A runner's glossary: Learn the definitions of commonly-used running terms

All sports have their jargon and marathon running is no exception. Here’s a quick explanation of some commonly-used marathon running terms.

Aerobic – Literally “oxygen”. Usually referring to exercise at an intensity where your cardiovascular and respiratory systems can still deliver all the oxygen your body needs, preventing lactic acid from building up in the muscles. Aerobic exercise can be done for long periods of time.

Altitude training – Preparing for a marathon race by training at heights above 8,000 feet. The main benefit of altitude training is developing a greater concentration of red blood cells when runners return to sea level to race.

Anaerobic – “Without oxygen”. Usually referring to exercise at an intensity high enough that your body can’t provide all the oxygen your muscles need and lactic acid quickly builds up, making your legs feel heavy and tired (and sometimes like they’re burning). It is an intensity of exercise that can’t be sustained for very long.

Athletics – Another name for track and field, and the term most commonly used for the sport abroad. It comes from the Greek word “athos”, meaning contest.

Back to front racing – Marathon racing tactic where the aim is to win by slowly working your way through the leading group of runners without leading until near the end of the race.

Bandit – A runner who participates in a race without registering or paying the entry fee.

Biomechanics – Study of the function of the body in relation to movement; especially important for repetitive movement sports like running; poor biomechanics can lead to injury.

Body Fat – The amount of fat on your body; usually expressed as a percentage of total weight.

Bonk – In a long run or race, such as a marathon, to bonk is to feel the effort suddenly become much more difficult toward the end of the run. Bonking is associated with the depletion of stored muscle glycogen.

Cadence – The most basic definition of cadence is the number of times that your feet touch the ground in a minute. This can be counted as individual steps with each foot landing counting as one or it can also be counted in cycles with one landing on each foot, making up a cycle. The more footfalls you get in a minute, the faster your cadence.

Carbo-loading – The practice of altering your diet before a big race. It usually involves a period of starving your body of carbohydrates, before upping the carb intake to at least 70 percent of total calories. This is believed to maximize your glycogen stores before longer distance races. Most runners choose to just eat a good carbohydrate-filled meal the night before a race.

Chafing – When clothing and a body part or two body parts rub together, causing redness and irritation. Often happens to men’s nipples (from race singlet), armpits (from arms rubbing side), or under a woman’s sports bra. Vaseline or new clothing usually help.

Chip time – Your finish time as measured by a computer chip provided by the race and usually worn on the shoe.

Corral – A corral is a sectioned area at a race’s starting line, where race participants are grouped according to their expected finishing time. The fastest runners are usually in the first corrals and the slowest runners are in the corrals at the back.

Cool-down – Slow, easy running done after a hard workout or a hard race to help the body recover. Usually lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

CR – Course Record. The fastest time run on a given cross-country or road-race course.

Cross-training – Activities like swimming, aqua-jogging, cycling, using the elliptical, etc. that are used to either supplement running with low/no impact aerobic training or to take the place of running when injured.

Dehydration – Not having enough fluids in the body.

Diuretics – A chemical which increases a runner’s rate of urination. These are best avoided in the few days before a marathon. Common diuretics are found in coffee, tea and alcoholic drinks.

DOMS – “Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness”; pain, stiffness or fatigue in the muscles 24 to 48 hours after a hard workout or race caused by doing more or different training than the body is used to.

DNF – Stands for “did not finish” and describes a runner who drops out of a race.

Draft – To tuck in behind another runner, letting that runner control the pace and block the wind.

Effort – Refers to the pace of a workout; how hard you are working. Effort-based workouts are often done off the track where factors like hills, surface and environment often come into play, making it harder to hit a specific time but still working the same system.

Electrolytes – Vital salts and minerals in the body that can be depleted through sweat and dehydration. Electrolytes are needed in almost every function of the body, including muscle contraction and energy generation.

Fartlek – Literally means “speed play”. A workout with bursts of varying lengths, intensity, and allotted recovery time injected into a run.

Flat Feet – A condition of the feet where the arch is flat and the entire foot touches the ground.

Foot strike – In the running stride, the moment of contact between the runner’s foot and the ground.

Gait – The way in which one walks or runs.

Glucose – Basic sugar; form of sugar into which all carbohydrates are first converted and appear in the blood.

Glycogen – The form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body. There are two main stores of glycogen – the liver and the muscles; when glycogen stores are depleted, athletes fatigue, “hit the wall”, “bonk”. Stores can be maximally filled by eating a high carbohydrate diet leading up to an event.

Half Marathon – A race spanning the distance of 13 miles or 21.1 km.

