After three years of training, racing, talking with runners and coaches, and reading fitness magazines, I have progressively learned something short of a new language that would get me funny looks from my non-runner friends who have never experienced the pain of a DNF at X-country race. I was warned that this day would come, but did not listen: I have become a running geek. The problem is that, as a fitness instructor, the last thing you want is for your clients not to understand you.
Recently, a friend and client of mine had to contact me a few times to ask me to explain some terms in the program that I had created for her. During our training sessions together, she would also have to stop me in my exercise explanations to ask me to define some terms . She was new to the world of fitness and had never followed a race training program before. I asked her if I should just stop using these words, but she said that she actually enjoyed learning the running and fitness jargon. She recommended that, when training beginners or runners new to fitness training, I should just take the time to not just teach drills and workouts, but also the running and fitness terminology.
Lesson learned: never forget what it is like to be a beginner.
My friend also suggested that I create a few blog posts explaining the most obscure, yet commonly used, running and fitness words. So here is my first mini-glossary with 10 definitions:
8. DNF means "Did Not Finish" the race. These are the letters that appear next to the name of a person who could not finish a race for any reason other than being disqualified (DQ). Starting a race to not finish it is so painful that some runners prefer to simply say they "DNF-ed" when people ask them about a race they had to leave because of injury or exhaustion. It is polite not to ask for more details when the event was recent.
9. PB, PR and SB means not only finishing the race, but running it faster than ever before. This is what most runners are chasing after once they have settled with a racing distance of their choice as it is the most objective measurement of progress. A PB is a personal best, PR means personal record (used in the US mostly) and an SB is a seasonal best (the best time ran that year).
10. Age-graded results after a certain age and a few years of training it is hard to keep on chasing for PBs: one cannot expect to run as fast at 60 as they did when 30. But Masters athletes can still track their improvements by aiming for better age-graded times.
Recently, a friend and client of mine had to contact me a few times to ask me to explain some terms in the program that I had created for her. During our training sessions together, she would also have to stop me in my exercise explanations to ask me to define some terms . She was new to the world of fitness and had never followed a race training program before. I asked her if I should just stop using these words, but she said that she actually enjoyed learning the running and fitness jargon. She recommended that, when training beginners or runners new to fitness training, I should just take the time to not just teach drills and workouts, but also the running and fitness terminology.
Lesson learned: never forget what it is like to be a beginner.
My friend also suggested that I create a few blog posts explaining the most obscure, yet commonly used, running and fitness words. So here is my first mini-glossary with 10 definitions:
1. Aerobic means using oxygen to generate energy. The aerobic energy system is the one that produces most of the energy required to do continuous physical activity for over 5 minutes. It is the dominant energy system for activities such as long distance running, swimming and cycling. Exercises that use predominantly this energy system are called aerobic, endurance, cardio or cardiovascular training exercises.
Doing a good warm-up can help get your heart rate progressively up, preparing your body to use the aerobic energy system efficiently when starting your race or run. Without a good warm-up, the first 10 minutes of your run or race could end up being anaerobic...
Doing a good warm-up can help get your heart rate progressively up, preparing your body to use the aerobic energy system efficiently when starting your race or run. Without a good warm-up, the first 10 minutes of your run or race could end up being anaerobic...
2. Anaerobic is the "opposite" of aerobic. It means generating energy without oxygen. All activities, even running a marathon, require some level of anaerobic energy production, especially towards the beginning (before the heart rate rises to the point of delivering enough oxygen to the working muscles) and at the end of a race (for the final "sprint"). Exercises that use predominantly the anaerobic energy system include sprinting, short hill repeats, weight lifting and some high intensity circuit-style workouts such as CrossFit.
3. Lactic acid is a runner's worse enemy. Actually, it is a by-product of anaerobic energy generation. The painful burning sensation and heavy legs feeling that comes with the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscles will let you know that you have trained hard enough when doing fast intervals on the track or running hill sprints. When racing anything over 5k, you want avoid building up lactic acid in the first two-thirds of the race at all costs as you could end up with a DNF, if you do (see definition below).
