Running Terminology

Cooldown

A period of light physical activity, like walking, after a longer or harder run. Done to help bring the heart rate down gradually and prevent the blood from pooling in the legs.

Easy Running

Easy Running is less intense than the other types of training so, as long as you choose the correct footwear for your long runs, the chance of injury is low as there is less stress on the body during this training session. It should be performed at a pace that you can chat to the person beside you. The easy run, especially a long weekend run, lends itself to groups, when you can run and chat and be more social.

The biggest benefit will be building your aerobic base and that includes increasing in blood volume and the body becoming more economic at burning fuel. It will teach the body to use fat as an energy supply. It can help you to lose weight and will build up your endurance.

Fartlek

Speed play, or fartlek in Swedish (the concept originated in Sweden), is a speedwork format in which you run faster for however long (or short) you want.

Intervals

Technically, this refers to the time you spend recovering between speed segments. But the term is commonly used to refer to track workouts in general or fast bouts of running.

Negative Splits

Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.

Overpronation

Excessive inward roll of the foot, which can cause pain in the foot, shin, and knee.

Overtraining

A collapse in performance that occurs when the body gets pushed beyond its capacity to recover. It can lead to fatigue, stale training, poor race performance, irritability, and loss of enthusiasm for running. Serious overtraining can cause sleep disturbances, hampered immune function, poor appetite, and the cessation of menstrual periods in women.

Pace

How fast you’re running, usually expressed in terms of minutes per mile. Your running pace at a given effort level will vary greatly from day to day, depending on the weather, your fatigue level and numerous other factors. While it’s good to have a general idea of how fast you’re running, it’s best not to base your running around hitting certain paces all the time. Doing so usually leads to working too hard and can drain much of the enjoyment from your running. As you gain fitness, you’ll naturally speed up.

RAMP

Raise, Activate, Mobilise and Potentiate warm up.

Recovery

Walking or easy jogging between faster-paced segments. Recovery lets your heart rate return to the point where you’re ready to run fast again, and it helps you regain the energy you’ll need for the next burst of speed.

Repeats

The fast segments of running that are repeated during a workout, with recovery in between. If you’re training for a marathon, you might run 1,000-meter repeats six times. For shorter races, like a 5k, you might do shorter repeats of 400 meters or so at your goal race pace.

RICE

Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate. These measures can relieve pain, reduce swelling, and protect damaged tissues, all of which speed healing. They’re most effective when done immediately following an injury. RICE is the standard prescription for many aches and pains, such as strained hamstrings and twisted ankles.

Static Stretching

Static stretching is an important part of training. It help develop range of movement (ROM) as well as helping prevent injury. Static stretching should be performed after training, it should be done slowly and without bounce, the stretch should not hurt.

Tapering

Tapering is what you do coming up to a target race once all the hard work is done in preparation for feeling fresh and ready to race when the race starts. Cutting back on training volume and intensity is how you achieve this.

Tempo

A Tempo run also known as an anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold run is run at a pace about 25-30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5k race pace.

Ten Percent Rule

Don’t increase mileage or intensity by more than 10 percent from one week to another. This is a classic injury-prevention rule meant to prevent a runner from doing too much, too soon, and getting injured.

Threshold

What is a threshold run? The simple answer is that it is a run carried out at an intensity or speed just below where your body would not be able to get rid of the acidosis that builds up in your muscles. You can only run above that pace for a short amount of time before you start to feel like you are running through treacle. This is why threshold runs are very important for road-runners - especially half marathon and marathon runners as you should aim to complete most of that race just below this critical level.

A rough guide to your threshold pace is your ten mile race pace; so if you work out your average time for each mile in a ten mile race it will give you an approximate threshold pace. If possible you should also look at your average heart rate for that race, so that you have both heart rate and pace to guide you on your threshold runs.

The Wall

Typically refers to a point when a runner’s energy levels plummet, breathing becomes labored, and negative thoughts begin to flood in; this often happens at mile 20 of a marathon. Experts say that it usually happens two-thirds of the way through any race, no matter the distance. Hitting the wall often occurs because you’ve run out of fuel and need carbohydrates (like a sports drink or an energy gel) that the body can convert into fuel for the muscles to use.

VO2 Max

A measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that a person can consume per minute while exercising. VO2 max is determined by genetics, gender, body composition, age, and training. Runners with a naturally high VO2 max often find it easier to run faster because their hearts can deliver more oxygen to their muscles. There are many ways to boost VO2 max, including speed work, which forces the heart to pump blood at a higher rate.

Warm Up

A period of walking or easy running or any light activity that is done for 10 to 20 minutes before a workout. It gradually increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood flow to the muscles, and it prepares the body for more vigorous work. A good warm-up allows the body to work more efficiently and helps prevent muscle pulls and strains.