Technically speaking

Did you ever notice how using the technical term for something makes it sound a lot more important that it really is?  For example, as a runner I hydrate throughout the day so that I don't become dehydrated when running.  Ordinary people merely drink water, which sounds far less significant.  When I run, I am going for a speed workout, or a tempo run, or a recovery run, rather than just an ordinary jog.  Even eating is not merely eating, but fueling for a future workout.  I guess as runners our sport is so simple that we have to make the easy things sound more complicated so people take us seriously.  So be sure to properly fuel and hydrate before your next fartlek session, and be sure to tell someone what you are doing so they know just how important it is.  

While I am at it though, I may as well clarify one other technicality that has come up.  A marathon is not a generic term for any long distance race.  A marathon is 26.2 miles, the distance from The Battle of Marathon to Athens, where one Pheidippides died after running the entire distance.  Cheery, I know.  So to clarify, one cannot run a 5k marathon.  Nor are you a marathoner if you run lots of 5ks, 10ks, or even 13.1s.  You might be a good runner at shorter distances, but a marathoner runs the full 26.2 miles, the length of a full marathon.  I once had a lady tell me she couldn't understand why she wasn't losing weight when she runs marathons all the time, five mile marathons.  I'm pretty sure I know why those marathons weren't helping her like she thought they should; she was only 21 miles short. I guess technical terms do matter after all.