Every job in the country has jargon that only those involved in that profession fully understand and running is no different. For those new to running, they may be hearing new lingo when they’re out and about, unsure what half of it is and afraid to ask. So here’s a few of the regular ones; Achilles tendon: The tendon along the back of your foot that attaches your calf muscles to your heel bone. Aid station: Also called a water stop - a point along the course that offers water and sports drinks, handed out by volunteers. Often, at bigger races, people also hand out gels, energy bars, and other items. Plan your own for training runs. Altitude training: Elite runners train at altitude to increase their number of red blood cells, improving oxygen delivery to their muscles. At altitude, the amount of oxygen in the blood is reduced because there’s less oxygen in the air. The kidneys then secrete more of a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), which causes the body to create more red blood cells. Runners find they can train harder and perform better for several weeks after they return from about a month-long stay at altitude. Why do you think I’m living in Youghal! Aquajogging: Running against the water’s resistance in the deep end, where you can’t touch the bottom, provides many of the benefits of running on land. A flotation belt will help keep you upright and give you stability. Tried and tested – excellent if injured or if you just want time off the road. Bandit: Someone who is participating in the race unofficially, without having registered or paid for an entry. Oh yeah and tucking into the tea/coffee and cakes after. Shame! Bib: The sheets printed with numbers (called “bib numbers”) used to identify each runner in a race. You’ll get there! Black toenails: Lots of downhill running and too-small shoes can cause these, because both situations cause your toes to slam into the front of your shoe. They typically heal on their own within a few months. Recommended ½ a shoes size up on your normal size. Bloody nipples: These are often caused by chafing, friction caused by the rubbing of the nipples against the shirt while running. They’re more common in men and during cold weather, and they can be remedied by covering your nipples with adhesive bandages or nipple guards. Been there, worn the bloody t-shirt in Dublin Marathon 2012. Never again to be repeated! Brick workout: A workout that includes consecutive biking, then running. Often used by triathletes and duathletes to prepare for their goal events. Carb-loading: The practice of increasing the percentage of carbs in your diet during the days leading up to an endurance event such as a marathon, half-marathon, or even a long training run. Carb-loading stores glycogen in the muscles and liver so that it can be used during the event. Pasta, spuds, bagels….. Certified course: Most marathons and half-marathons are certified by AAI, Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI), which ensures that the distance of the race is accurately measured. For any running performance to be accepted as a record or for national ranking, it has to be run on a certified course. Chafing: Bloodied, blistered skin caused by friction that happens after clothing-on-skin or skin-on-skin rubbing. Inner thigh on thigh (bicycle style shorts the only job) Chip: Salt & Vinegar please. You wish - a small plastic piece attached to a runner’s shoelace or is built into the back of your bib number, that’s used to track a runner’s progress and record times during a race. Timing chips are activated once you step over the electronic mat at the start and finish of a race, and at various points in between. At most races, if you forget your timing chip, your race time will not be officially recorded. 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 and where you can hang over a wall and get your breath back. Corral: A sectioned area at the lineup of a race that helps separate athletes into different pace groups. The faster an individual is, the more likely he or she will end up in one of the first few corrals. These corrals are especially important at large races, such as marathons, where elite athletes are running. Endorphins: Brain chemicals long credited with producing a “runner’s high,” the sense of elation that runners report experiencing. Em………. 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. Glycogen: The form of carbohydrates that is stored in your muscles and liver and is converted to glucose for energy during exercise. The amount of glycogen that is stored depends on your level of training and the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. The glycogen that is stored (so it can be made available for use during a race) is increased during periods of carb-loading. Takes practice in getting it right. GPS: Many running watches now have a GPS function that tracks your distance, time and pace with a fairly high degree of accuracy. All good, but sometimes, you just need to run for the sake of running, with no gadgets in sight. Half Marathon: A race that’s 13.1 miles long. Not too short, not too