The Running Thread - 2016

[Ariel484]

QOTD: Lets discuss "official race photos". Do you buy them or plan to at any point? Do you look at them to check on your running form? If so, did you see something in them to where you got a video taken on you running to see your form in more detail to try to change it up any? Or do you just look at them and wonder why in the heck am I making such a strange face? Any other type of info you try to gather from them?

I bought pictures from the WDW Marathon in 2012 (my first marathon) and Dopey in 2015 (first Dopey). There were enough pictures where I thought I looked okay and since those events were "firsts" for me, I justified the purchases. Looking back, I probably should have saved the money since I don't do much with the pictures now.

But runDisney switching to having PhotoPass do the race pictures and including them for annual pass holders has been pretty nice. The pictures seem way better than what I got from MarathonFoto (see below - I will NEVER get a picture this good again!) and I actually have use for them now since I'm an ambassador for an athletic apparel brand - nice to get high-quality pics of myself in the gear "for free." There were some pictures from Tink weekend that were so good I probably would have paid for them.

I don't look at form or anything, mostly I just hope to find pictures where my legs don't look super jiggly.

You didn't ask, but...the aforementioned "best picture I have ever taken" from this year's Tinker Bell 10K. Some of you may have seen this already but I'm that obsessed with it, so here it is again. Well done, PhotoPass!!

 

[Miranda]

ATTQOTD: I have never bought race photos. I HATE pictures of myself, and race photos in particular.

I actually haven't run many races where you had to buy them. Most local races they seem to be free... they just get uploaded to FB or Smugmug or the like, and I think they are volunteer photographers that do it. A couple of recent larger ones I did (Maine Coast, Old Port), free pictures were part of the race entry fee. The only thing you had to buy if you wanted it was the video (they had video cameras at a few points near timing mats and they put together a race video with your own video of you going by those points with generic race video that everyone got). I think Disney and Covered Bridges in VT are really the only races I've done where the photos weren't free. I downloaded the watermarked photos from both for my own personal collection, but I don't post them anywhere.

Now that Disney uses Photopass, though, I'd be more likely to buy them in the future. Both Disney races I did were in 2015, so it was still Marathonfoto then.

 

[Miranda]

I don't look at form or anything, mostly I just hope to find pictures where my legs don't look super jiggly.

Seriously, what is it about those race photographers that they seem to always capture you right as your front leg lands and looks all jiggly and distorted.

 

[Ariel484]

Seriously, what is it about those race photographers that they seem to always capture you right as your front leg lands and looks all jiggly and distorted.

THIS EXACTLY!!

Sometimes it bums me out a little bit!!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

ATTQOTD: I only buy pictures of rD races, and I only buy those because of the character photos. I don't even look at my pictures in other races, the one exception being my first marathon. I didn't consider those pictures to be an adequate value, so didn't buy them. I have never looked at the pictures to examine my form. I let my coach do that.

 

[Anisum]

QOTD: Lets discuss "official race photos". Do you buy them or plan to at any point? Do you look at them to check on your running form? If so, did you see something in them to where you got a video taken on you running to see your form in more detail to try to change it up any? Or do you just look at them and wonder why in the heck am I making such a strange face? Any other type of info you try to gather from them?

If there is one where I look attractive or badass I would buy them. Especially at Disney if it was part of PhotoPass. Disney always seems to snap pictures when I'm looking awful though so I haven't had enough attractive photos to make it worth buying any. I usually don't look at them for running form though.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

I’ve never actually purchased race photos but I do enjoy looking at them. I’ve never been compelled to change anything based on them, I’ve always been curious how things look on race day. I was looking at pictures of me from the 2014 WDW Marathon and noticed a girl in a sash running next to me. When I looked closer I noticed the sash said Mrs Kentucky. I guess Mrs. Kentucky had run the marathon that year. You never know what you’ll find.

I also still have the proof from my 2001 Houston Marathon. Back in the day, Marathon Foto would send a single proof to you in the mail and you could order it if you liked it.

 

[Baloo in MI]

ATTQOTD: I have never purchased any of the pictures, but I do usually look at them. I am always thinking "wait, that is what I look like?!". I do look at my form in pictures that allow. Someday I might buy some... Probably not.

 

[IamTrike]

ATTQOTD I have purchased pictures a couple of times. I'm most likely to purchase them if I am running a special race (Disney,NY,Chicago) and I'm running with friends that I can split the cost with. I don't really look back on my pictures

 

[cavepig]

ATTQOTD - Only photos ever bought were for the WDW marathon 2015 & Dopey 2016. I look horrendous in my marathon photos during Dopey but I don't care, it's laughable actually now. Don't look a them for form ever.

