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Learning Vocabulary: Going for a run

Learning Vocabulary: Going for a run

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich talk about running and the benefits of going for a run. They have two roleplays for you; in the first, Rich tries to persuade Jack to go for a run and in the second, Jack and Rich take part in an organised 5-kilometre run.  The language focus is on phrases we use to talk about running and exercise. Your task this week is to go for a run and tell us about it. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!

Transcript

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Learning Vocabulary - Going for a run

Jack: Hey Rich, what are you doing in the park? You look like you’re about to have a heart attack.

Rich: No, no. I’m good. I’ve just finished my first park run.

Jack: Here, sit down on this bench and catch your breath. I’ve got some water here somewhere. Hold on. Here you go.

Rich: Thanks.

Jack: So, what’s this park run, then?

Rich: It’s an organisation that encourages people of all abilities to get together and run on Saturday mornings.

Jack: So, there are quite a few of you then?

Rich: Yeah, it’s an international thing. They’ve got over 5 million regular runners. 

Jack: Not just in the UK?

Rich: No, they’re in Australia, Poland, Russia, Italy, Malaysia … they're starting in Japan next year.

Jack: All over then. How far do you run?

Rich: It’s always the same. A timed run of five-kilometres.

Jack: And how long did it take you?

Rich: Come on it was my first one and I’m totally out of shape at the moment. Probably about 40 minutes I think.
I’ll get faster. I need to improve my running speed and my stamina.

Jack: Was it tiring?

Rich: You can see me. I’m absolutely knackered. You should come along next time. You bought some new trainers last week, didn't you?

Jack: Yes, I did. I strained my hamstring a couple of weeks ago but I’ll give it a couple of weeks to recover and I’ll be ready to break them in.

Rich: What are you doing in the park anyway?

Jack: Something much less strenuous. I’m off to feed the ducks.

Welcome -  Going for a run

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich.

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, I’m going to try to persuade Jack to go for a run and we’re going to talk about the benefits of doing regular exercise.

Jack: We’re going to focus on vocabulary and we’ll look at lots of words and phrases connected to running and the benefits of running.

Rich: Listen to the podcast and, if you are listening on the Premier Skills English website, you can also read the transcript, do the activities, test your understanding with a quiz and discuss this week’s task in the comments section with Premier League fans from around the world.

Jack: This week we’re going to ask you to get your running shoes on. Don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess.

Rich: In the next section you are going to hear a roleplay. I’m going to try to persuade Jack to go for a run in the park. While you are listening we have two questions for you to answer.

Jack: Question one: What does Rich say are the benefits of running? And question two: What reasons do I give for not wanting to go for a run?

Roleplay 1

Rich: I’m going on another one of those park runs next Saturday. Do you want to come along?

Jack: Mmm … I’m not sure. You looked knackered when I saw you after your run last week and I saw you limping about the office for the next couple of days.

Rich: That was just DOMS.

Jack: DOMS?

Rich: Delayed onset muscle soreness. You get a few aches and pains when you haven’t done any exercise for a while. I’m ready for another go at it now.

Jack: I don’t know. I’m not sure about my hamstring.

Rich: I saw you on your bike yesterday. You’re fine.

Jack: Yeah, but have you seen the weather forecast? It looks like it’s going to rain on Saturday.

Rich: You’re just making excuses now. It’s at 900 and you’ve got those new trainers that you need to break in remember.

Jack: I do want to try them out. That’s true. But, I haven’t done any competitive running for ages. What if I finish last?

Rich: It’s not competitive. We can run together and we go at our own pace. Some people walk the 5K. It’s good … getting out in the fresh air, doing a bit of exercise. It’s good for you.

Jack: But running too much on roads and paths is bad for your knees.

Rich: That’s a myth. It’s not true. There’s been loads of research on it. The worst thing for your knees is being overweight so a few runs will help you lose a few kilos.

Jack: Maybe.

