Posted on January 19, 2017 by Kate Halsall
Whether you’re new to running or not, sometimes running plans and websites use running terminology or acronyms which are simply baffling. I also think that sometimes as Personal Trainers, we forget that not every knows what we mean by “tempo run”. So here’s a list of some of the running terms that we here at motive8 use (and other running coaches will use) and help you in understanding running terminology.
- Brick Workout/Training: You’ll have seen Jenny mention this a number of times in some of her blogs. It is used when training for triathlons and duathlons and most commonly refers to a bike workout followed by a run workout. I can also be used the other way around i.e. run then bike, and also for a swim and then a bike. Or if you’re really going for it….the whole thing…..swim-bike-run (triathlon), run-bike-run (duathlon)….Jenny will be doing lots of these soon in the build up to her duathlon race!
- Easy Run: This is a low intensity run – the best guidance is that these are runs where you run at a pace in which you can hold a conversation. It’s a great way to help build up endurance
- Fartlek: Simply means speed-play in Swedish. There’s no set timing or distance – you decide! You run faster for as long as you want and then recover for as long as you want. Fartleks are great done with friends as you can encourage each other and alternate between who decides what to do. Take a read of Lucy’s blog for some Fartlek workouts.
- Hill Sprints: Love these! You tank it up a hill as fast as possible and jog back down it to recover and then repeat. Try this hill sprint workout from Jenny.
- Intervals: Usually a specific period of low and high intensity training i.e. set time periods or set distances (I like setting people 1 mile intervals). Long intervals are good at getting you ‘race pace’ ready for your event, shorter intervals are great for fat burning, improving speed and improving your anaerobic threshold.
- LSD – no not the drug – Long Slow Distance: These are usually the longest runs you would complete in a week.
- Pace: This is usually how long it takes to run a mile.
- Steady State: This is cardio that is a continuous and steady effort i.e. at a fixed intensity.
- Tempo Run: It’s a faster than normal run, which is usually described as “comfortably hard”. This kind of run is normally sustained for a set distance or time. Hard work but a great session of satisfaction at the end!
- Taper: Reduction of exercise/running leading up to a race or competition.
More Terminology explained:
http://www.runnersworld.com/start-running/a-guide-to-common-running-terms
http://greatist.com/fitness/ultimate-guide-running-lingo