Polish Up Your Running Jargon

Here is a quick quiz* to polish up your running jargon. Please answer the questions in the comment section or add an alternative answer c)... The person with the most correct answers or to most original answers wins a box of stuff**.

* I didn't come up with this... She did.
** Just kidding... Not that I wouldn't like to host giveaways, but geez, this blog has a long way to go before that'll ever happen.

1. “Negative splits” refers to:
a.) Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.
b.) A particularly embarrassing cheerleading injury.

2. A “lactate threshold” means:
a.) The transition phase from aerobic to anaerobic running.
b.) The amount of cheese you can eat before experiencing severe gastrointestinal distress.

3. “VO2Max” is:
a.) The maximum amount of oxygen a person can extract from the atmosphere and then transport and use in the body’s tissues.
b.) A popular conditioner from the ’70s.

4. “LSD” is:
a.) Code for a “long, slow distance” run – anywhere from 5 miles to 25 or more.
b.) What I would have to take to run 5 miles.

5. “Couch to 5K” is:
a.) A beginner’s running plan.
b.) A sad alternative to the “Couch to DQ” plan.

6. Please define “split shorts”:
a.) They are higher-cut running shorts often used in racing.
b.) This is what happens when Steven Seagal tries to pick up a nickel.

7. An “easy run” is:
a.) A run at an easy pace done for recovery purposes or for enjoyment.
b.) A complete oxymoron for most of us.

8. “Hill repeats” are:
a.) Runs up a hill at a quick pace to build strength.
b.) Reruns of an MTV “reality” show about obnoxious blond people.

9. “Iliotibial band friction syndrome” is:
a.) An inflammation of the iliotibial band, which runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to just below the knee.
b.) The embarrassment you feel when you ask for “Rock Band,” and your mom buys you the off-brand “Iliotibial Band,” instead.

10. A “fartlek” is:
a.) A Swedish term for variable-pace running.
b.) A term guaranteed to induce snickering in any 12-year-old boy.

Have a great weekend!