Rich: And it’s not just that. Running is good for your heart, reduces blood pressure and might stop you getting diabetes and stuff like that.

Jack: Alright, I’ll give it a go.

Rich: You’ll love it.

Jack: I’m not so sure about that. 

Rich: So, I eventually persuaded Jack to go on an organised run. In the next section, you are going to listen to parts of the run that we went on. The beginning, during the run and at the end. While you are listening we have two questions for you to answer.

Jack:  Question one: Do I want to do another race after this one? Question two: Who ran the better race - me or Rich?

Roleplay 2

Jack: So, it’s just 5K right. I can do that.

Rich: I’ll set the pace and I’ll slow down if we need to.

Jack: What if I can’t keep up or if we can’t catch up with those at the front?

Rich: It doesn’t matter about the others. We’ll set our own pace and we can slow down or even stop to catch our breaths if we need to.

Jack: OK. That sounds doable. I don’t want to overdo it.

Rich: Let’s warm up with a bit of stretching and a gentle jog to those trees over there.

Rich: Here we go. On your marks, get set, go!

Jack: Not so fast. Wait for me! It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

Rich: It’s not either of them. Come on let’s get in the middle of the pack.

… (halfway)

Rich: How are you doing?

Jack: I’m a bit tired but feeling OK.

Rich: We’re halfway through. Let’s pick up the pace a bit.

Jack: I’m not sure about that. Hold on! Wait.

… (at the end)

Jack: That was really good. I even managed a little sprint finish at the end. What happened to you?

Rich: I think I overdid it halfway through and I think I might have pulled my hamstring.

Jack: Ha! You just haven’t got the stamina. Come on let’s go and cool down. So, when’s the next run? Next Saturday …?

Language Focus

Rich: In this section, we’re going to look at some of the vocabulary we used in the roleplay and other words and phrases connected to running, fitness and exercise.

Jack: Let’s start with the word run. With run, we often use the preposition ‘for’. We say things like ‘I’ve just been for a run’ or ‘Do you want to go for a run?’

Rich: Words connected to movement are often used with ‘go for a’. You can go for a jog, go for a swim or go for a ride on your bike.

Jack: In the roleplay, we spoke about different types of running. We used the noun or verb jog for example.

Rich: A jog used to mean a slow run but these days it’s much more common to use the word run more generally. We may jog to warm up before we run like we did in the roleplay.

Jack: We used other words to describe types of running or runs in the roleplay. We used the phrase it’s a marathon, not a sprint. A marathon is a long-distance running race that requires a lot of stamina; you need to have the physical strength to do something for a long time because a marathon is over 42 kilometres.

Rich: A sprint is a short running race. Usain Bolt runs the 100 metre and 200-metre sprint. A sprint requires a lot of speed; you need to be fast.

Jack: The phrase it’s a marathon, not a sprint actually is used to describe something that takes a long time to be successful at rather than something that can produce results quickly.

Rich: For example, learning a language is a marathon not a sprint.

Jack: Yes, or the Premier League compared to a cup competition. In the roleplay, I also said I did a sprint finish at the end of the run. A sprint finish is when you run extra fast at the end of a run or race.

Rich: We used the word pace a few times in the roleplays. I said to Jack ‘we can go at our own pace’, I’ll set the pace’ and ‘let’s pick up the pace’.

Jack: Pace is the speed which you run or walk or move more generally. So when Rich said we can go at our own pace he means we can decide how fast we run. When he says I’ll set the pace he means he will decide the speed and to pick up the pace means to go a bit faster.

Rich: The word pace can be also used to describe life. We often say the pace of life is much slower in the countryside whereas in the city the pace of life is much faster.

Jack: We also used some phrasal verbs connected to running in the roleplays. Let’s look at four of them: slow down, speed up, catch up, and keep up.

Rich: Listen to this:

Jack: Hey Rich. Come on speed up, let’s catch up with the others.