long. Hamstrings: The long muscles along the back of your legs. Strong, supple hamstrings are crucial for running your best, because they help to flex your knees and extend your hips. Heart rate: How many times your heart beats in a minute. It makes it a better way to monitor how hard you’re working than an arbitrary measure such as your pace. Hill repeats: A workout that includes sprinting uphill fast, jogging downhill at an easy pace to recover, and then repeating the sequence. It’s thought to be an efficient way to build leg strength, speed, and aerobic capacity. Hill repeats reduce your injury risk because it limits fast-running time and because the incline of a hill shortens the distance your feet have to fall, reducing the impact of each step. Now, just find that hill. Ice baths: Typically taken after long runs, races, and hard workouts, ice baths involve immersing one’s legs in ice water for 15 to 20 minutes. The ice constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once you get out of the cold water, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster bloodflow, which helps flush waste products out of the cells. Hell on earth, but boy oh boy does it work! Iliotibial band (IT Band): A thick, fibrous band that connects your hips and knees. It helps to flex and rotate your hips and stabilize and extend your knees. It can become easily strained, leading to iliotibial band syndrome, if you increase your mileage too quickly. Invest in a Foam Roller and roll out that IT band after your runs. Long slow distance runs (LSD): Typically for most, their weekly long run (starting from 2-23/24mi or longer, depending on the event) and is the foundation of marathon and half-marathon training. These workouts help build endurance and psychological toughness that can help you get through race day. Marathon: A race that’s 26.2 miles long. Although many runners are understandably proud of having run a marathon, some of the greatest runners in history have never done one, so don’t feel like you have to do a marathon to call yourself a runner. Most experts agree that you should have a year of regular running under your belt before you start training for your first marathon and most important, your head has to be in the right place as it’s a big part of the training. Negative splits: Running the second half of a race faster than the first half. Not easy to do, but the start of any race is key – ease into it and build on it. Orthotics: Devices worn inside running shoes to help treat or prevent injuries. Orthotics can be hard or soft, and of varying length, depending on what injury they’re trying to address. You should wear orthotics only if advised to by a sports medicine professional who says you need one to address a specific underlying imbalance or weakness. Out-and-back: A course that entails running out to a turnaround spot, then running back to the starting point. Out-and-backs are a convenient way to get in runs in unfamiliar locales. They’re also a good option when you’re trying to run a little farther than you have before, because you don’t have the option of cutting the run short, you have to come home. Overuse injury: Any injury incurred from doing too much mileage before the body is ready. Examples of common overuse injuries among runners include runner’s knee, IT-band syndrome, and plantar fasciitis. Overpronation: Excessive inward roll of the foot, which can cause pain in the foot, shin, and knee. Wearing the right shoe is so important. Come on in and get your gait done. 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. Rest days are as important as training days as it’s on these days the magic happens. 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. Sometimes forget the ‘pace’, run for the pure enjoyment of running. Personal record (PR): Term used to describe a runner’s farthest or fastest time in a race. Also called a Personal Best (PB). Plantar fascia: Thick connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot from the heel bone to the base of your toe bones. It can easily inflamed by many of the same things that irritate the Achilles tendon, including too-rapid increases in distance and/or intensity, and poor flexibility of the calf muscles. Quads/quadriceps: The four main muscles in the front of your legs. They help to stabilise your knees after your foot hits the ground when you’re running. New runners whose lives involve a lot of sitting often have quad muscles that are tighter and shorter than ideal for running. 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 1000-meter repeats six times. For shorter races, like 5-Ks, you might do shorter repeats of 400 meters or so at your goal race pace. RICE: Not of the basmati variety, in fact refers to Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. 