New Runner's Cheat Sheet

 If you were like me when I first started running, you probably felt a little lost from all the running terms andwere hesitant to ask the more experienced runners you knew what the heck they all meant. Took me a while to get up to speed, but I finally became running-term literate. Hears a little cheat sheet to help you out if you need it.

• Easy Run—a slow run done at a conversational pace

• Fartlek—a Swedish word for speedplay; workout includes faster running mixed with slower running; can be done in any setting—track, trail, or road

• Repeats or Intervals—type of workout where a set distance is run repeatedly with a recovery jog between; for example 6 times 400 meters with 100 meters recovery jog; typically done on a track

• Cadence—the number of footstrikes made within a minute

• Foot strike—how your foot hits the ground (heelstrike, mid foot or flat foot, and fore foot)

• Speed Work—short, fast intervals with recovery jogs between; increases your leg turnover and maximizes your stamina and race confidence

• Tempo Runs—workouts where you run at a steady pace that is around 70% to 80% of your max aerobic capacity; near race pace, but not race pace

• Hills—workouts where a runner runs up a hill fast and jogs down then runs up again; helps develop leg power and aerobic capacity

• Long Runs—longest run of the week; usually on the weekend

• Recovery Runs—slow to moderate running to recover from hard workouts or races and/or maintain aerobic conditioning

• Cross-Training—low- or no-impact activities such as swimming, cycling, and using the elliptical at the gym that increase conditioning

• Pace—the measure of the speed of running; usually quantified as minutes taken to run a mile; for example a runner may run a 7:00 per mile pace for a marathon

• PR—Personal Record or Personal Best; fastest time a runner has run for a given distance

• Junk Miles—runs used to reach a weekly or monthly mileage total rather than for a specific benefit

• 5K—race with a distance of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles)
• 10K—race with a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
• 15K—race with a distance of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles)
• 20K—race with a distance of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles)

• Marathon—race with a distance of 26.2 miles

• Half-Marathon—race with a distance of 13.1 miles
• Bandit—a person who runs a race without paying the registration fee
• BQ—a Boston qualifying time or a race that's a Boston qualifier
• Carb-loading—eating a high-carbohydrate diet (60%-70% of the total calories) at least three days prior to a race to fill the glycogen stores
• Chip time—finish time that's recorded by a computer chip typically worn on the shoe or around the ankle. Tracks each runner's time from when they cross the start line and finish line.

• Kicks—running shoes
• CR—course record
• DNF—did not finish
• DNS—did not start

• DOMS—delayed onset muscle soreness
• Elite runner—a person who has reached the highest level in his sport
• Gun time—finish time that begins when the start gun sounds until the runner crosses the finish line

• GU—a brand of sports gel that's a concentrated sources of carbohydrate (fuel) and electrolytes

• "Hitting the wall" or bonk—a time during a race when your glycogen stores become depleted and fatigue overwhelms you. Typically happens around mile 20 in a marathon.
• Master—a runner 40-years-old or older is classified as a Master in the US. In other countries the term used is Veteran
• Negative splits—running the second half of a race faster than the first
• NR—national record
• Pace—the measure of speed of running; usually thought of as the number of minutes it takes to run a mile during a race
• PB—personal best
• PR—personal record
• Road Race—running contest that takes place over streets

• Singlet—a tank top for running

• Snot Rocket—the act of closing off one nostril while blowing forcefully out the other nostril to clear it of...well...snot, while on the run

• Streaker—a person who runs at least one mile on consecutive days never having a day with no running
• Taper—reducing your mileage several days to a few weeks prior to a race
• Ultra—any race longer than a traditional marathon which is 26.2 miles
• USA Track & Field—the national governing body for running in the US
• WR—world record

10 Tips for Beginners to Ease Into Running

On the surface, running seems like one of the easiest ways to quickly jump into the world of fitness. Compared to most fitness related activities, it’s pretty inexpensive and all you need is a pair of shoes, some shorts, a safe place to run, and you’re good to go. Right? Well, ask any of the dozens of beginning runners I’ve worked with and they’ll probably tell you that it’s one of the most challenging things they’ve ever attempted.

Why? Well, going from a sedentary lifestyle to all of the sudden expecting your body to run a mile is pretty unrealistic. Even though it’s low cost and can be done most anywhere at most anytime, a beginning runner, needs to do a little planning to get his/her head in the game before beginning one of the most rewarding and challenging quests they’ll ever experience.

Below are 10 tips to help your ease into running, succeed, and actually enjoy your new life as a runner.

