Dictionary of Running Terms For New Runners

Do you ever read articles on running and come across words you never knew existed? My dictionary of running terms explains those confusing terms.

I still consider myself new to running. I have done a lot of reading about running lately. There are many new words I come across that I need to research. So, if you are a newbie runner such as myself, you should read these definitions.

This will be a living document. As I come across new terms, I will attempt to define them here. Please let me know if you have suggestions that should be added.

 Farklets

According to wikipedia, farklet is a Swedish word for speed play. It’s a mix of fast and slow running.

I use a telephone pole strategy when I run farklets. I’ll run fast till the next telephone pole, and then slow down for the following pole and keep alternating for several kilometres.

Glycogen Store

Glycogen is a form of energy stored in your muscles. You use glycogen as a secondary store of energy. Long-distance runners deplete this form of energy when this happens, it’s described as “Hitting the wall”.

I may or may not have “hit the wall” while running my last half marathon! You’ll know when it happens, you’ll feel like you can’t go on.

Negative Splits

Negative splitting is a racing strategy where the second half of a race is run faster than the first half.

PR/PB

If you read running blogs, even this one, you’ll sometimes see that someone had a PR on a race. PR stands for Personal Best. Back when I was in university, we used the term PB, Personal Best. Both are equal!

Splits

If you Google the term split, you are more likely to find information on the gymnastic move or the ice cream treat.

In terms of running, splits are the breakdown of the units (1 km or 1 mile) that make up your run. You can compare each split, or each individual kilometre and compare your pace.

Taper

Before a marathon race, athletes slowly cut down on their exercise over a period of several weeks; this is called tapering.

Tempo Runs

A tempo run is a race or run at a pace that is described as “comfortably hard”. Source: Runners World.

Tempo runs are not my favourite, however, they are important if you want to train your body to run faster.

That concludes my list for now. Do you have any terms to add to this list? If so, drop a line below in the comments and I’ll be happy to new terms to my list.