Cadence, conversational pace, overstriding: this glossary explains every running term in plain English before you trip over it in the guides.
## Introduction Reading your first running guide and tripping over words like cadence, fartlek, or pronation? No wonder – running has its own vocabulary, and the other guides simply assume you already know it. This glossary explains every important running term in one relaxed read, so afterward you understand each guide right away, no lookups needed.
## Pace & Training Terms These terms show up in almost every training plan. Once you get them, everything else clicks into place.
Conversational pace (Plaudertempo) / talk test: The pace at which you can still chat in full sentences while running, without gasping. Start panting, and you're running too fast – it's the simplest pace check there is.
Aerobic and anaerobic zones: In the aerobic zone your body burns energy with plenty of oxygen available, so you can keep going for a long time. Speed up, and you tip into the anaerobic zone, where lactate (a metabolic byproduct) builds up in your muscles and you fade fast.
Cadence (Kadenz): The number of steps you take per minute. Many runners take too few, too-long strides – a higher cadence (170 to 180 as a rough target) often makes your stride smoother and easier on the joints, almost automatically.
VO2max: Your maximum oxygen uptake – think of it as the engine size of your aerobic motor. The higher it is, the more energy your body can supply under load.
Lactate threshold (Laktatschwelle) / tempo run: The point where lactate builds up faster than your body can clear it – your pace here flips from "hard but doable" to "this really burns now." A tempo run trains you to hold that threshold pace longer.
The 10 percent rule: The classic guardrail against overuse injuries: never increase your weekly running time or distance by more than 10 percent compared to the previous week. Tendons and bones need months to adapt, even when your lungs and muscles already feel fitter.
The 80/20 rule: The training split almost every good runner uses: 80 percent of your running time easy, at conversational pace, only 20 percent genuinely hard. Sounds too relaxed to work, but it's the most effective mix science has found.
Fartlek (Fahrtspiel): Swedish for "speed play" – spontaneous, playful pace changes during a run, like sprinting to the next lamppost, then easing off again. Speed training by feel, not by stopwatch.
Run-walk method (Galloway method): A systematic alternation between running and walking, for example 1–2 minutes of easy jogging followed by 1 minute of walking. Ideal for beginners because it drastically lowers the load on joints and muscles.
Tapering: Deliberately dialing back your training volume in the one to two weeks before a race, so your body arrives rested and ready on the start line.
## Running Technique: The Running-Drills Vocabulary Running economy (Laufökonomie): How efficiently your body converts energy into forward motion. At equal fitness, a smoother stride can make you several minutes faster per hour – essentially the fuel economy of your running engine.
Footstrike – heel strike, midfoot strike, forefoot strike: The part of your foot that touches the ground first. With a heel strike you land on the heel first, with a forefoot strike on the ball of the foot, with a midfoot strike the foot lands flat. There's no single correct style – what matters more is where under your body the foot lands.
Overstriding: The most common technique flaw: your foot lands far ahead of your body instead of directly under your hips. It acts like a tiny brake with every step and jars your joints unnecessarily.
Ground contact time: How long your foot actually stays on the ground with each step. The shorter it is, the springier and more economical your stride tends to be.
Running drills (Lauf-ABC): A series of short technique drills that isolate individual parts of your stride – essentially an alphabet for your running motion (hence the German name, literally "running ABC"). Examples include ankling (quick, small-step rolling through the whole foot), heel flicks (Anfersen – kicking the heels alternately toward your glutes), and skips (Skippings – active knee drive with a flexed foot).
Bounding: An exaggerated, springy running motion with a strong knee drive and active arm swing that trains a powerful push-off from the ground.
Strides: Short, relaxed accelerations over roughly 80 to 100 meters where you build from an easy jog up to near-sprint pace – a great way to finish a technique session or warm-up.
## Gear & Shoe Jargon Gait analysis (Laufbandanalyse): A video analysis of your running style on a treadmill at a specialty running store. Shows exactly how your foot lands and rolls, so you pick the right shoe instead of guessing.
Pronation, overpronation & supination: Pronation is the natural, slight inward roll of the foot while landing – normal, and important for shock absorption. When the foot rolls in too much, that's overpronation; when it rolls outward instead, that's supination.
Neutral shoe vs. stability shoe: A neutral shoe lets your foot move freely, while a stability shoe adds support elements that counter overpronation. A gait analysis tells you which one fits your stride.
Cushioning: The padding in the midsole that absorbs impact forces while running – think of it as a crumple zone for your joints. It wears down over time even when the shoe still looks fine from the outside.
Thumb's-width rule: The rule of thumb for correct shoe sizing: there should be about a thumb's width of space between your longest toe and the front of the shoe, because your foot slides forward slightly while running.
## Injuries & Recovery: The Warning Words Shin splints: Pain along the inside of the shin, usually triggered by ramping up training too fast or by worn-out shoes – a classic "too much, too soon" signal from your body.
Runner's knee: A dull ache around the kneecap, often caused by muscle imbalances or overstriding – one of the most common running complaints out there.
Plantar fasciitis: A sharp pain in the sole of the foot, often worst first thing in the morning. Caused by overloading the band of tissue that runs under your foot.
Overtraining: The state where you're not giving your body enough recovery time between sessions. Instead of getting fitter, you get more tired, slower, and more injury-prone.
Cool-down, static and dynamic stretching: The cool-down is the easy wind-down phase after your run – the right moment for static stretching (holding a position). Before a run, dynamic stretching belongs instead: movements like leg swings that take a joint through its full range of motion.
## Pro Tip When you hit an unfamiliar term in a guide, sort it into one of three buckets: anything with "pace" or "percent" governs HOW FAST, anything about foot, shoe, or footstrike governs HOW, and anything ending in "-itis" or containing "pain" is a STOP signal from your body. With this three-bucket trick you can place almost any running term correctly on the very first read.
### What is cadence in running? Cadence is the number of steps you take per minute, counting both legs. Beginners often take too few, overly long strides, which puts more strain on the joints. A cadence around 170 to 180 steps per minute is a solid target that reduces overstriding and smooths out your running form.
### What is conversational pace in running? Conversational pace describes a running speed at which you can still hold a full conversation without getting out of breath. It's the simplest self-check for easy, aerobic runs: if you're gasping after a few words, you're running too fast and should slow down.
### What is the 10 percent rule in running? The 10 percent rule states you should never increase your weekly running time or distance by more than 10 percent compared to the previous week. It protects against overuse injuries because tendons, ligaments, and bones adapt far more slowly than your heart and muscles, even when you already feel fitter.
### What are running drills (Lauf-ABC)? Running drills are a series of short technique exercises like ankling, heel flicks, or skips that isolate individual parts of your stride. The German name translates literally to "running alphabet." Done regularly after a warm-up, they improve running economy and footstrike, and noticeably lower your injury risk.
### What is overstriding in running? Overstriding means your foot lands far ahead of your center of gravity instead of underneath it while running. This acts like a small brake with every step and sends impact forces unfiltered into your knees and shins. A slightly higher cadence with shorter steps usually fixes the problem automatically.
Medical Check-up & Running Goals