Do you often hear a running word or phrase and have no idea what it means?
Well, in this video,
we're going to be going through some of the running terms that you may have come
across, be it in your training, maybe at coaching sessions,
even in some of our other videos, so you know what we're talking about!
Yes, so stay tuned to be in the know about all those running terms,
but first to help us keep making videos all about running,
make sure you hit subscribe and tap the bell icon.
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So to start with,
here are some terms that you might hear when you're talking about running form
and how to run.
So foot strike generally refers to whereabouts on your foot.
you land when you run. So you could heel strike.
You could land on your mid foot or land on your forefoot or your toes.
Now there's plenty of debate in running circles about which is best.
So for example, some may say that heel striking is bad for you,
but there are plenty of examples of elite runners who heel strike,
especially later on in races when they get tired.
And so really the jury is out as to which is best when it comes to footstrike
Your gait is quite simply your running style, how your feet strike the ground.
As you run, each person will have their own unique gait,
which is why good running shops will recommend looking at your gait and
analyzing it to get the best shoes that fit your running style.
Pronation is the way that your foot naturally rolls inward when it hits the
ground.
It's your body's way of absorbing the shock. Overpronation is when that roll is
too pronounced and underpronation is when it's not pronounced enough.
Supination is another term for underpronation.
And this again looks at the way that you land on your foot whilst you're running.
So if you supinate,
then it means that you land more on the outside of your foot when you're running.
Your running cadence refers to how many steps you take per minute.
You might see this as a statistic on your watch or your running app,
or you can calculate it yourself by simply counting
how many times your feet strike the ground in 60 seconds.
Next up,
we've got some terms that you might see included in training plans or in running
sessions that you're perhaps not sure about.
So these are the types of sessions that you can do when you're running that you
mix up into your weekly plan.
The term threshold refers to your anaerobic threshold. Now, when you work hard,
your blood starts to accumulate lactate and over a certain point
it can't get rid of that and it starts to accumulate.
So if you work just below that threshold point,
you start to push that point up further into your run and your pace.
Very roughly speaking your threshold is normally the pace at which you would run
something around 10 miles, perhaps out to your half marathon pace.
People often use the terms tempo run and threshold run interchangeably.
However,
tempo runs can also be longer runs where you practice running a certain pace.
For example, marathon pace for an hour.
Running negative splits simply means that you run the second half of a long
run or a race faster than you ran the first half.
So if you were to complete your race doing negative splits,
then your first half would be slower and you'd have pushed the pace to finish
strong and faster.
So strides are normally done for around 20 to 30 seconds,
perhaps at your mile pace or say around 85 to 95% of your maximum effort.
They're something you can do at the end of a recovery run,
or you would do them in the warm up to a race or a big training session.
Now I love an acronym as much as the next person,
but when there are so many out there for so many different things,
it's hard to keep track of them all.
So here's a quick fire recap in case you've forgotten anything.
PR = personal record Your best time over a given distance,
PB = personal best,
your best time on a given distance
CR = course record
The fastest time ever run on that particular course
NR is a national record.
So the fastest time run by anyone from that country over any given distance
WR is world record
The fastest time ever recorded over any distance can also be
applied to things like Guinness world records as well.
So maybe if you're doing it in a costume. Kate?
And DNF is did not finish. So if you started a race, but it didn't get to the finish line,
then your results will have D and F written next to them.
BQ = Boston Qualifier
Any marathon that's certified to offer you a ticket to the coveted Boston
Marathon, based on your time
GPS stands for global positioning system.
You'll often hear this in relation to running watches and tracking devices.
GPS allows you to track your location while you're out on a run and also see
where you've been on a map when you get back.
ITB your iliotibial band.
This is the fascia running from your hip down to your knee.
DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness.
Something you'll often experience after a very hard run or perhaps a workout in
the gym the next day.
N ext up a few physiological terms. So things to do with running and your body.
So this is a painful experience that most runners have had at some point,
while out on a run.
Chafing happens when there's friction between the skin and itself or an item of clothing.
When we run our body releases, endorphins, which are chemicals in the body,
and these mix with the receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of effort
and pain.
They're also closely associated with the feeling that many of you hopefully have
experienced called the runner's high. Check out our video on What is the Runner's High?
for way more detail on that one.
Your plantar fascia is what connects your heel bone to your toes.
And if that gets sore, it's, what's known as plantar fasciitis,
a very common injury among runners and a pain in your foot.
And finally, here are some other running related jargon that you might come across.
The term tapering is usually used in the run up to a race.
It means easing off on your training
so your body is well-rested and recovered and can actually help with your race performance.
How long you taper for, well
that depends on how long you're going to be running for.
So if you're running a 10 K, it could just be a couple of days,
but it could be a couple of weeks if you're running a marathon or ultra marathon event
Heat index as used by runners in the summer,
and as a useful calculation for the 'feels like' temperature.
So it takes the humidity into account
So the more humidity there is outside the warmer it feels.
Think about wind chill factor in the winter - well heat index is the summer equivalent
and can be helpful in knowing whether you need to take
water out on your run with you and how much.
No, it's not what you're thinking! Running streaker is just somebody who runs
every day, creating a kind of streak. Now it could be any distance.
Some people might just run one mile a day for a few weeks.
You could try running 5K a day every day for 30 days,
and check out our video where Anna attempted that challenge,
or you can take it to extremes.
Jon Sutherland has a running streak of over 50 years running at least one mile
a day since the 26th of May, 1969.
So hopefully that's given you an explanation of some of the most common running
terms that you hear batted about.
Did we miss any out? Or is there a running term that you keep hearing that
you've got absolutely no idea what it means?
Let us know in the comments below.
And don't forget to check out some of our other running videos where you can put
your new terminology, knowledge into practice.
We'll see you next time on The Running C hannel.