Running marathons, finding and racing handsome men (they don’t realize I’m racing them), snapping selfies, and live Instagramming the results without falling on your face is harder than you think. Get ready because I’m close to perfecting the art of hottie hunting and I’m ready to share my foolproof method for snapping the PERFECT runfie:

Step 1: Make Sure the Coast Is Clear.

Whether you are snapping a creeper hottie hunting selfie or looking to share your own general bad ass-ness with your friends Step 1 is to take a second to look around. Make sure there is absolutely no one behind you, next to you, in front of you, or near you that you may accidently trip, crash into, or disturb while chasing that perfect runfie. Once the coast is clear…

Step 2: Leave the Duck face at Home.

You have two options when it comes to taking a runfie:

1. Express your joy with a selfie bursting with so much excitement and accomplishment that it will make anyone who looks at it smile.

2. Make the silliest face possible because let’s be real, a selfie is a form of self-expression and what better way to show people that you are having the time of your life than by being silly?

(But seriously, NO SERIOUS DUCK FACES ALLOWED! Be silly or be a bad ass! This selfie is a way to share your accomplishment!)

Step 3: Use Your Angles

The key to a blurry free runfie is to lift your phone above your head, shooting at an angle, and use the side button (on iPhones it’s the (+) button) to snap the picture.

Step 4: Be Quick

I don’t stop when I live Instagram a race. I normally spot a guy from behind, speed up next to him, snap the selfie, and then speed away doing a quick interval. Once I’ve gotten away, I pull off to the side to stay out of people’s way and quickly enter my caption. I copy my hashtags before the race begins so I double tap to paste them, pick a filter, and send it into the universe.

Step 5: Practice Makes Perfect

Don’t get discouraged with blurry selfies, practice makes perfect. The more you experiment with ways to hold the phone, the easier it gets.

Keep taking those runfies, they are an awesome way to share how far you’ve come! And just a warning, live Instagramming a race will kill your time. But as long as you’re having fun (and enjoying the sights wink wink, nudge nudge) then all’s fair in love and running. Happy #Runfie-ing!

All amazing photos and GIFs by Samantha Caruthers