Rich: No, you slow down. I can’t keep up.

Jack: So, speed up means run faster. Catch up means to reach somebody ahead of you by going faster.

Rich: Slow down means run more slowly and keep up means to go at the same speed as someone else but is often used in the negative form.

Jack: Finally, let’s look at two words that I really like: doable and overdo. 

Rich: They look like words that don’t exist but they do although they are quite informal. To overdo something means to do something too much. Jack said he didn’t want to overdo it meaning he didn’t want to do so much exercise that he might get injured.

Jack: And when Rich said it wasn’t too much I said that it sounded doable. Doable describes something that is possible to do, achieve or complete.

Rich: Right, we’ve got a few more vocabulary exercises and activities for you to do on the page for this podcast on the Premier Skills English website.

Task

Rich: Your task this week is to go out for a run.

Jack: Yes, that’s right. We want you to go outside and run. It can be a 5K run a 1K run or you might want to just jog to the end of your street for 50 metres. Choose the distance that suits you and run at your own pace.

Rich: We want you to run and then tell us about it.

Jack: How far did you run? Were you walking, jogging, running or sprinting?

Rich: How long did it take you? Did you concentrate on speed or stamina?

Jack: How did you feel before, during and after your run? Were you out of breath? Did your muscles hurt the next day?

Rich: Tell us about your running experience in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week? 

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, our last football phrase. It was a tap-in. This football phrase describes a goal that is very easy. For example, when a player crosses the ball, it goes past the goalkeeper and the striker can put the ball into the empty net from one metre. It’s a tap-in. He taps the ball into an empty net.

Rich: Well done to Lakerwang from China and Rafael Robson from Brazil who got it right. What’s this week’s football phrase?

Jack: This week’s football phrase is a bit of cliche and the cliche is ***** *** ** **** *****. I like this phrase because it’s what managers always say before they play a really small team that isn’t very good. For example, Brazil could be playing my local village team and the manager might say well, ***** *** ** **** ***** in football. It’s an excuse. The manager just says it in case their team loses!

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Don’t forget to write your answers to the task and football phrase in the comments section below.

Jack: If you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you could leave your answers in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.
 
Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!

Vocabulary

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

Here, sit down on this bench and catch your breath

Come on! It was my first race and I’m totally out of shape at the moment!

I’ll get faster. I need to improve my running speed and my stamina.

You can see me. I’m absolutely knackered.

There were a few more tricky words and phrases in the podcast. Do you know what they all mean? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words. This can really help your understanding.

Activity 1

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.
Can you match the words to the definitions?

The London Marathon attracts over 40,000 runners every year and over 300,000 people apply to race it every year.

Language

Running

In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich spoke a lot about food and introduced a lot of words and phrases connected to running and exercise. Let's take a look at some of the words and phrases they used:

Common activities and words connected to movement:

When we talk about movement and activities we often use the verb 'go'. Look at these example sentences:

I'm going to persuade Jack to go for a run.

We normally go running on Saturday mornings.

We often use the phrase go + for + a with words connected to movement. You can go for a run, go for a swim or go for a ride on your bike.

It's always common to use go + verb + ing with activities that involve movement. You can go running, go swimming or go shopping.

Running is for all ages.

Other words for 'run':

Rich and Jack looked at some different words we use for types of running and different types of running race.  Take a look at these sentences that were used in the podcast:

Let’s warm up with a bit of stretching and a gentle jog to those trees over there.

Not so fast. Wait for me! It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

I even managed a little sprint finish at the end.

A run or running is the term that we usually use for all types of running in a general way, but we can describe running more specifically. A jog or jogging is a slow run that we usually do when we are warming up before exercise whereas a sprint or sprinting is running very quickly over a short distance. A sprint can also describe a running race such as the 100-metre sprint whereas a marathon is a long-distance running race.