Hill repeats – An interval workout done on hills instead of flat ground. The added resistance of the incline helps protect the body from the pounding usually associated with speed work. The benefits of hill workouts include increased cardiovascular efficiency and muscular strength.

Hitting The Wall -The dreaded feeling during a race or run when your muscle glycogen stores become depleted and a feeling of fatigue overcomes you. Feels like you have slammed into a wall.

Hydration – Adding more fluid into the body.

Insole – The removable inner part of a running shoe that sits on top of the midsole and provides cushioning and arch support.

Intensity – Degree of effort or exertion.

Intervals – Type of workout where a set distance is run repeatedly with a recovery jog in between; for example, 6 times 400 metres with 100 metres recovery jog.

Junior – Any athlete under the age of 20.

Junk Miles – Runs used to reach a weekly mileage total rather than for a specific benefit. Any run is of benefit and the so called “junk miles” serve as recovery from harder workouts.

Kick – The finishing sprint at the end of the race.

Lactate threshold – Also known as anaerobic threshold. The specific level of running intensity where lactic acid begins to rapidly accumulate in the blood during the body’s transition between anaerobic and aerobic running. Lactate threshold speed is your 10K-race pace plus 5 to 20 seconds or a heart rate zone between 85 and 89 percent of maximum. A treadmill lab test is used to determine one’s lactate threshold. The goal of good training is to increase the lactate threshold so that less lactic acid is produced while the body learns to use oxygen more efficiently.

Lactic acid – The by-product of the muscle’s use of carbohydrates. Lactic acid is usually felt as a burning fatigue in the muscles towards the end or after workouts/races.

Log – A training journal or database where athletes keep track of their mileage, workouts, results and overall health.

LSD – Long Slow Distance. Refers to mileage done at an easy pace to increase base endurance.

Marathon – A race over the distance of 26 miles or 42 km.

Master – A runner 35 years of age or older.

Max heart rate – The highest heart rate achieved during a specific period of exertion. Everyone has a different max heart rate, but it usually lies somewhere around 200 beats per minute (+/-10bpm).

Metric mile – A 1500m long track race, and the distance most frequently used in outdoor track competition that comes closest in distance to the full mile (1609).

Mondo – A type of track surface that has been used in every Olympic Games since Montreal in 1976. It is considered one of – or the – fastest surface available, because it is laid/rolled out in a single direction instead of being poured on like other surfaces. This creates a highly efficient, cross-angle of friction that compliments the forward motion of the runner. (Example: “I love that track. The mondo is so great to run on, I feel so fast”).

Negative split – Running the second half of the race or run faster than the first half.

NR – National Record.

OD – “Over Distance”. Training over longer distances than the race distance itself.

Over-pronation – The excessive inward roll of the foot after the heel hits the ground and before toe-off. It can be the cause of many running injures, as it unevenly distributes the pressure from impact, but can be corrected with the right kind of shoe (usually with much more mid-foot and arch support, indicated with the darker material in the inside middle cushion of the shoes). See pronation.

Pace – The measure of the speed of running. In the US it is usually measured in the minutes it takes to cover a mile (example: 7:30 min/mile). Internationally, it is usually measured in minutes per kilometre (example: 4 min/kilometre).

Peak – The time you want to be able to perform your best – usually in regards to timing your fitness to coincide with the most important race of your season.

Plyos/Plyometrics – Exercises used to help improve speed, form and the function of the nervous system, and modified to help with a specific sport. In most exercises, the muscle is loaded then contracted quickly to build strength. Most sports use plyos to build explosive strength, but often, distance runners modify them to help prevent injury or fatigue. (Examples: high knees, medicine ball motions, butt kicks, skipping, burpees, etc.).

Post-collegiate – A term used to describe a runner who is still involved very seriously in competitive running and performs at a high level after college. Some post-collegiate runners have shoe sponsors, some may be part of a club team, some may train on their own, but all maintain high training levels and high standards of competition.

PR/PB – Personal Record/Personal Best. Said in reference to setting your personal-best time for a given distance. Example: I just ran a five-second PB in the mile, dropping from 5:00 to 4:55!

Pronation – The instinctive action that occurs when your foot hits the ground. The heel hits and the foot rolls inward as the arch collapses. It is important to find out how much you pronate (over-pronation, supination or neutral) to find the right kind of shoe.

Quarters – Lingo for 400 metres (1/4 mile). Often used when describing a workout (example: I have to do 10 quarters today on the track. [10x400m]).

Rabbit – Refers to the designated pacemaker in a track or road race. The athlete, or rabbit, is set up to run a specific time through a certain point in the race in an effort to set up a fast pace. Rabbits usually drop out halfway or three-fourths of the way through the race. For example, in a mile race, the rabbit would start with all the other athletes, but take the lead right away. Rabbits are often paid for pacing and are not allowed in championship situations (the Olympics/NCAA/National Championships/etc.).

