A few weeks ago, to celebrate the Paris Marathon, I posted some of the most commonly used* runners phrases translated into French. Continuing in that linguistic vein, I thought it might be nice to put together some more phrases, this ti...
A few weeks ago, to celebrate the Paris Marathon, I posted some of the most commonly used* runners phrases translated into French. Continuing in that linguistic vein, I thought it might be nice to put together some more phrases, this time intended to break down the language barrier between runner and non-runner. So feel free to show this to your long-suffering wife, husband, partner, colleagues, postman, or anyone else you like to bore and bemuse with talk of PBs, Splits and marathon-ness. We say: “It’s a well-known scientific fact that you should change your running shoes after 500 miles to avoid injury” We mean: “The shoes I like have just been released in a new colour” We say: “I really maxed my lactate threshold during last night’s 5k tempo” We mean: “I went for a run last night” We say: “I tried for a negative split, but overcooked it early on and now my ITB hates me” We mean: “I went for a run last night” We say: “I went for a run last night” We mean: “Okay, you caught me out. I spent the evening in a seedy hotel with a trio of broad-minded Swedish cheerleaders and a large tub of brandy butter” We say: “I think we deserve a holiday. I’ve heard that has some lovely beaches, and Tripadvisor.com described it as one of the most romantic getaways in the world” We mean: “I’ve just spent three hours looking at Google earth, and has some awesome trails” We say: “The marathon stick and foam roller are both excellent tools for achieving self-myofascial release, and will help prevent injury” We mean: “I know these things look like giant sex toys. Stop looking at me like that” We say: “This new head torch has a really wide throw and an output of 300 lumens. I need it for my night runs to avoid tree roots, potholes and low-hanging branches” We mean: “This new head torch has a really wide throw and an output of 300 lumens. I need it for my night runs to avoid tree roots, potholes and low-hanging branches. But mainly I’m just scared of werewolves.” We say: “I realise that an £80 entry fee might sound expensive , but you have to appreciate that it’s famous for being a really technical course while still retaining fantastic PB potential” We mean: “There’s a race. I heard that last year they had some really nice fudge in the goody bags. I like fudge” We say: “So anyway, how are you?” We mean: “I really want you to ask me about this medal I’ve been wearing for the last three days” * if you’re a bit odd. Lovely readers, a gentle reminder that you can follow me on the twitter (@borntoplodblog) or on my new-ish Facebook page. Other contact details are in the contacts section above, strangely enough. More from The Running Bug Dictionary of Running Words pt 1 Thunderstruck pt 1 FThunderstruck pt 2 Get Out of My Way!!! Like most other hobbies, sports and warlike Star Trek aliens, running has its own lexicon. (or, My Long-Winded and Largely Off-Topic Race Report of the Adidas 24hr Thunder Run 2012) (or, The Second Instalment of My Long-Winded and Largely Off-Topic Race Report of the Adidas 24hr Thunder Run 2012) A lot of stuff has been written about how we interact with our fellow runners. New to the Running Bug? We're the online community for runners with over 120,000 members! Join today - it's free and easy - and you'll get access to all our running events, training schedules and advice, shop, groups, blogs and forums. You will also be able to share and communicate with the running community in bugmiles and the great debate. JOIN THE RUNNING BUG HERE! It's free and takes just 30 seconds.