Doing a cool-down, such as a slow jog and walk for 5 minutes, and stretching after every workout can help you eliminate the accumulated lactic acid better and reduce the chance of post-workout soreness in the following days.
3. Lactic acid is a runner's worse enemy. Actually, it is a by-product of anaerobic energy generation. The painful burning sensation and heavy legs feeling that comes with the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscles will let you know that you have trained hard enough when doing fast intervals on the track or running hill sprints. When racing anything over 5k, you want avoid building up lactic acid in the first two-thirds of the race at all costs as you could end up with a DNF, if you do (see definition below).
The face of lactic acid buildup
Doing a cool-down, such as a slow jog and walk for 5 minutes, and stretching after every workout can help you eliminate the accumulated lactic acid better and reduce the chance of post-workout soreness in the following days.
4. VO2Max is the maximal volume of
oxygen that a person can take in from the air around, send to the body's cells, and use to consume
to produce energy in one minute. It is expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilograms of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). It is the best number to use to track improvements in aerobic fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance).
As your VO2 Max improves, you will be able to run faster while remaining in your aerobic zone, which means that you will be able to keep that faster pace longer as you will not have to slow down or stop because your legs are full of lactic acid.
BrianMac Sports Coach has a tool to estimate your V02Max based on your latest race time or time trial result.
As your VO2 Max improves, you will be able to run faster while remaining in your aerobic zone, which means that you will be able to keep that faster pace longer as you will not have to slow down or stop because your legs are full of lactic acid.
BrianMac Sports Coach has a tool to estimate your V02Max based on your latest race time or time trial result.
5. Time trial is a running test done as fast as possible for the chosen distance (usually shorter than your goal race). Doing regular time trials allows you to track improvements in both aerobic fitness and speed between races. It can also help you set a realistic goal pace and time for a longer upcoming race.
Runner's World has a tool that allows you to estimate your goal race time based on a recent race or time trial time.
Runner's World has a tool that allows you to estimate your goal race time based on a recent race or time trial time.
6. Intensity (usually in %) is based on your speed, heart rate or perceived exertion. Efficient race training programs include runs of various length and at various intensities. Higher intensity runs can help build speed and strength. Race pace intensity runs can help teach your body what it should feel like when moving at goal pace.
Runner's World has a great tool to help you calculate your pace for runs at various intensities.
Runner's World has a great tool to help you calculate your pace for runs at various intensities.
7. Cross-training is physical activity other than running (does that really exist?) done to help improve strength, endurance, balance and coordination as well as to prevent muscular imbalances and injuries. It can be swimming, weigth training, bootcamp style classes, group fitness classes, pilates, etc. Cross-training activities should not be so tiring or create muscle soreness to the point of affecting your running workouts. Cross-training is not to be confused with CrossFit, which is pretty much a complete training program, if not a sport of its own.
I have created a playlist on my YouTube channel of some of the exercises I do for cross-training:
I have created a playlist on my YouTube channel of some of the exercises I do for cross-training:
8. DNF means "Did Not Finish" the race. These are the letters that appear next to the name of a person who could not finish a race for any reason other than being disqualified (DQ). Starting a race to not finish it is so painful that some runners prefer to simply say they "DNF-ed" when people ask them about a race they had to leave because of injury or exhaustion. It is polite not to ask for more details when the event was recent.
9. PB, PR and SB means not only finishing the race, but running it faster than ever before. This is what most runners are chasing after once they have settled with a racing distance of their choice as it is the most objective measurement of progress. A PB is a personal best, PR means personal record (used in the US mostly) and an SB is a seasonal best (the best time ran that year).
10. Age-graded results after a certain age and a few years of training it is hard to keep on chasing for PBs: one cannot expect to run as fast at 60 as they did when 30. But Masters athletes can still track their improvements by aiming for better age-graded times.