Trail Running — Glossary

Every Trail Running term explained in plain language: technique, equipment, rules and slang – with tips on avoiding the classic mistakes.

Cadence (Movement)

Steps per minute when running, or pedal revolutions when cycling. For most runners, 170–180 steps per minute sits in the sweet spot.

Carbohydrate Rate (Grams per Hour) (Cheat code)

How many grams of carbohydrate you take in per hour. Over middle and long distance 60–90 g is the target — from a single sugar source only about 60 g is usable.

Deload (Cheat code)

A deliberately lighter week with volume or intensity clearly reduced, so adaptation can catch up.

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) (Cheat code)

Delayed muscle soreness 12–72 hours after unfamiliar load. Not a measure of training quality.

Drafting (Cheat code)

Riding, running or swimming close behind another athlete to cut air or water resistance — on a bike, up to roughly 30% energy saved.

Footstrike (Movement)

How and where your foot lands when running — heel, midfoot or forefoot. What matters more is where it lands relative to your body.

Knee Valgus (Movement)

The knees collapsing inward during squats, jumps and landings. One of the key risk markers in technique analysis.

Progressive Overload (Cheat code)

The one principle no training works without long-term: the stimulus has to grow over time, otherwise adaptation stops.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) (Rule)

A scale for perceived effort. In strength training it usually runs 1–10, where RPE 8 means you had two more reps in the tank.

Running Drills (A-Skip & B-Skip) (Cheat code)

The coordination drills you run before a session. Of all the variants, the B-skip predicts sprint performance most clearly — the A-skip barely at all.

Threshold Run (Tempo Run) (Movement)

A steady run right at the point where your body clears lactate as fast as it produces it — 'comfortably hard'.

Zone 2 (Aerobic Base) (Cheat code)

The easy endurance zone where you can still hold a conversation in full sentences. The base of almost every endurance plan.

General

Terms from training theory that apply in every sport.

1RM (One-Repetition Maximum) (Rule)

The maximum weight you can move for exactly one clean repetition. The reference value behind almost every training plan.

BMR & TDEE (Rule)

BMR is your basal metabolic rate at complete rest; TDEE is total daily expenditure including everyday movement and training. Nutrition targets always work off TDEE.

Core Tension (Movement)

Active stabilisation of abdomen, back and pelvis — the bridge that lets force travel between legs and arms at all.

RIR (Reps in Reserve) (Rule)

How many clean reps you had left at the end of a set. RIR 2 means two more were available.