Repeat – The set distance covered during an interval session, usually with a specific pace/time in mind and with a set interval of recovery.

Resting heart rate – The number of times your heart beats per minute when you are still and relaxed. The lower your resting heart-rate, the better your level of fitness. However, keep in mind that everyone has a different standard heart rate, so there is no “norm”.

RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate. The “prescription” for treating most injuries.

Rigg – Usually in reference to the last quarter or kick of a race, where the athlete ties up and appears to be in a kind of state of rigor-mortis (i.e., barely alive to finish the race). Example: “Did you see that guy? He totally rigged the last 100 of that race!”

Runner’s high – The feeling of euphoria or exhilaration during or after a long, hard effort, related to the secretion of chemical endorphins. It is hard to describe, but you will know it when you feel it.

Running economy – The amount of oxygen used at any given running speed. The less oxygen you use at a certain speed, the more economical you are.

Season best – The best time/performance you have had in a given season. It is not your PR or best time ever, but the best one you have run during a certain training cycle.

Singlet – A thin, sleeveless jersey worn by runners during races. They usually have a logo or team affiliation on the front.

Sit-and-kick – A type of racing strategy in which a runner relies on his superior finishing speed and makes no attempt to gain the lead of the race until the very end.

Slow-twitch muscles – A type of muscle fibre that contracts slowly, but can be used for a long time. Distance runners usually have more slow-twitch than fast-twitch muscles. There is some debate about whether the proportion of fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscles is an unchangeable part of our inborn body composition or if it can be changed through specific training.

Split – The term for the amount of time it takes to run a portion of the total run or race. (Example: My total 5k time was 18:30, but my last mile split was 5:45).

Steady state runs – A run done at a pace somewhere between “fast” and “slow”; not an interval workout, but not easy either. Steady state runs are usually between half-marathon and marathon pace and can be anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes long, depending on what you are training for.

Strides – Short, fast sprinting pieces lasting between 15 and 20 seconds with full recovery in between. They are usually done after an easy run or before a race or workout. The purpose of strides is to help your legs turn over more quickly and get them ready for a hard effort.

Supination – The opposite of pronation. The outward rolling of the foot after heel impact, which puts most pressure on the outside of the foot. Supination is rare and occurs in less than one percent of the running population.

Surge – A tactic in which the runner speeds up drastically, but typically slows again soon after. Surges can be used to break away from the pack or to check who is running easily and who is labouring.

Taper – A period of semi-rest before a big competition, usually practised a week or two before a big race. During a taper, mileage and workouts will be cut down a certain amount in order to rest your body for that one day.

Tempo intervals – A tempo run broken up into different repeats with rest between each piece. Each repeat is usually between 10k and 10k+10 to 20 seconds/mile pace and lasts between 10 and 15 minutes (per repeat). Example: 3×2 miles @ 10k effort with three minute rest between.

Tempo runs – A type of workout used to improve lactate threshold that is longer and slower than cruise intervals, but faster than steady state runs. Tempo runs should be comfortably hard and last between 10 and 45 minutes at roughly 15 to 20 seconds per mile slower than your 10k-race pace.

Tendonitis – Inflammation of the tendon, causing irritation and friction along the sheath that encases the tendon, which leads to more inflammation and pain.

Tendonosis – Non-inflammatory, repetitive stress injury of the tendon fibres. Whereas tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon, tendonosis is the damage of the tissue itself.

The wall/hitting the wall – A state of pure exhaustion where your body runs out of glycogen stores. Also called “bonking”. Hitting the wall often occurs after the 20-mile mark of a marathon.

Turnover – The amount of times your feet hit the ground, usually measured in steps per minute. The better a runner’s turnover, the more efficient his/her form should be. Most believe that your turnover should be at least 180 steps/minute (an easy way to tell is to count the amount of times one foot hits the ground per minute and double it).

Ultra-marathon – A race that exceeds the tradition 26.2 miles marathon distance.

VDOT – An overall, more holistic number (as compared to VO2max) that measures an athlete’s ability to run fast. VDOT was created by Jack Daniels and is based on a runner’s most recent competition results. It includes factors like mental toughness, running economy and form that give a better overall view of an athlete’s potential.

VO2max – Maximum aerobic capacity or maximum amount of oxygen that can be utilized by a body; a high VO2max usually indicates greater performance potential, and although the number can be increased with training, it does have a limited genetic component. VO2max is usually found in a treadmill lab test.

Warm-up – Easy running done before a workout or race. Warm-ups are used to get your heart rate up and get the muscles ready for a hard effort. They usually last between 10 to 30 minutes.