20 Vital Runner Slang Terms for Your Running Vocabulary
Have you ever run alongside a clydesdale? Or done some junk miles? And what about the kick, have you ever experienced it? Or maybe you’ve let out a snot rocket! If you don’t know how to answer because these sentences just don’t make sense in the context, don’t fret. Today, you’ll learn some runner slang!
Written & edited by Pavlína Marek
Just like any community, runners have, over the years, created their own lingo. If you’ve been a part of the running community for some time, you’ve probably already naturally learned and used a couple of those words. There’s also the possibility that you’re in the “I don’t know what it means, and at this point I’m too afraid to ask” boat. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place! A year ago, we published the first installment with 20 runner slang terms. Here are 20 more to help you understand what your running friends are talking about!
Training & Workouts
1. Fartlek
2. Negative Split
Running the second half of a race or training run faster than the first half. It takes discipline to execute, but it’s the gold standard for pacing strategy.
3. Strides
Short, controlled accelerations (usually 15–30 seconds long) where you build up to about 85–90% of max speed. They are typically done at the end of an easy run or after a warm-up to sharpen leg turnover and running economy.
4. Junk Miles
Miles logged without a clear purpose—often run too fast for an easy recovery day, but too slow to trigger fitness gains. Physically, they tend to add physical fatigue without delivering training benefits. However, no miles are ever truly “junk” and for some runners, these bring the most enjoyment.
5. Shakeout
A short, very easy jog (usually 15–30 minutes) done the day before a race (or the morning of an evening event) to wake up the nervous system, loosen stiff muscles, and burn off pre-race anxiety.
6. Double
Completing two separate running workouts in a single calendar day (e.g., a morning workout followed by an easy evening recovery jog).
Race Day Lingo
7. Corral
The designated staging area at a race start line where runners are grouped according to their expected pace or estimated finish time to ensure a smooth flow across the start mat.
The fenced-off funnel section directly past the finish line where runners are handed medals, water, space blankets, and food while being nudged forward to avoid crowd backups.
9. Kick
A sudden burst of speed near the end of a race where a runner empties whatever energy remains in the tank to sprint across the finish line or pass a competitor.
10. DFL
An acronym for “Dead Freaking Last.” (As you will probably have guessed, it’s not really “Freaking” but a slightly different work starting with F.) While it might sound negative, in the running community it’s often worn as a badge of honor: DFL is still faster than a DNF, and a DNF is infinitely faster than a DNS.
Physiology & Body Realities
11. DOMS
No, this isn’t an X-rated term. It’s short for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. That deep, stiff ache in your quads and calves that peaks 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout or race (and makes walking down stairs feel like an Olympic sport of its own).
The total number of steps you take per minute (SPM). A higher cadence (often around 170–180 SPM) generally correlates with efficient form and lower impact force per stride.
13. VO2 Max
The maximum volume of oxygen your body can process and utilize during incremental, high-intensity exercise. It serves as a benchmark for cardiovascular fitness and endurance ceiling.
14. Snot Rocket
The art—and absolute necessity—of closing one nostril with a finger and exhaling forcefully through the other to clear a nose mid-run without stopping for a tissue. Yeah, you don’t want to be running close behind someone who’s good at this.
Trail, Ultra & Community Culture
15. Vert
Short for vertical elevation gain. Used frequently in trail, fell, and sky running when discussing how many feet (or meters) of climbing a route accumulates.
16. Drop Bag
In longer races or ultramarathons, a labeled bag that runners pack in advance and ship ahead by race organizers to specific aid stations along the course (usually with spare socks, specific nutrition, headlamps, or extra gear).
17. Gallowaying
A structured run-walk-run training method popularized by former Olympian Jeff Galloway that incorporates planned walk breaks from the very beginning of a run to conserve energy for later.
The full-body damp silhouette left on the pavement, track, or gym floor when a runner collapses flat on their back post-effort.
19. Clydesdale
A bigger/taller person who runs slowly, and deserves nothing less than your utmost respect.
20. Type 2 Fun
Fun that is miserable while it’s actually happening, but gloriously rewarding and entertaining in retrospect (the defining characteristic of long runs, bad weather workouts, and race-day battles).
Congrats! You’ve learned more runner slang. Now it’s time to give your brain a break and go out there for a fartlek session and get some vert in to improve your VO2 Max. Cool down afterward the avoid the DOMS—and don’t forget to make a nice sweat angel once you’re done!