Showing posts with label Trail Terms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trail Terms. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Knuckle -- (nuh' kuhl)

| TRAIL TERM |

Refers to a small stump or root (about the size of a knuckle) that is sticking straight up out of the ground. Typically hard to see especially in shaded areas or at night.

Sentence Use: Knuckle! (Point down to the ground where the offending stump is located to warn runners behind you.)

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Shoot Your Beam -- (shuo't yer beem)

| TRAIL TERM |

Another way to say, "Turn on your headlamp." Typically reserved for night time trail running. (Originator: Karen U.)

Sentence Use: I'm going to shoot my beam because it's getting dark!

Friday, June 20, 2014

Monkey Lice -- (mun-kee l'ice)

| TRAIL TERM |

Small burr-like sticker seed pods that stick to clothing, socks, etc. Typically found in fields of grasses and/or wild flowers in early summer. They are more of a nuisance than anything, and they can be difficult to remove.

Sentence Use: I knew I shouldn't have run through that grass. Now my socks are all full of monkey lice!

Inukshuk -- (inook' shook)

| TRAIL TERM |

Meaning "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. Piles of rocks used for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is, "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path." Some Inukshuks are only a few rocks stacked at the endge of the trail, whereas others are more elaborate in construction and can be seen from a distance. They are also known as "Cairns" (kay-urns), or more simply "Rock Piles" (raw'k-pyls).

Sentence Use: "I spent half of my trail run making Inukshuks/Cairns/Rock Piles so I could find my way back to Barton Springs."

Photo source: commons.wikimedia.org

Disco Spider -- (dis'ko spi'dr)

| TRAIL TERM |

Little spiders that run along the edge of the trail at night. They reflect a purple/blue shimmery color when headlamps shine on them and resemble mini-disco balls.

Sentence Use: "Check out all the disco spiders on the trails tonight!"

Photo source: SpiderJew 2012

Keith -- (kee'th)

| TRAIL TERM |
Trailhead Running's unofficial mascot. He is really supportive and shows up at races to cheer on all his two-legged friends! Also has a modeling career posing for art found in local Austin bagel shop. (He is not the dog of the "dogs hauling ass" area on the trail, but he's just as speedy.)

Some of our favorite "Keith" moments:



  <<----Keith is the ultimate finish line spectator!

Skull Rock -- (skul rok)

| TRAIL TERM |

Sharp, uneven rocks found in patches on Austin area trails. Rock often stick up several inches making footing difficult. Named because they look like skulls or bones.

Sentence Use: I love running around Lake Georgetown but some sections are really technical because of all the skull rock.

Ground Focus Technique (GFT) -- (graw'nd - fok'us tek'neek)

| TRAIL TERM |

Being so focused on the ground that the runner doesn't see anything else around them. Form can be upright (when running) or   bent over (when stopped). Occurs most frequently during night trail  runs but occasionally when the runner just can't see what the heck they are going to step on.

Sentence use: "The trail is really technical here so I better use my GFT!"

Getting Shadowed -- (ge'ting - shado'wd)

| TRAIL TERM |
Occurs during night trail running. The runner's headlamp behind you is so blindingly bright that you can't see the trail because of your own shadow.

Sentence use: "I can't see where I'm going because I'm getting shadowed!"



Getting Pantsed -- (ge'ting - pantz'd)

| TRAIL TERM |

What happens when the person behind you trips and instead of falling, they grab on to your pants in order to stay UP, usually resulting in your pants coming DOWN. Solution: make sure you have your pants tied, or leave enough distance between you and the person behind you.

Sentence Use: "Sorry you got pansed by John. But at least the runner behind you didn't fall!"

(Thankfully we do NOT have a photo of this.)

Wristola -- (rist'olah)

| TRAIL TERM |
Fancy, high-tech bandana that wraps around your wrist. Serves many purposes including: wiping sweat, tourniquet, emergency toilet paper (one use only).

Sentence Use: "I'm sure glad I have my wristola to wipe the sweat from my eyes. It works much better than a regular bandana!"

Artwork by: Barrett Criswell (2013)

Trail Angel -- (tra'yal ain'gyl)

| TRAIL TERM |

A generous individual or group of individuals who provide acts of kindness to participants of outdoor events, on hiking trails, or various biking routes. Also referred to in online hiking journals as friends of hikers, relatives, or others persons who will often provide food, transportation, etc. to hikers on the trail (wikipedia.org).

Sentence Use: Thanks to that trail angel, I was able to cross the creek without slipping!

HEADS UP! -- (hed'z - up)


| TRAIL TERM |

What the runner(s) in front of you yell when there is a low hanging branch, limb, or other object you could knock your head on as your run down the trail. When you hear, "Heads Up" you will most likely need to "duck" soon. If you are running with a group, you may not want to put the shortest person up front because they can run under a lot more stuff than taller runners.

Sentence Use: "Heads Up!! Big Branch!!!"

Trail Terms

Learn our lexicon! We've come up with some great trail terms over the years. Some are legit. Some are strictly born from own Trailhead Running fun!

Have a suggestion for a trail term? Send it our way! info [at] trailheadrunning.com.

Be sure to include: definition description, sentence use, and a photo.