Burnley's Jack Cork ran the most in the Premier League last season. The midfielder ran 12.04 kilometres per match on average.

Pace:

We used a few phrases with the word pace in the podcast. Take a look at these sentences:

It’s not competitive. We can run together and we go at our own pace

 I’ll set the pace and I’ll slow down if we need to.

We’re halfway through. Let’s pick up the pace a bit.

In general, the word pace means the speed at which you run. The phrases above mean to decide the speed you run at, to run at a faster speed and to run at the speed you feel comfortable with. Can you match those three definitions to the phrases with pace?

The London Marathon attracts all kinds of runners and many of them wear fancy dress and collect money for different charities.

Vocabulary

Phrasal Verbs in running races

In the roleplay, Rich and Jack also used a lot of phrasal verbs. Look at these sentences from the podcast. Do you understand the words in bold?

Let’s warm up with a bit of stretching and a gentle jog to those trees over there.

Hey Rich. Come on speed up, let’s catch up with the others.

No, you slow down. I can’t keep up.

Ha! You just haven’t got the stamina. Come on let’s go and cool down.

Usain Bolt is the best sprinter in the world.

Quiz

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Task

We ask you to go for a run this week.

Going for a run

Your task this week is to go out for a run.

We want you to go outside and run. It can be a 5K run a 1K run or you might want to just jog to the end of your street for 50 metres. Choose the distance that suits you and run at your own pace. We want you to come back after your run and tell us about it.

  1. How far did you run? Were you walking, jogging, running or sprinting?
  2. How long did it take you? Did you concentrate on speed or stamina?
  3. How did you feel before, during and after your run? Were you out of breath? Did your muscles hurt the next day?

Tell us about your running experience in the comments section at the bottom of the page and don't forget to make a guess at our football phrase.

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
07/12/2020
TR
5557
points

It was about (4K-6K) and takes (45-60) minutes. Neither running nor walking it was just jogging. I don’t care about running speed. I set my own pace. No need to catch up someone or pick up the pace. There have been searches that overdoing physical activity could have caused ach and pain problems. Competitve running don’t attract me.
Because of problem of setting pace for each runner I prefered go for a run alone.I concentrated on stamina. In these days I’m a little bit out of shape. I need improve my stamina. I’ve felt happy and full of energy before/during/after jogging. It wasn’t tiring.I wasn’t out of breath.


hsn's picture
hsn
07/12/2020 17:54
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5557

It was about (4K-6K) and takes (45-60) minutes. Neither running nor walking it was just jogging. I don’t care about running speed. I set my own pace. No need to catch up someone or pick up the pace. There have been searches that overdoing physical activity could have caused ach and pain problems. Competitve running don’t attract me.
Because of problem of setting pace for each runner I prefered go for a run alone.I concentrated on stamina. In these days I’m a little bit out of shape. I need improve my stamina. I’ve felt happy and full of energy before/during/after jogging. It wasn’t tiring.I wasn’t out of breath.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
01/06/2020
TR
6539
points

I think this week's football cliche is ( There's no easy games )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
01/06/2020 13:00
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

I think this week's football cliche is ( There's no easy games )

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
01/06/2020
TR
6539
points

I ran 10K by the seaside using my adidas runtastic app on my phone
I was jogging a bit then running then jogging so I had to set my own pace then I had a little sprint in the last part of the run

It took almost 2 hours from me and I was focusing on stamina more than the speed

I felt very excited before it and ambitious during the run but a bit tired after finishing not out of breath because I did it before several times as the last one was in 2019 with adidas campaign
( Run for the oceans )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
01/06/2020 12:50
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

I ran 10K by the seaside using my adidas runtastic app on my phone
I was jogging a bit then running then jogging so I had to set my own pace then I had a little sprint in the last part of the run

It took almost 2 hours from me and I was focusing on stamina more than the speed

I felt very excited before it and ambitious during the run but a bit tired after finishing not out of breath because I did it before several times as the last one was in 2019 with adidas campaign
( Run for the oceans )

ORIOLPLANELLA
11/12/2018
ES
92
points

I used to running 10km once a week.

