfies: individual, group, funny, serious, action, posed, smiley-faced, duck-faced, seasonal, themed; you get the idea.  But today, I am only going to be talking about running related selfies.  No heavy make-up, push-up bras, mini skirts, four-inch heels, and cocktails in these selfies!

 

 

 

There’s the action selfie

MeaghanDebSelfie

The watch and feet selfie
(runners LOVE these)

WatchAndFeetSelfie
The sweaty red-faced post-run group selfie
(runners also LOVE these)

MRTTSelfie

 And then there’s the artistic trail selfie

ArtisticSelfieAtCascades

The muddy trail selfie

GreatFallsParkMuddyShoeSelfie

The water-rushing-over-the-feet to cool-down selfie

HikingBigSpringBranchSelfie

The color coordinated selfie

ColorCoordinatedSelfie

The first snow of the season selfie

SnowSelfie

The camera-flipped-around selfie

YakTraxSelfie

And the balancing on one foot selfie

BottomBrokenYakTrax

All of the selfies above are easy to take; you just point and shoot.  It’s the legs moving, camera bouncing, action selfie that’s a challenge for a runner to take.  And this is what separates the rookies from the pros.

Here are my secrets for taking a perfect running selfie:

1.  First you need a camera with a fast shutter.  I love my little Canon PowerShot Elph, but its shutter is on the slower side.  My selfie skills improved greatly when I got my iPhone 5S.

2.  You might have to take a lot of of pictures in order to get the right shot.  The iPhone 5 allows you take a burst of pictures so you can choose the best frame out of the burst.

3.  Don’t wait to snap the picture when your foot is extended out or you will get a picture of your knees with your feet hidden behind them.

BentKneeSelfie

4.  Adjust how you hold your camera so you actually get your foot and leg in the picture; otherwise, it’s a picture of your running surface.

DeepSandRun

5.  When taking a selfie of your face, be aware of what will be in the background of the picture.

 

6.  If you just can’t master this skill, you can always stop and pose, but you must disclose that it’s a posed picture.

PosedSelfie

posed picture

 

Now that I shared my secrets for taking the perfect running selfie, here’s my year in running!

 

The running in sand selfie

BeachRunPackedSand

The running in grass selfie

RunningOnGrassSelfie

The running on leaves selfie

RunningFootLeaves

The running in slush selfie

SlushSelfie

The running in snow selfie

RunWithSantaFootSnow

When taking a selfie, have fun, don’t take it too seriously, and don’t forget to post it to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

RunningSelfiePoster

 

  • Questions:
  • Selfie:  always, occasionally, you’ve got to be kidding me?
  • What’s your favorite type of selfie?
  • Who’s going to the beach this summer?