Running Glossary: Terms & Slang Every Runner Must Know

When you dive into the world of running, you'll quickly notice that it has its own unique vocabulary and slang. Understanding running terms is essential for connecting with fellow runners and fully embracing this exciting journey. Whether you're curious about marathon terms, running lingo, or just words related to running, this guide is here to help break it down for you. If you're new to running and feel a bit lost with all the jargon, don’t worry! We’ll make it simple for you, making it easy to get the hang of runner terms and build your running vocabulary.

Types of Runners

Bandit

A runner who joins a race without a bib—but don’t be that person!

Elite Runner

A highly skilled and competitive runner, often among the fastest in their field.

Jogging

A relaxed form of running at a slow and comfortable pace.

Masters Division

A category in races for older athletes, typically 40 years and above.

Pacer

A runner who sets the pace for others during a race.  

Rabbit

A fast runner who leads the pace early in a race.

Red Shirt

A runner who registers for a race but doesn’t compete.

Triathlete

An athlete who competes in triathlons, involving running, cycling, and swimming.

Unattached

Runners who are not part of a specific running club.

Training

Altitude Training

Training at high elevations where it's harder to breathe to improve your fitness and endurance.

Back-to-Back Runs

Running on two consecutive days.

Base Mileage Training

A training period that lasts at least 8 weeks, focusing on building endurance. This means doing mostly easy runs at a pace, with little to no sprinting. The goal is to increase the distance of your longer runs and the total amount of time you spend training.

Butt Kicks

A fun drill where you kick your butt while running. Butt kicks are a great warming-up exercise for runners because they help loosen the hamstrings and improve your running form.

Calf Raise

An exercise where you lift your heels off the ground while standing.

Cool Down

A gradual decrease in activity after exercising to help your body recover.

Cross Training

Doing different types of exercise to improve your running and overall fitness.

Cruise

A comfortable, easy pace that allows you to enjoy your run, usually 70% of your max effort.

Fartlek

Fartlek is a Swedish word that means "speed play." Fartlek training is a type of workout that helps you get faster and build your running stamina. It involves changing your speed during a run, mixing fast sprints with slower jogging.

High Knees

A running drill where you lift your knees high to improve strength and form.

Hill Repeats

Running up and down a hill multiple times to build strength and endurance.

Hill Training

Incorporating hills into your runs to improve fitness.

Interval Training

Alternating between high-intensity and low-intensity running in a single workout.

Intervals

Short, repeated bursts of speed followed by rest or easy running.

Knee Drive

The action of lifting your knees high during running to improve stride efficiency.

Mile Repeat

A workout where you run a mile at a fast speed, run a recovery mile at an easy pace, and then do it again several times. This helps improve your speed and stamina.

Pickups

Bursts of speed during a run, often for an undefined period.

Plyometric Drills

Exercises that involve jumping to improve power and speed.

Plyometrics

Training that focuses on explosive movements and jumps.

Recovery Run

A slow and easy run to help your body recover.

Run/Walk Method

A strategy where runners alternate between running and walking to manage fatigue.

Speed Work

Training sessions focused on increasing your speed through intervals or fast-paced runs.

Steady State

A consistent pace that you can maintain for a long time, usually 75-85% of max effort.

Strength Training

Exercises to build muscle and improve running performance.

Tapering

Reducing training volume before an event to be fresh.

Tempo Run

A workout performed at a pace that is 25-30 seconds per mile slower than your 5K race pace, designed to push your body to the threshold where it can efficiently clear lactate, allowing you to sustain a "comfortably hard" effort for 20 minutes to an hour.

Training Log

A record of your workouts to track progress and plans.

Wind Sprints

A common workout that involves short bursts of running at maximum speed, followed by recovery walking.

Training Zones

Specific intensity levels that correspond to different heart rates and effort levels, allowing runners to tailor their workouts for optimal performance and fitness improvements.

Racing

10K

6.2 miles

Half Marathon Distance

13.1 miles

15K

9.3 miles

20K

12.4 miles

Marathon Distance

26.2 miles

400 meters

A sprint lasting about a minute (~437 yards).

5K

A popular race distance that's 3.1 miles long.

Aid Station

A pit stop on the course with water and snacks to refuel you.

Anchor Leg

The final leg in a relay race—always brings it home! "Her anchor leg was amazing—she sprinted like a gazelle!"

AR

Area Record

BQ

Being a BQ means you've achieved an impressive running standard that allows you to compete in the prestigious Boston Marathon that has entry based on time standards.

Chip Time / Net Time

Your official race time from the start line to the finish line.

Corral

The area where runners gather before the race starts, usually based on speed.

CR (Course record)

Course record. The fastest time ever achieved on a specific race course.

Diamond League

A prestigious series of elite track and field competitions held around the world.

DNF

Stands for "Did Not Finish," meaning a runner did not complete the race.

DNS

Stands for "Did Not Start," meaning a runner did not begin the race.

Finish Shoot

The final stretch or lane at the end of a race, where runners cross the finish line.

Gun Time / Clock Time

The time from the moment the gun went off signalling the start of the race to the moment the runner crosses over the finish line.

Kicking

When a runner accelerates at the end of a race.

Lane Assignment

The specific lane assigned to each runner in a track competition.

Marathon

A long-distance race that is 26.2 miles (42.195 km) long.

Marathon Majors

The six largest and most prestigious marathons in the world: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Tokyo.

Negative Split

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

NR

National Record

OR

Olympic Record

OTQ

Olympic Trials Qualifier

A time that qualifies a runner to compete in the Olympic Trials for their event.

PB

Personal Best

Podium Finish

Finishing in the top three places of a race.

PR

Personal Record

Race Strategy

A plan for how to run a race for the best results.

