Confusing running jargon we don’t need
Terms that are just a little more complicated than they need to be
Runners speak their own language – we’ve become so used to terms like PB, BQ and FKT that we often forget that new and non-runners don’t understand. While jargon has its place in every group, there are a few running terms that are confusing even for avid runners, which means they might be a little more confusing than necessary. Below are five examples of complicated running jargon we’d like to see revised and suggestions for other ways to describe these common running occurrences.
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Hydrogel
Hydrogel was a term made popular in the running world by the nutrition brand Maurten. Their product has become widely used and has helped many runners to personal bests (most notably, Eliud Kipchoge to his marathon world record). While the drink has been deemed highly effective, hydrogel is basically a fancy word for carbohydrate water that’s easy on your stomach (and isn’t that far removed from flat Coke).
Engineered mesh
Engineered mesh is used on almost every pair of running shoes. It’s the most popular type of upper on the market, and it’s a great piece of technology, but the name is way too complicated. It’s really the engineered part we take issue with – everything on a running shoe is engineered.
Other examples of appropriate names could be: knit fabric, durable mesh, much-better-than-leather or anti-blister material.
CR
Strava, why couldn’t the fastest person on a segment have just been called the winner* instead of earning them a CR (course record)? This is creating unnecessary confusion. Also, many segments on Strava are so short that ‘course’ feels like a bit of a stretch.
Simply declaring the fastest person the winner* (it’s got an asterisk because unlike normal races, you can lose after you’ve won) seems like a great option. We think people would love to win*.
Running economy
Running economy has nothing to do with the job market or value of the Canadian dollar.
The term has been popularized in the last four years thanks to Nike’s carbon-plated racing shoes. The Vaporfly, which would evolve into the Alphafly NEXT%, was shown to improve runners’ economy by roughly four per cent. This meant wearer’s strides could become more efficient, thus allowing them to maintain a pace for longer or run a little faster in the first place.
Running economy is defined as: the energy demand for a given velocity of submaximal running, and is determined by measuring the steady-state consumption of oxygen (VO2) and the respiratory exchange ratio.
All of this to say – it’s a fancy term for efficiency.
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Negative splits
A negative split is when you run the second half of your race faster than your first. It turns out that a negative split is a positive thing – especially when it comes to the marathon.
In the context of a race, a negative split is actually a goal to strive for. Most coaches suggest you start slowly and pick it up over the course of 42.2K. I’ll highlight the confusion by using the term in a sentence, “You ran a huge negative split. That’s such a positive outcome.” A little difficult to understand, right?
I’m proposing we keep the concept, but lose the words positive and negative, just to make things a little clearer.
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