1. Walk to build aerobic and muscular endurance. The month prior to beginning your new venture into running, go out for a daily walk. Try to walk at least 30 minutes each day. The first week, go for an easy walk. “Easy” is faster than a stroll, but just shy of breaking a sweat. For the next two weeks, up the walk to a moderate intensity. Now you’ll be sweating, but still be able to carry on a conversation. For the last week, increase the walk to a hard intensity. During the “hard” walks, you’ll be breaking a sweat and if you’re talking, it will be more like a one- or two-word conversation. This month of walking will help to open up the lungs, get you more in-tune with your breathing, increase your aerobic capacity, as well as start building some muscular endurance in your legs. It will also help by getting you into a daily routine of exercise.
2. Strengthen Your Core. Running actually requires almost as much upper-body muscular endurance as it does lower-body. During your pre-running walking month, add in a bi-weekly core and upper-body workout. A strong core and upper-body will help maintain good running form which will help keep fatigue from setting in as quickly when you begin your running. No fancy equipment is needed. Some light dumbbells and/or med balls will do the trick. Click here for a great core workout for runners.
3. Buy Running Shoes. This seems like a no-brainer, but starting your running with the right pair of shoes can help head off possible injury. The sneakers you’ve been knocking around in for the past two years are great for just that—knocking around in. The best thing to do is visit your local independently-owned running store and have them fit you for running shoes. Tell them you’re a new runner and you’re not sure what you need and that you’d like them to analyze your gate and determine the best shoe for you.
4. Find a Beginning Running Group. Running with others is one of the best ways to succeed as a new runner. Having the support of others when it gets tough does wonders in helping you hang tough and persevere. You’ll also be breaking new ground and experiencing things you never thought you’d be able to do. Having someone who can relate to what you’re experiencing to celebrate the small gains with each week is a wonderful thing.
5. Comparison Shop. Not all “Beginning Running Groups” are for beginners. I heard about one group that began with close to 100 runners, but it quickly dropped to about 15. Why? The group was doing 100m hill repeats during the second week of the program. That’s not a beginning running group. Look for a program that’s focused on endurance, not pace or distance. As a beginner you need to be building endurance not thinking about how fast or how far you’re going. Also check to see if the program includes learning about proper running form, breathing, and pre- and post-run stretching.
6. Begin with a Run/Walk Format. I use a run/walk method with my beginning running groups and I feel it’s the best way for new runners, particularly new runners coming from a sedentary lifestyle to succeed at running. There are a variety of run/walk programs available. The beauty of the run/walk is the controlled progression that helps you gradually build a longer and longer running base over the course of the program. My programs originally began as 10-week programs started with five 2-minute run/4-minute walk intervals for a total of 30 minutes. Over the years, I’ve refined my program so that now it’s 14-weeks beginning with five intervals of a 1-minute run / 5-minute walk for 30 minutes. The longer program allows for a wider array of individuals to participate, acclimate, and succeed. Each week the run gets longer and the walk gets shorter until the group members are running a full 30-minutes by week 14. Keep in mind that “group” is a loose term. Remember it’s all about endurance not about pace. I encourage my runners to find their “natural” pace and stick with that. So, as the weeks go by, the group spreads out with runners way ahead, some in the middle and some pulling up the rear. And….that’s okay. They all have the same incremental time goals. Some just are naturally faster or slower. It’s all good.

For Tips 7-10 go to Active.com.

Beginning Runners: Take it Slow

I was excited when the newest issue of a health/nutrition magazine I get arrived the other day. As I was skimming the table of contents I saw an article about a beginning running program. The tagline pitched a 6-week walk-to-run program. Of course this caught my attention so I quickly flipped to the article. The 6-weeks made me a bit skeptical. So, I read the article.

The article does provide the reader with some good info—you don't have to be in perfect shape to begin a running program; running provides an extra 70% reduction in risk of stroke and diabetes; running can help bust a weight-loss plateau; help maintain bone density, doesn't damage knees; and helps improve mental sharpness. The only problem I have is that the proposed plan, will have some runner wannabes throwing in the towel after the first run or two.

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The "grabber" tagline at the beginning of the article reads, "Our 6-week walk-to-run program will have your clocking miles in no time!" Having worked with beginning runners, I'm thinking this may be a bit of an oversell. The tagline bills the program as a "walk-to-run" program, yet, Monday they run, Tuesday they cross-train, Wednesday they run, Thursday they rest, Friday they run, and finally on Saturday they walk before another rest day on Sunday. The other thing that worries me about the plan is that it has new runners running 1.5 miles on the very first day of the plan. Now if you're a seasoned runner, that sounds like nothing, but if you're a newbie to running, that can be quite a task. One of my running clients has the fastest walking pace of anyone I know. I can hardly keep up with her. But when it came to running, she was good for spurts of about 30-60secs at first.

Now to give the article some credit, it does say to take walking breaks as needed during the runs and if you can only run 15-30 seconds at a time to begin with, that's okay. My stance though is why, make it seem like the person is compromising by walking? It kind of reads like, "It's okay if you need to walk." Also, the workout schedule grid just says "Run 1.5 miles." So, for the skimmer who doesn't read the entire article, they're going to be trying to run 1.5 miles on day one of the program and not know it's okay to take walking breaks.

The other thing I find odd is one of the motivation tips it provides. It reads, "It's more efficient (and fun) to track miles instead of minutes." Huh? If you're not up to a mile yet, this will be a little hard to do. Plus you'll either have to be running on a track, go out in your car and figure out mileage or spend $300 on a GPS.

In my opinion, it's best to start with a run/walk method, but forget distance and focus on time. Begin with a cycle of a short achievable running segment that's paired with a longer walking segment. For example, on day one of the plan, you might start with a 5-minute warm-up walk. Then run for 1 minute at a slow steady pace followed by a 4-minute walk at a steady pace. Repeat this 1-minute run/4-minute walk process for 30 minutes (you'll repeat it 5 times). Then wrap up with a 5-minute cool-down walk. Do this for 3-4 times during week one. Then gradually increase the running segments and shorten the walking segments throughout the course of the program. For example, in week two, increase the running segment to 2-minutes (still at a slow steady pace) and decrease the walking segment to 3-minutes. Continue this process over a ten week period. Over the course of the program, work up to running 5 days a week. By the 9th week of the program, you'll be doing just two run/walk rotations that look something like 14-minutes running/1-minute walking before the last week when you'll run the entire 30 minutes covering approximately 3 miles.

One of the biggest reasons new runners give up is trying to do too much too soon. So, choose a plan that you can succeed at. There's no rush. Take your time. Start with those short running segments and build up. Run at a slow to moderate pace. Don't sprint. Don't worry about distance. Once you can run 30-minutes without stopping, then you can begin thinking more about increasing your pace and mileage.

If you're in the Greensboro, NC area, I'll be starting a new beginning running group 10-week program on August 3rd. Email me at runnerdude@runnerdudesfitness.com if you're interested!