A running glossary explains the shorthand that runners, coaches and training plans use every day. The most common terms are easy run, tempo run, intervals, long run, splits, negative split, cadence, taper, PR and chip time. Once you know them, you can follow a training plan, understand race results and talk with other runners without guessing. This guide groups the key terms by topic, from training sessions and pacing to races, physiology and gear, with plain English definitions.
Health note: This glossary is general information, not medical or coaching advice. Check with a doctor before starting a new running program, especially if you have health conditions, and stop and seek help if you feel pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.
Quick reference: the ten terms you will see most
| Term | Short meaning |
|---|---|
| Easy run | Comfortable, conversational pace |
| Long run | The longest, usually easy, run of the week |
| Tempo run | Sustained, comfortably hard effort |
| Intervals | Fast repeats with recovery between them |
| Strides | Short, relaxed accelerations |
| Splits | Times for each segment of a run or race |
| Negative split | Running the second half faster than the first |
| Cadence | Steps per minute |
| Taper | Reducing training before a race |
| PR or PB | Personal record or personal best |
Training session terms
Easy run: A run at a relaxed, conversational pace where you could speak in full sentences. Easy runs usually make up most of a distance runner’s weekly training and help build aerobic fitness with lower injury risk.
Recovery run: A short, very easy run done the day after a hard session or race. The aim is to keep moving without adding much stress.
Long run: The longest run of the week, usually done at an easy pace. It builds endurance and is a key session in half marathon and marathon plans.
Tempo run: A sustained run at a comfortably hard effort, often described as a pace you could hold for around an hour in a race. Definitions vary between coaches, so check how your plan uses the term.
Threshold run: A session run near your lactate threshold, the effort above which fatigue builds quickly. Many coaches use it as another name for a tempo run.
Intervals: Repeats of fast running separated by recovery jogs or rest, such as six times 800 meters. Intervals improve speed and the ability to run hard while tired.
Repetitions or reps: Short, fast efforts with full recovery, used to develop speed and running economy. Some plans use the word interchangeably with intervals.
Fartlek: A Swedish term often translated as speed play. It mixes faster surges with easier running in an unstructured way, often guided by feel or landmarks.
Hill repeats: Repeated runs up a hill at a hard effort with an easy jog or walk down. They build strength and power with less pounding than flat speed work.
Strides: Short accelerations of roughly 15 to 30 seconds, run fast but relaxed. They are often added after easy runs or before races to sharpen form.
Progression run: A run that starts easy and gets faster in stages, finishing at a moderately hard pace.
Cross-training: Non-running exercise such as cycling, swimming or strength training that builds fitness while giving running muscles a break.
Warm-up and cool-down: Easy running and mobility before a hard session or race, and easy running after it, to prepare the body and help it settle.
Pacing and timing terms
Pace: The time it takes to cover a set distance, usually shown as minutes per mile or minutes per kilometer.
Splits: The times for each segment of a run or race, such as each mile. Reviewing splits shows whether you ran evenly.
Even split: Running each half of a race in roughly the same time.
Negative split: Running the second half faster than the first. It is often recommended for longer races because starting too fast tends to cost more time later.
Positive split: Running the second half slower than the first, often a sign of starting too quickly.
Goal pace or race pace: The pace you plan to hold in your target race. Plans often include sections at this pace so it feels familiar on race day.
Cadence: The number of steps you take per minute. It varies with speed, height and running style, so there is no single ideal number for everyone.
Stride length: The distance covered with each step. Speed comes from a combination of stride length and cadence.
Heart rate zones: Ranges of heart rate used to guide training intensity. Zones are usually based on your maximum or threshold heart rate and are estimates rather than exact rules.
Perceived effort: How hard a run feels on a simple scale. It is useful on hills, in heat or when a watch is unreliable.
Race terms
Bib: The race number worn on the front of your shirt or shorts. It often contains a timing chip and links to your registration and emergency details.
Chip time: Your time from crossing the start line to crossing the finish line, recorded by a timing chip.
Gun time: Your time from the start signal to the finish. Official placings in many races are based on gun time.
Corral or wave: A starting group based on expected pace or entry category, used to spread runners out in large races.
PR or PB: Personal record or personal best, your fastest time at a given distance.
DNF and DNS: Did not finish and did not start, codes shown in results for runners who dropped out or never began.
BQ: Short for a Boston qualifying time, the standard runners aim for to enter the Boston Marathon.
Aid station: A point on the course where volunteers hand out water, sports drinks and sometimes food or medical help.
Taper: A planned reduction in training volume in the days or weeks before a race so you arrive rested.
Carb loading: Eating more carbohydrate than usual in the days before a long race to top up energy stores.
Bonk or hit the wall: A sudden, severe drop in energy late in a long race, commonly linked to running low on stored carbohydrate.
Physiology and fitness terms
Aerobic: Exercise where your body mainly uses oxygen to produce energy, as in most easy and long runs.
Anaerobic: Very hard efforts where energy demand outpaces oxygen supply, which can only be sustained for a short time.
VO2 max: The maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, a common marker of aerobic fitness.
Lactate threshold: The effort level above which lactate builds up in the blood faster than it is cleared, and fatigue rises quickly.
Running economy: How much energy you use to run at a given pace. Better economy means running the same speed with less effort.
Base building: A phase of mostly easy mileage that develops aerobic fitness before harder training.
Mileage or volume: The total distance run in a week or training block.
DOMS: Delayed onset muscle soreness, the stiffness that often peaks a day or two after a new or hard workout.
Overtraining: A state of persistent fatigue and declining performance that can follow too much training with too little recovery.
Gear and surface terms
Heel-to-toe drop: The height difference between the heel and forefoot of a shoe, measured in millimeters.
Stability shoe: A shoe designed with features intended to limit excessive inward rolling of the foot.
Spikes: Lightweight shoes with metal pins for grip on the track or in cross country.
Carbon plate shoe: A racing shoe with a stiff plate in the midsole, often paired with responsive foam.
Trail running: Running on unpaved paths and hills, often with uneven footing and elevation change.
How to use this glossary
- Start with the quick reference table and learn those ten terms first.
- Read your training plan’s key, since coaches define tempo and threshold differently.
- Check your splits after runs to practice pacing language.
- Look up race terms before your first event, especially bib and timing rules.
- Ask your club or coach when a term is used in an unfamiliar way.
Common mistakes with running terms
- Treating every run as a tempo run. Easy days should feel easy.
- Confusing chip time and gun time when comparing results.
- Chasing a single ideal cadence instead of what suits your body and speed.
- Assuming zones are exact. Heart rate estimates vary between people and devices.
- Skipping the taper because rest feels like lost fitness.
Frequently asked questions
What is a negative split?
Running the second half of a race or run faster than the first half.
What does fartlek mean?
It is Swedish for speed play: unstructured surges mixed with easier running.
What is the difference between chip time and gun time?
Chip time starts when you cross the start line; gun time starts at the signal.