Race Walk

Race walking is a sport where athletes compete by walking fast while following specific rules. To qualify as race walking, one leg must always be on the ground, and the back leg needs to be straight as it passes the front leg.

Relay

A race where team members take turns running parts of the distance.

Seed time

The time you expect to finish a race, given before the event to help set up starting areas and determine your race level.

Splits

Refers to how much time it takes to complete each section of a race, often used for pacing.

Steeplechase

A type of race involving barriers and water jumps.

Trail running

Running on natural surfaces like dirt trails instead of roads.

Ultra Marathon

Races longer than a marathon - 50K, 100K, 100 miles+. Also ultra running or ultra distance.

WR

World Record

Physical

Achilles Tendon

A strong band of tissue that connects your calf muscle to your heel bone.

Aerobic Threshold

The point during exercise when your body starts to shift from aerobic metabolism, when your body uses oxygen to produce energy, to anaerobic metabolism, when your body relies more on stored carbohydrates without oxygen. At slower paces, your body mainly burns fat with oxygen, but as you exercise harder, it needs to switch to faster energy sources. This change makes it more challenging to maintain your effort as you push beyond this threshold.

Alactic (anaerobic)

The Alactic energy system uses energy stored in your muscles and can provide a lot of power for 10 to 12 seconds. After this, it switches to the Lactic system.

Anaerobic Threshold

The anaerobic threshold is the point during exercise when your body starts to produce more lactate than it can use for energy. Going beyond this level means your body will have higher lactate levels in the blood.

Cadence

The number of steps you take while running in a minute. A higher cadence means you're taking more steps, which can help you run more efficiently and smoothly.

Fascia

The connective tissue that surrounds muscles, helping with support and movement.

Foot Strike

The way your foot hits the ground while running, which can influence performance.

Forefoot Running

A running style where the front part of the foot hits the ground first.

Heel Strike

When your heel hits the ground first during your run.

Midfoot Running

A running style where the foot lands on the middle part instead of the heel or toes.

Overpronation

The inward rolling of the foot during running or walking.

Pronation

Pronation is the natural inward rolling motion of the foot when you run. Overpronation occurs when the foot rolls too far inward, which can lead to injuries, while supination (or underpronation) happens when the foot rolls outward insufficiently, causing instability and potential issues.

Running Economy

Running economy refers to how efficiently a runner uses energy while running at a steady pace. It includes factors like breathing, heart function, body movement, and muscle coordination, which all work together to help improve performance and reduce fatigue.

Running Form

The way you use your body while running, which can affect your speed and injury risk.

Soleus

A calf muscle that helps with running and walking, located beneath the gastrocnemius.

Stride

The distance covered in one complete cycle of movement, from the moment one foot strikes the ground until the same foot makes contact again.

Supination

The outward rolling of the foot during running or walking.

Threshold

Threshold typically refers to the level of effort where your body begins to use more energy without sufficient oxygen, shifting from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. This moment marks the point where you start to feel more fatigued and is often linked to the maximum effort you can sustain for a while, known as VO2max.

Health

Acidosis

When there's too much acid in the body's fluids. This can happen during intense exercise when the body can't remove lactic acid fast enough.

Bonk

A sudden drop in energy when you run out of fuel during a long run.

Chafing

It's when the skin rubs against clothing or other skin, causing irritation and discomfort, especially during long runs.

DOMS

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, the muscle pain felt after intense exercise.

Glycogen

Stored carbohydrates in the body that provide energy during exercise.

Heart Rate Reserve

The difference between your maximum and resting heart rate, used to measure exercise intensity.

Hitting the wall

A sudden feeling of exhaustion during a race, often due to fatigue.

Hydration Strategy

A plan for drinking fluids before, during, and after a run to stay hydrated.

ITBS

Iliotibial Band Syndrome, also Runner's Knee, a common injury causing pain on the outer side of the knee.

Lactic Acid

A substance produced in your muscles during intense exercise when there isn't enough oxygen available. It can give you energy, but too much can make your muscles feel tired.

Mobility

The ability to move freely and easily, often improved through stretching and exercises.

Plantar fasciitis

A painful condition affecting the bottom of the foot.

RPE

Rate of Perceived Exertion, a scale that helps you measure how hard you feel you are working during exercise.

Runner's High

A feeling of euphoria that many experience during or after intense exercise.

Runner's Knee

A common injury characterized by pain around the kneecap, often from overuse.

Shin splints

Pain along the shin bone often caused by overuse or improper footwear, common in runners.

Snot Rocket

A technique for clearing nasal passages while running, usually done by forcefully exhaling.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

A painful condition caused by compression of nerves in the foot.

VO2 Max

A measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.

Wall

A point during a long race where you feel exhausted and slow down.

General

Deferring a race

Choosing to participate in a race later instead of the current date.

GSM

General Strength and Mobility

K

Short for a kilometre.

Slogging

Running at a very slow pace, often during difficult or tiring parts of a race.

Strava

An app where runners track their workouts and compete.

Gear

Bib

The number tag worn during a race.

Bleeding (shoes)

When your shoes 'bleed', it's a sign they need to retire.

Compression Gear

Tight-fitting clothing that helps support your muscles during exercise.

Flats

Lightweight running shoes with little cushioning, designed for racing and fast runs.

Minimalist shoes

Lightweight running shoes with less cushioning and support, designed to let your feet move more naturally.

Shoe Drop

The difference in height between the heel and toe of a shoe, influencing running form.

Singlet

A lightweight, sleeveless shirt typically worn by runners during races.

Spikes

Special shoes with pointed metal or plastic tips used for track and field events.

Split shorts

Lightweight shorts with a split on the side, designed for comfort and mobility during runs.

Stability

The support and balance in a shoe that helps prevent excessive movement of the foot.

Trainers

Running shoes specifically designed for everyday training.