 

[roxymama]

ATTQOTD: I used to have a bad habit of yelling WOO HOO when I crossed the finish. Once I was in a big enough race to have photos I realized that it's not a good look on me in still-form. So now I make sure to just smile big even if I'm not in a smiling mood. I then tried to "look good" like the other women I see on instragram whenever I saw a photographer mid-course. I soon realized the pictures of me running normally (just my normal shuffle) look so much better than this weird off the ground, superman stride thing I was attempting. Especially when everyone else around me looked normal, haha. I also noticed my form going to crud when I'd go into my sprint for the finishes. Now I concentrate on trying to run faster with my normal form at the end and not go into crazy weird sprint overstride mode.
I have bought a few pics here and there and they are always so $$$. It's why I love when I have a family member able to snap a pic for me on the side lines. I also have saved every good photo of me with the watermark on them and have no shame in saving them for myself. Ooops.
There are two Chicago area companies that give free photos for download and I LOVE that.

 

[roxymama]

I forgot to mention that I would have bought photopass at WDW weekend last year if they were not using marathonfoto. I think I will be using photopass for Tink weekend.

 

[roxymama]

@dis_or_dat Your avatar picture could be used by rundisney for promotional material, it's that good. I only hope to get a castle race pic that good one day!

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who checks form in race pics! I grew up in the dance world: I can't resist looking in any mirrored surface to check my form, and race pics are just an extension of that, I guess. But I won't pay for them = I just browse and move on. Well, unless you count my "free" Photo Pass benefits now included in my AP. I downloaded ALL of them after Dark Side, lol!

The form thing... every time I've let a shoe fitter try to fit me, they want to put me into stability shoes. And every time I let them, I wind up in pain. So now I look back at past race pics to give myself a visual reminder about how much I totally do not need stability shoes before every shoe purchase. It helps!

 

[cburnett11]

QOTD: I've only purchased for my first marathon... 2016 WDW. I was telling my family about the race and how I fell apart in the 2nd half. I said that I got a little energy when I got to EPCOT and tried to finish strong but was mentally drained so not altogether with it. For example, I started questioning my sanity when I was near the France area and couldn't locate spaceship earth across the lagoon. I found it pretty quickly, but it was momentarily unsettling. LOL. Anyways I thought I remembered maybe Mickey being at the finish line but telling them I wasn't "clever" enough to fist bump him or anything. Well... I got the pics and saw where Donald was at the finish and I actually have a pic of me giving him a high five. So yeah, I learned something from my pictures.

 

[keahgirl8]

QOTD: Lets discuss "official race photos". Do you buy them or plan to at any point? Do you look at them to check on your running form? If so, did you see something in them to where you got a video taken on you running to see your form in more detail to try to change it up any? Or do you just look at them and wonder why in the heck am I making such a strange face? Any other type of info you try to gather from them?

I buy all of the photos for Disney races. I am so excited it will be connected to Photopass this time! For local races, I only buy them if I really like them, since they are a lot more expensive (believe it or not) for what you get.

Here is an example. I don't often like pictures of myself, but this is one of my favorites.

ETA: Just realized I didn't answer the whole question. I don't generally get any info from them. Most of the time I try to prepare and at least look like a normal (as normal as runners can look lol) person.

 

[kirstie101]

Hi all! Hope its ok if I join you! I've lurked on this thread a bit and decided its time to join in on the fun. I'm running RnR San Jose Half this Saturday so I have running on the brain more than usual.

QOTD: Lets discuss "official race photos". Do you buy them or plan to at any point? Do you look at them to check on your running form? If so, did you see something in them to where you got a video taken on you running to see your form in more detail to try to change it up any? Or do you just look at them and wonder why in the heck am I making such a strange face? Any other type of info you try to gather from them?

I usually don't buy them. Now that runDisney is using photopass though I will be getting those as we buy photopass for our trips anyway. I bought 3 pics from marathon photo for my very first half (Nike SF) and I bought all my pics from the Inaugural Star Wars Light Side RC because for the first time ever I had a few good pics! I do notice my form when I look at them for sure. My first few races I had a wicked heel strike which I've since improved but I always check it out when looking at pics.

 

[Chaitali]

@kirstie101 Welcome and good luck with your race Saturday! Since we're sharing photos we like, here is one I bought from my first half, the Richmond half marathon.

 

[keahgirl8]

@kirstie101 Welcome and good luck with your race Saturday! Since we're sharing photos we like, here is one I bought from my first half, the Richmond half marathon.
View attachment 197382

I love it! All of my finish line photos look like that. I have a few standard "poses" that I do when passing a photographer. This is one of them. Another is the 2-handed wave that you see in my photo above. I also do a cheesy face with 2 thumbs up. I have no idea why I do these things. I almost do them without thinking. I suppose it is better than disgusting, sweaty, and in pain, which I often am. I just turn it on when I pass a camera! lol

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Welcome aboard @kirstie101 I usually go to the Bay Area every fall -- its my favorite time of year there weather-wise. I hope race day turns out great for you!

ATTQOTD: I have never bought race photos. It seems like more and more races that I sign up for has free race photos, which I love! After looking through all of the photos during my half last year, I realized my automatic response when I see the photographer is the same: smile cheesy and give a thumbs up. I reeeeeally need to branch out in the running pose department! I like the hands up one some of you have shown, maybe I'll throw that into the mix during my half next month!