A lot of the terminology below will crop up from time to time in my training plans so just to be sure I’ve compiled a list of potentially useful running terminology.
AEROBIC
Used to refer to running or other exercise at an intensity that’s sufficiently easy for your respiratory and cardiovascular systems to deliver all or most of the oxygen required by your muscles, and slow enough that lactic acid doesn’t appreciably build up in your muscles. Generally, you can sustain a slow aerobic pace for long periods of time, provided you have the endurance to go long distances.
ANAEROBIC
Used to refer to running or other exercise at an intensity that makes it impossible for your respiratory and cardiovascular systems to deliver all or most of the oxygen required by your muscles, and fast enough that lactic acid begins to build up in your muscles, thus producing a tired, heavy feeling. The pace associated with anaerobic running cannot be sustained very long.
ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD
The transition phase between aerobic and anaerobic running. Good training will increase AT by teaching the muscles to use oxygen more efficiently, so that less lactic acid is produced. Also known as “lactate threshold.”
CHIP TIME
A technology for sensing and recording the finishing times of all the runners in a race used in all of the Great Run Events.
DNF
Did not finish.
DNS
Did not start.
DOMS
(Delayed onset muscle soreness). This type of muscle soreness normally peaks about 48 hours after a particularly intense or long run/session.
FARTLEK
Swedish for “speed play;” variable pace running; a mixture of slow running, running at a moderate pace and short, fast bursts.
HITTING THE WALL
Awful feeling during a race when your muscle glycogen stores become depleted and a feeling of fatigue engulfs you, often referred to as ‘the wall’.
INTERVALS
Training in which short, efforts or repetitions of varied distances such as 10x400ms or 5x1km are performed. Intervals followed by periods of rest. Interval training builds speed and endurance.
JUNK MILES
Hotly debated among training enthusiasts but thought to be a pace in which runs are not fast enough to receive training benefits, such as tempo pace, but are too fast to enable the body to recover from harder workouts.
LACTIC ACID
A substance, which forms in the muscles as a result of the incomplete breakdown of glucose. Lactic acid is associated with muscle fatigue and sore muscles.
LSR
(Long, Slow, Run). Refers to the practice of running longer distances
at an “easy” pace. Great for building resistance to leg fatigue and training the body to use fat as it’s main fuel source.
Marathon
26.2 miles; According to legend, in 490 B.C., a Greek soldier name Philippides ran the distance from the site of the battle of Marathon to Athens, where he died after the Greek victory over the Persians.
MAX HEART RATE
The highest heart-rate reached during a specified period of time.
NEGATIVE SPLITS
Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.
OVERPRONATION
Overpronation is referred to as an excessive inward roll of the foot before toe-off. Overpronation is believed to be the cause of many running injuries.
PROGRESSION RUN
A run ran progressively getting faster throughout the duration of the run. Often starts at easy run pace and works down towards tempo pace. (See tempo runs). Important training run of many elite athletes.
PRONATION
Pronation begins immediately after the heel contacts the ground. It is a normal and necessary motion for walking or running. Pronation is the distinctive, inward roll of the foot as the arch collapses.
PB
Personal Best.
RUNNING ECONOMY
Refers to how much oxygen you use when you run. When you improve your economy, you are able to run at a smaller percentage of max VO2 (your maximum rate of oxygen utilisation).
SPLITS
Refers to your times at mile markers or other pre-planned checkpoints along the way to the finish line.
STRIDES OR PICK UPS
Accelerations done before, during or at the end of a run, normally ran in distances of 100-200ms. Designed to increase heart rate and improve leg turnover, which results in increased speed and efficiency.
SUPINATION
The opposite of pronation. It’s an outward rolling of the forefoot that naturally occurs during the stride cycle at toe-off. Oversupination occurs when the foot remains on its outside edge after heel strike instead of pronating. It is a rare condition occurring in less than 1% of the running population.
TAPER
Runners usually cut back mileage (or taper) one day to three weeks (depending on race distance) before a big race. Tapering helps muscles rest so that they are ready for peak performance on race day.
TARGET HEART RATE
A range of heart rate reached during aerobic training, which enables an athlete to gain maximum benefit.
TEMPO RUNS
Sustained effort training runs, usually 20 to 30 minutes in length, at 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 10-K race pace. A tempo should feel hard, but you should feel in control during the run.
THRESHOLD RUNS
Runs of 5 to 20 minutes at a pace just a little slower than your 10-K racing pace; Threshold pace is roughly equivalent to what exercise physiologists call “lactate threshold,” or the point at which your muscles start fatiguing at a rapid rate. Running at or near lactate threshold is believed to raise your lactate threshold, which should allow you to run faster in the future and should be considered an important part of your training.
VO2MAX
The maximal amount of oxygen that a person can extract from the atmosphere and then transport and use in the body’s tissues.
WARM DOWN
Slow running done after a session or race to loosen muscles and help assist the removal of lactic acid from the body.
WARM UP
Slow running done before a session or race to loosen muscles and help raise your heart rate and prepare your body for more intense exercise.