♠ Posted by Paul Naylor at 12:00 PM
Glycogen: A runner’s body stores glucose in the form of glycogen to be used for energy. As long as it’s in good supply, they can keep on truckin’. But when the glycogen is gone, runners often “hit the wall” (more on that down below).Lactic Acid: Formed when the body cannot generate energy using oxygen, lactic acid is produced anaerobically (especially during hard workouts).
Anaerobic Threshold: This is the point of exercise where the going gets tough, and lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. Despite popular belief that lactic acid is what's causing muscle fatigue, the body actually produces it as fuel to keep going. Still, it doesn't mean workouts, like tempo runs (see above), done at this threshold are a piece of cake!
VO2 Max: Also known as aerobic capacity, VO2 Max is the body’s maximum oxygen intake. Runners can increase their VO2 Max with harder training.
Chafing: Yikes. How do we put this gently? Sweat and fabric rub against the skin while distance running and can cause painful irritation and rashes. To prevent chafing (or worse, bloody nipples), coat up everywhere (and we mean everywhere) with Bodyglide or Vaseline before hitting the road.
Black Toenails: A runner’s badge of honor, or just plain gross? You decide. Discolored toenails on runners are a result of impact and pressure on the toe. Sometimes if you’re lucky, they fall completely off, too!
DOMS: Oww. The discomfort of DOMS, or delayed-onset muscle soreness, can occur between 24 and 48 hours after running and can make walking up and down the stairs especially troublesome.
Foam Roller: The foam roller can be a sore muscle’s best friend or its worst enemy. This tube may look fun and can replace a deep massage in preventing and relieving muscle knots and pain, but it’s also been known to make even the toughest runners whimper.
Runner’s Knee: One of the most common overuse injuries among runners, runner’s knee is also known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). The pain is usually isolated on or around the kneecap and can feel like the knee is “giving out.”
Shin Splints: Another common running injury, shin splints refer to pain on or around the shinbones. Most cases can be treated with rest and ice, but could signal it’s time to whip out the credit card for some new running sneakers.
Plantar Fasciitis: Feel pain and stiffness in the heel? It might be plantar fasciitis or inflammation of the bottom of the foot due to overuse or overstretching. Sufferers can usually self-treat it with rest, ice, and stretching.
ITBS: This painful injury to the IT band in the leg (which runs from the hip, down the thigh, across the knee, and through the shin) can leave many runners (myself included) sidelined. Before totally cursing IT Band Syndrome, massage, stretching, and strength training tend to help. Hey, ITBS, meet the foam roller!
Ice Baths: Fill ‘er up with ice! An ice bath is shocking to the senses, but can also reduce inflammation and aid in the post-long run recovery process. Just be sure to put on a hat and scarf and make a cup of tea first!
Overtraining: If the previous injuries didn’t clue you in, there is such a thing as running too much! Let’s refer back to what a “rest day” means, shall we?
Hitting the Wall: Also known as “bonking” during a race, runners will feel as if they can’t go one more step once they "hit the wall." For many marathoners, the wall shows up around mile 20, and not surprisingly, they usually don’t see it coming.
400 Meters: One lap around the track.
Mile: 5280 feet or about 1609 meters (four laps around the track).
5K: 3.1 miles.
10K: 6.2 miles.
Half-Marathon: 13.1 miles.
Marathon: 26.2 (grueling) miles.
Road Race: These public races (held on a road, not on a trail) have a clearly marked course and runners who register to participate—which will usually get them a free T-shirt, too.
Taper: A few weeks before a big race, a runner will decrease their total running mileage to store energy. Because the tapering process involves less running and more rest, runners tend to get very antsy (and hungry) during their taper!
Carbo-Loading: During a taper, runners can eat all the pasta, bread, and bagels they want. Well, not really. There’s a right way and a wrong way to get your carb on!
Bib: Runners pick up this piece of paper with a designated number before the race and attach it to their shirts to wear during the run. Tip: Bring extra safety pins to smaller races. They sometimes run out!
Corral: Because of so many participants, big races often divide runners into groups (not unlike a corral of livestock), with start times based on their expected finishing times. The speedsters at the front; the slowpokes in the back.
Rabbit: No, not the cute and cuddly kind! Rabbits are runners who serve as pacemakers or pace-setters during a race, with the rest of the field chasing them down. And just like the Energizer Bunny, they keep going, and going, and going—all on pace.
Bandit: These cheaters make their way into a race without registering or paying an entrance fee. FYI, Bandits, runners are onto you!
Kick: This is the final push runners give at the end of a race to increase their speed to the finish line. See also: Giving it all you got. Leaving it all on the road. Separating the winners from the losers; the men from the boys. Get the point?
Chip Time: Often measured by an electronic chip in the sneaker or bib, this is the actual time it takes a runner to get from the start line to the finish line.
Splits: A race’s total time divided into smaller parts (usually miles), is known as the splits. If a runner has an even split, it means they ran the same pace through the entire race. If it’s a negative split, they ran the second half faster than the first. And that’s a good thing!
DNS/DNF: DNS (did not start) or DNF (did not finish) is what will appear in the race results if a runner does not start or finish a race. What happened?! Did you fall into the Porta-Potty? Or get lost along the course?
PR/PB: These coveted letters stand for personal record and personal best. Good news: Run in just one race and it’s an automatic PR!
BQ: If someone is trying to get a “BQ” or a Boston qualifier, they want to achieve a finish time that gets them entry into the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon and the only one to require a strict qualifying time. In 2012, this means men ages 18-34 must have a marathon finish time of under 3:10:00. For women ages 18-34, it means under 3:40:00. For many runners, Boston is the ultimate goal.
Hardware: Wear these race medals with pride, then hang them in a place of honor.
Runner’s High: Most runners experience a state of euphoria and pure bliss known as “the runner’s high” either during or after a run . It might just be the reason runners run—and maybe why they’re so crazy, too.
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