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. Run/walk: Walk breaks allow a runner to feel strong to the end and recover fast, while providing the same stamina and conditioning as a continuous run. By shifting back and forth between walking and running, you work a variety of different muscle groups, which helps fend off fatigue. Runners knee: A common running injury marked by inflammation of the underside of the kneecap. A common cause in new runners is building up mileage too quickly. Being at a good running weight and have strong, flexible quad and hip muscles help to lessen your risk for developing runner’s knee. Side stitch: Also called a “side sticker,” this is a sharp pain usually felt just below the rib cage (though sometimes farther up the torso). It’s thought to be caused by a cramp in the diaphragm, gas in the intestines, or food in the stomach. Stitches normally come on during hard workouts or races. To get rid of a side stitch, notice which foot is striking the ground when you inhale and exhale, then switch the pattern. So if you were leading with your right foot, inhale when your left foot steps. If that doesn’t help, stop running and reach both arms above your head. Bend at your waist, leaning to the side opposite the stitch until the pain subsides. Speedwork: Also called intervals or repeats, speedwork refers to any workout run at a faster-than-normal pace. Often done on treadmill. Performed to increase cardiovascular fitness. Tough but necessary. Splits: The time it takes to complete any defined distance. If you’re running a marathon, the ideal scenario would be a slower time for the 1st half/ split (13.1mi) should be slower than your 2nd half (split) and if this is the case it’s called a negative split which is a good thing. Streaker: No it’s not someone who runs naked. It typically refers to someone who has completed a race multiple years in a row. Stride rate: The number of times your feet hit the ground during a minute of running. This measurement is often used to assess running efficiency. Having a high stride rate—say 170 steps per minute or more—can reduce injuries and help you run faster. Typically the number used refers to the total number of times either foot hits the ground. So for a person with a stride rate of 170, the right foot and the left foot would each have hit the ground 85 times. Strides: Also called striders or “pickups,” these are typically 80- to 100-meter surges that are incorporated into a warmup or a regular workout. Strides increase heart rate and leg turnover; they get your legs ready to run. Strides are run near 80 percent of maximum effort, with easy jogging in between. Supination: The insufficient inward roll of the foot after landing. This places extra stress on the foot and can result iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. Runners with high arches and tight Achilles tendons tend to supinate. Back to the right shoes for your foot, without which you’ll be plagued by injuries. Talk test: A way to see if you’re running at a comfortable effort level. During most of your runs, you should be able to carry on a conversation, which means you’ve passed the talk test. If you can’t say more than a few words at a time, you’re probably running too hard. Back off to where you can say a sentence at a time, and you’ll be able to run longer and better advance your fitness. Technical clothing: This typically refers to clothing made of synthetic fibres that wick moisture away from the skin (also known as dry fit). These fibres do not absorb moisture, like cotton does, and they help prevent uncomfortable chafing. Ditch the cotton T’s. Tempo: When runners talk about doing a “tempo run” they usually mean a sustained, faster-than-usual run of 3 to 6 miles at the pace they could sustain for an hour in a race. Tempo runs are said to feel “comfortably hard”—you have to concentrate to keep the effort going, but aren’t running with as much effort as a sprint or 5-K race. Tempo runs are a good way to boost your fitness. Trail running: Doing some or all of a run off road. Trail running has become increasingly popular in part because running in the woods or mountains is usually more appealing than sharing the road with distracted drivers. Trails’ softer surfaces are also a nice change from asphalt. Expect to run slower than usual on trails as you have to pay more attention to the uneven terrain. Ultra/ultramarathon: Any race that’s longer than a marathon. The most popular ultra distances are 50K (31 miles), 50 miles, and 100K (62 miles). A lot of ultras are run on trails or in other natural settings, and almost all ultras have much smaller fields than the average half marathon or marathon. 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 speedwork, which forces the heart to pump blood at a higher rate. Warmup: 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 bloodflow to the muscles, and it prepares the body for more vigorous work. A good warmup allows the body to work more efficiently and helps prevent muscle pulls and strains. 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. If you’ve ever hit it, you’ll know all about it! 5K: A race that’s 3.1 miles long. 10K: A race that’s 6.2 miles long. Most runners cover the distance at least 15 seconds per mile slower than they do a 5K. Never be afraid to ask!
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 22:06:09 +0000
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