The title of this post could also be called - Worst Running Photo Essay Ever (or, Who do I think I Am, RunningLaur?)
First a couple things:
- I love the running blog community and I REALLY love the running moms blog community. Some of the ambitious runners (especially those who have followers or stalkers) host virtual races, so that we can all participate even though we're spread out all over the world (I realize this sounds kind of cheese-bally, but it's fun).
- MCM Mama (she helped me out a bunch with my boob infection) is turning 40 this week (actually tomorrow) and so she decided to host a virtual race. The distance choice was 4 miles, 8.25 miles or a 40K (aka a metric crap-ton of miles). I had originally planned 8.25 miles, but that takes some planning (and a little more training). I decide to just do the 4 miles.
- I'm four months postpartum so speed is really not my thing (not that it ever really was), so I decided to take my iPhone with me and take some really cool pictures of all the pretty deer that I usually see on my morning runs.
Now, to the race report and photo essay.
In honor of MCM Mama I decided to start my race at 4 -0'clock in the morning (actually Graby is now somewhat in the habit of waking up at 3:30 - after 8 straight hours of sleep - so I just didn't go back to bed). After a quick boob pumping (to maximize my aerodynamics) and a pop tart, I headed outside where it was a balmy 78 degrees.
It was pretty dark, but here's my first (and probably best) picture -it's of the moon, in case you were wondering.
I started my run and was listening to The Girl Who Played With Fire on my ipod. I love running to books on tape and it's really the only reading I've done in a while.
My four mile race was the route I usually take in the mornings and so I expected to see a bunch of deer. When I hit the half mile marker I stuck gold - there was a group of deer! I snapped a picture. Wow - this is a pretty crappy picture. All I got were little deer eyes - I drew some arrows so you could see them.
I tried again without the flash. Not much luck but at least now you can kind of see the deer.
Mile 1 - 12:56. All this picture taking was really slowing me down (or at least that's what I told myself).
I'm having fun with my camera and as I started mile two, I noticed a huge pile of trash in the road (I mean really huge). Should I take a picture? No, probably not very interesting to others. After the brief trash distraction I spotted deer running! I quickly took a picture. Damn it - the one blur in the front kind of looks like a small camel, but no one is going to believe I even saw deer. Can you see the deer running across the road?
Mile 2 - 11:53. A little faster.
I began mile three with a renewed focus on my running. I'm not going to win any prizes for speed, but I knew I could negative split this thing.
I spotted an opossum, but by the time I got my camera ready it had scurried off under a bush. Stupid opossum doesn't he know he'll be famous if I post a picture of him on my blog? Next I saw a house with lights - I'm guessing they're Christmas lights, so I took a picture.
I think they were actually Fourth of July lights, but I prefer to think of my neighbors as proactive rather than lazy.
I continued on my quest of good deer picture (and run). I saw so many (especially cute little baby ones), but the more nonchalant I acted - the faster they would run away from me. I tried saying, Here little deer, here little deer - I'm not going to hurt you but MCM Mama NEEDS a picture of you for her birthday. It didn't work. It is too much to ask for the deer to stand still underneath a street light?
I kept plodding along. As I turned down one street I noticed my long, skinny shadow (just like real life . . . ha, ha . . . not so much the skinny part). I decided to take a picture of my shadow - don't ask why - just be thankful you aren't looking at photos of my neighbors' trash right now.
Mile 3 - 11:48, getting a little faster especially considering the my two photo sessions.
As I started mile four, the book started getting really good (just ending the exposition, if you will), but I was still focused on getting one good deer picture - well that- and running a good final mile.
Just as I reached the homestretch of my run (around the 3.6 mile mark) I saw a big, beautiful deer with horns (err . . .antlers). I noticed he was slightly back lit by a porch light. Snap. It wasn't the perfect picture, but it was better than the others and at least I could tell this picture had an object that resembled a deer in it.
Mile 4 - 11:41.
I finished in just over 48 minutes with about 52 blurry deerish pictures. I have a feeling the fastest virtual race participant (doing four miles) will finish in less than half my time, but that's not what's important.
This is what's important:
Race bib was designed by RunningLaur and modeled by my little cub.
Happy Birthday MCM Mama - hope you like the deer photos. Thanks for hosting such fabulous race!
In honor of MCM Mama I decided to start my race at 4 -0'clock in the morning (actually Graby is now somewhat in the habit of waking up at 3:30 - after 8 straight hours of sleep - so I just didn't go back to bed). After a quick boob pumping (to maximize my aerodynamics) and a pop tart, I headed outside where it was a balmy 78 degrees.
It was pretty dark, but here's my first (and probably best) picture -it's of the moon, in case you were wondering.
I started my run and was listening to The Girl Who Played With Fire on my ipod. I love running to books on tape and it's really the only reading I've done in a while.
My four mile race was the route I usually take in the mornings and so I expected to see a bunch of deer. When I hit the half mile marker I stuck gold - there was a group of deer! I snapped a picture. Wow - this is a pretty crappy picture. All I got were little deer eyes - I drew some arrows so you could see them.
I tried again without the flash. Not much luck but at least now you can kind of see the deer.
Mile 1 - 12:56. All this picture taking was really slowing me down (or at least that's what I told myself).
I'm having fun with my camera and as I started mile two, I noticed a huge pile of trash in the road (I mean really huge). Should I take a picture? No, probably not very interesting to others. After the brief trash distraction I spotted deer running! I quickly took a picture. Damn it - the one blur in the front kind of looks like a small camel, but no one is going to believe I even saw deer. Can you see the deer running across the road?
Mile 2 - 11:53. A little faster.
I began mile three with a renewed focus on my running. I'm not going to win any prizes for speed, but I knew I could negative split this thing.
I spotted an opossum, but by the time I got my camera ready it had scurried off under a bush. Stupid opossum doesn't he know he'll be famous if I post a picture of him on my blog? Next I saw a house with lights - I'm guessing they're Christmas lights, so I took a picture.
I think they were actually Fourth of July lights, but I prefer to think of my neighbors as proactive rather than lazy.
I continued on my quest of good deer picture (and run). I saw so many (especially cute little baby ones), but the more nonchalant I acted - the faster they would run away from me. I tried saying, Here little deer, here little deer - I'm not going to hurt you but MCM Mama NEEDS a picture of you for her birthday. It didn't work. It is too much to ask for the deer to stand still underneath a street light?
I kept plodding along. As I turned down one street I noticed my long, skinny shadow (just like real life . . . ha, ha . . . not so much the skinny part). I decided to take a picture of my shadow - don't ask why - just be thankful you aren't looking at photos of my neighbors' trash right now.
Mile 3 - 11:48, getting a little faster especially considering the my two photo sessions.
As I started mile four, the book started getting really good (just ending the exposition, if you will), but I was still focused on getting one good deer picture - well that- and running a good final mile.
Just as I reached the homestretch of my run (around the 3.6 mile mark) I saw a big, beautiful deer with horns (err . . .antlers). I noticed he was slightly back lit by a porch light. Snap. It wasn't the perfect picture, but it was better than the others and at least I could tell this picture had an object that resembled a deer in it.
Mile 4 - 11:41.
I finished in just over 48 minutes with about 52 blurry deerish pictures. I have a feeling the fastest virtual race participant (doing four miles) will finish in less than half my time, but that's not what's important.
This is what's important:
Race bib was designed by RunningLaur and modeled by my little cub.Happy Birthday MCM Mama - hope you like the deer photos. Thanks for hosting such fabulous race!
You are hilarious! And Lumpy is just too cute for words! Thanks for running for me!
ReplyDelete