Pacer, fartlek, tempo… get to know the running glossary!
Whether you have been running for years or have decided just this year to get physically active and do something good for your health, you need to know that in running, as in every other sport, there are terms, each with its own meaning, describing particular segments of this increasingly popular way of doing sport, popular above all because of its accessibility.
INTERVALS
There are several kinds of training, and one of them is intervals. This is the faster part of training in which stretches of various lengths are run, from 100 metres up to several kilometres, repeating a given distance several times. Interval training serves to improve a runner’s speed.
LONG RUNS
The second type of training is the long run. It is also called LSD, or long slow distance. As the term says, it is the longest, slow session, which actually works on the runner’s endurance and mental strength. Those two things are the most important factors in preparing for long races such as the half marathon and the marathon.
WARM-UP
Every session starts with a warm-up, in which easy running gradually raises the pulse, quickens breathing and increases blood flow in the muscles. Part of the warm-up is dynamic stretching, made up of functional exercises that serve to prepare the body for the effort it will face while running.
STRETCHING
Stretching comes at the end of the session and is one of its most important parts. The runner, at rest, stretches the muscles, holding a given position for 15 to 30 seconds.
PACE/PACER
Pace is the speed at which a runner covers one kilometre. For example: when a runner covers a kilometre in 5 minutes, we say that is their pace. A pacer is a runner who during training or a race maintains a specific, predetermined speed and tempo. Their role is very important, because during the race or training other runners follow them, and the pacer helps them reach the finish successfully.
TEMPO
A tempo run is a comfortably hard session of continuous running over 5 to 15 kilometres, at the same or a slightly higher speed than the race pace the runner plans to run.
FARTLEK
Fartlek is a word of Swedish origin and translates as “speed play”. Fartlek is a combination of interval training (changes of speed) and continuous running. Besides making running much more interesting, fartlek helps develop speed as well as endurance.
COOL-DOWN
The final segment of the running part of a session is the cool-down. It consists of easy running that gradually cools the body, lowers the pulse, calms the breathing and flushes from the muscles the lactic acid that has built up during training.