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Appendix A:
SOME RUNNING TERMS

This appendix is a list of terms used by me that are known by most runners and denizens of the Internet running lists. Some of them I may have dropped into RTtM without much thought, believing that readers would know what they mean.

ATY
Across the Years, referred to by the race director as ACTY, and sometimes by me as AC(sic)TY.
bite-me zone
A condition late in a race or training run induced by physical stress where one's mood is sufficiently high-strung that he might easily be provoked to do something out of character. The expression is similar in spirit to Clint Eastwood's "Go ahead — make my day." As it applies to running it may be chemically induced.

There are some sophisticated things going on in our bodies at these times. I don't know anyone who cliams to have a clue as to what, why it happens, or what it means.
Boston
Among runners, `Boston," without qualification, means the Boston Marathon, as in: "I picked up that jacket at Boston."
BPM
Beats Per Minute, the measurement of one's heart rate.
carpe viam
A Latin expression meaning "seize the road," the motto of Dead Runners Society.
Clif Shot
See GU. This brand is among the better-tasting sort, to my own taste buds.
DNF
Did Not Finish. In ultrarunning, this is sometimes Did Nothing Foolish, or Did Nothing Fatal.
DNS
Did Not Start.
Eric
A euphemism for a naughty word substituted for a normal bodily excretion, but readily accepted by some who would never use the customary naughty word themselves. This usage is not practiced outside the running lists, where it had its origins, but is widely understood within that culture. Its origin is understood only by those who were around the lists at the time of its creation.
Gallowalking
The technique of walking at certain fixed intervals, such as one minute in ten, during long runs and marathons. Although many runners undoubtedly did it before him, it has been developed and widely advocated by the well-known runner and coach Jeff Galloway.
goomies
A running email list word for food after races, supplied by the race — usually bagels, fruit, yogurt, cookies, and plenty of liquids.
GU
Brand name for a frosting-like high-carbohydrate performance gel, eaten by being squeezed out of a little packet while on the run. It is pronounced goo. As one of the original products of its kind, it's sometimes used generically, like Kleenex. This sort of food is eaten purely for survival, not as a snack.
Hammer Gel
More GU.
hamstering
Running around and around a track for hours, days, or longer.
hardware
Medals, trophies, and similar physical awards given at races to overall winners and age group winners.
Hash House Harriers
Drinkers with a running problem. There are many informal hasher clubs, where runners get together for highly unconventional runs, often accompanied by a measure of rowdy behavior.
HR
Heart Rate.
HRM
Heart Rate Monitor.
jogger
A runner who never participates in races. See runner for a distinction between the two terms.
long run
For me, any run of ten miles or longer. I go up to 50K in training. Most distance runners run one long run a week, and supplement their training with shorter and faster runs three to five days, with remaining days being devoted to cross-training and rest. Few runners train seven days a week, though there are some. See streaker.
LSD
Long, Slow Distance.
MHR
Maximum Heart Rate. Most people cite either an estimate from a chart or a rule of calculation, or else a figure that actually represents a submaximum heart rate, measured by taking a test on a treadmill. The latter measurement is what I refer to. My own MHR, measured in this way, is 171 BPM.

A truly accurate maximum heart rate is obtained as a by-product of a measurement of an athlete's .VO2max, which is really a measurement of his ability to consume oxygen. .VO2max is measured in a lab, with expensive equipment, and technicians standing by with a defibrillator nearby, in case the participant keels over from a heart attack.
negative split
A time for the second half of a race that is faster than the first half. Doing so takes planning and self-control at the beginning, and guts at the end.
Power Gel
Still more GU.
PR
Personal Record, often used as a verb: "I PRed the race."
PW
Personal Worst.
RD
Race Director.
Real Life
All the other things a runner does in addition to running. I thought I had invented this term the way it is used in this book, including the use of capital letters (maybe I did), but it has been picked up and freely used by others on the running lists.
RFM
Relentless Forward Motion. The tortoise and hare principle by which slower runners eventually overtake faster ones.
run-walk
A pedestrian training session that includes a large percentage of both running and walking.
runner
Someone who runs. Duh. The debate over what constitutes the difference between a runner and a jogger rages on endlessly. There is a wide-spread perception that joggers are less proficient, slower, and less "serious" about running than "real runners." Most people who train regularly and participate in races prefer to be called runners, regardless of their pace.
RW
Runner's World magazine.
split time
The time taken during any training session at any meaningful point during the whole session, such as halfway, at individual miles, and at round distances such as 5K and 10K.
streaker
A runner who runs seven days a week and never misses, not just usually, but ever. There are runners who have gone on for many years without a day off. The longest known streak is held by Bob Ray, of Maryland, who has run every day since April 4, 1967. A local runner, Craig Davison, has run every day since November 11, 1978. To date he has finished 123 marathons, 76 of them sub-3:00, often winning or at least getting age group hardware. One of his goals is to run 100 sub-3:00 marathons.
tRtNE
The Road that Never Ends: the track at Bally's gym.
sandbag
To lie deceptively in such a way as to underplay one's abilities: "Oh, my toes hurt, and I'm so fat I can barely stand up. I'll probably run a 6:00 marathon," when one really weighs 140 pounds and is capable of a 2:45.
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