This sport is very important for me due to I sit front of the PC 8 hours every day. I love running becaus I become kneackered although I only practise 30 minuts.
I issue all the people to practise running, jogging or walking 10km every day. I think this is the best way to look after ourself.

just do it!!!


ORIOLPLANELLA
11/12/2018 16:42
Spain
Manchester City
92

I used to running 10km once a week.

This sport is very important for me due to I sit front of the PC 8 hours every day. I love running becaus I become kneackered although I only practise 30 minuts.
I issue all the people to practise running, jogging or walking 10km every day. I think this is the best way to look after ourself.

just do it!!!

milos
11/12/2018
RS
2663
points

I don t like long running,I prefer short distance.But I like to go walking.This is my routine and I do that everyday.Usually I walking 3 km.For me that is much beneficial,and help me a lot with my mood.After walking I feel better.
Everybody should take health much more seriously,and do some type of activity.
I guess that football phrase for this week is nowadays everyone play football.


milos
11/12/2018 06:31
Serbia
Manchester United
2663

I don t like long running,I prefer short distance.But I like to go walking.This is my routine and I do that everyday.Usually I walking 3 km.For me that is much beneficial,and help me a lot with my mood.After walking I feel better.
Everybody should take health much more seriously,and do some type of activity.
I guess that football phrase for this week is nowadays everyone play football.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/12/2018
DZ
3988
points

I covered almost 4 kms turning around a football pitch ten times. I did it jogging because I am a little bit old.

I concentrate on stamina like I have been doing it for years.

I always finish the exercice with stretching movements and breathing cool down.

football phrase, There are ** weak teams ** ********.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/12/2018 12:55
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

I covered almost 4 kms turning around a football pitch ten times. I did it jogging because I am a little bit old.

I concentrate on stamina like I have been doing it for years.

I always finish the exercice with stretching movements and breathing cool down.

football phrase, There are ** weak teams ** ********.

thaitn's picture
thaitn
06/12/2018
VN
1122
points

Correct me, please!
The phrase is quite strange. I think about a cliche: "anything can happen"
It was my first fun this month. I think it's less than 2 Km.But It wasn't a run actually. Firstly, I started out by walking to the park, stretching to warm up. Then, I went for a run. It made me a bit tired, but then I felt better and could keep up the pace to the end. I was wet with sweat.


thaitn's picture
thaitn
06/12/2018 23:19
Vietnam
Manchester City
1122

Correct me, please!
The phrase is quite strange. I think about a cliche: "anything can happen"
It was my first fun this month. I think it's less than 2 Km.But It wasn't a run actually. Firstly, I started out by walking to the park, stretching to warm up. Then, I went for a run. It made me a bit tired, but then I felt better and could keep up the pace to the end. I was wet with sweat.

thaitn's picture
thaitn
10/12/2018
VN
1122
points

I think I found it. The phrase is "***** *** ** **** *****", isn't it?


thaitn's picture
thaitn
10/12/2018 23:38
Vietnam
Manchester City
1122

I think I found it. The phrase is "***** *** ** **** *****", isn't it?

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
06/12/2018
UA
4417
points

I think that the phrase is '***** *** ** weak teams'


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
06/12/2018 13:08
Ukraine
Watford
4417

I think that the phrase is '***** *** ** weak teams'

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6574
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5557
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74670
2Ukraine33837
3Spain29457
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23449
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20437
8Turkey20098
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146650
2Liverpool111316
3Chelsea90159
4Arsenal86333
5Manchester City58767
6Tottenham Hotspur19422
7Newcastle United10560
8West Ham United7667
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Everton4533

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Skills: Listening

Language: Words and phrases connected to running

Language: Phrasal verbs connected to races

Task: Going for a run