Running
Do you like running? Where do you go running? How often do you go running? Which places are perfect for running?
Vocabulary
  • Cardio (noun) - physical exercise that increases the rate at which your heart works.
  • Tedious (adj.) - boring.
  • Treadmill (noun) - an exercise machine that consists of a moving strip or two step-like parts on which you walk without moving forward.
  • Circuit (noun) - something shaped approximately like a circle, especially a route, path, or sports track that starts and ends in the same place.
  • Jogging (noun) - the activity of running at a slow, regular speed, especially as a form of exercise.
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Questions and Answers
M: Do you like running?

R: Not really. I do like five minutes of cardio at the gym and then move on to the more fun stuff. I just find running really tedious and boring. And I get more out of lifting. So I put up with the five minutes of cardio, and then I get on with the things that I really like to do.

M: Where do you go running?

R: Just the treadmill at the gym, to be honest. I imagine if I liked it more, then I would go for a run along the seafront, but I just can't be bothered.

M: How often do you go running?

R: Well, I suppose if we count the treadmill then three times a week at the gym. Oh, yes, and we also do circuits at jujitsu. But all of this is no more than five minutes each time. I'm not sure if that counts.

M: Which places are perfect for running?

R: Well, we already mentioned the front. I think a lot of people go jogging in the streets, or at least that's where I see them. And in the hills near where I live. So they get some nice scenery. But I don't really pay too much attention to it. So I couldn't answer in any more detail about that.
Discussion
M: You know, dear listener, I'm a great runner. It runs in my genes. This episode is full of jokes and puns. Now I'm gonna explain it.

R: Now you're going to run through it.

M: I'm gonna run you through it. Explain it. So I'm a great runner. A runner is a person who enjoys running. So it runs in my genes. Genes like genetics. Yeah? Inside me. I was born with it. So it runs, like this quality of being a great runner is in my genes. It runs in my genes. Dear listener, this is a perfect topic for you to crack jokes. Okay? In the exam, with the examiner, you can crack these jokes. So the first one is like does running away from my problems count as exercise? And the second one is like, oh, yeah, I'm a great runner, it runs in my genes. And then you look at the examiner. Did you get it?

R: And then the examiner dies a little on the inside.

M: But don't overdo it. Maybe like one or two jokes. All right? Three, three, maybe three. Rory doesn't like running. So do you like it? Not really. Or I'm into running. I love it. I do love running. And, Rory, tell us. What's the difference between running and jogging?

R: I mean, I imagine with running, it's just moving forward fast at any speed. Jogging is more about maintaining the pace. Is that right?

M: I don't know.

R: Let's say it is because I hate running and I don't really get jogging so...

M: So you can say I go running, I go jogging or I like running, I like jogging. Sometimes I go for a run, or I enjoy going for a run, to go for a run, or to go for a jog. Right? So like, oh, I love a good jog. Rory told us "I do five minutes of cardio at the gym". So cardio? What is it?

R: Well, cardio is just anything that gets your heart rates up. So running, jogging, anything on the treadmill. But I don't like that because I'm very lazy.

M: Rory is lazy and he thinks that running is tedious, like boring. Okay? It's dull.

R: It's tedious for me. Other people can do it. I think I admire people who can do it for a long period of time, but I cannot.

M: So I go running and then I get on with the things I like. Get on with the things I like. So with like other exercises, okay? Lifting, for example. When you lift heavy things, I prefer to finish with the running and get on with the things I really enjoy. You can also say like, oh, yeah, I'm not Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt. This, is the greatest runner, and sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt. Well, I enjoy running, but I'm not Usain Bolt. A treadmill. What is a treadmill?

R: A treadmill is a piece of exercise equipment. So it's got like a revolving belt on it. And you run on the belt, so it's like endlessly running, even though you're fixed in one place because you're on the equipment.

M: And what's the phrase? I run on the treadmill, I run on a treadmill?

R: I would say I run on the treadmill. But the is more common, but why, I don't know, because there's more than one treadmill in my gym, for example. But I always pick a specific one.
M: So you can say I run on the treadmill at the gym. On the treadmill at the gym. And then, dear listener, if you don't like running, you can say like, if I liked running, the second conditional. You are imagining things. So if I liked running, I would go along the seafront. So along the beach, you know, and you run on the beach, and then there's the sea, like a warm breeze. Beautiful.

R: Well, maybe not a warm breeze at this time of year I'm wearing a scarf for a reason.

M: So how do we say this, like I prefer running on the beach?

R: Running along the seafront or running along the beach. The whole idea is that you're going along the way. So it's easier to imagine.

M: If you don't enjoy running, or you're lazy, you can say, ah, I can't be bothered. Really? Like at an ungodly hour in the morning to go for a run? No, I can't be bothered. So no, not for me. Or maybe, dear listener, you would like to run a marathon. Okay? So, oh, one day I'd love to run a marathon, or I prefer long-distance running. So do we say like I prefer long-distance running, I prefer to run long distance?

R: Well, I prefer long-distance running, or I prefer to run long distances. I do not prefer either of these.

M: I go running three times a week, once a month. I never go running. Or I hardly ever go running, like rarely, like once a year maybe. If we count the treadmill, then, like twice a week, for example. But yeah, like we do count the treadmill because you run on the treadmill. So it is running. Why not? What are the circuits that you do? Circuits?

R: Circuits, they're just patterns that you run on repeatedly. Or in the case of my jujitsu class, it's like backwards and forwards across from one side of the room to the other.

M: So I think any running is running. So if you like do like you run in circles.

R: That's a circuit.

M: Circuits at jujitsu or karate classes. Or if you even like to do something like this during your dancing lessons. Why not? It's right. And also, dear listener, you can crack another joke, you can say running late is my exercise. Because you know the expression? Like I'm running late. Oh, sorry, Rory, I'm going to be late, I'm running late. So to run late is kind of to be late. And you can say running late is my exercise.

R: Is this going to be a running joke throughout the episode? Ho-ho.

M: Yes, Rory, thank you. Yes, dear listener, we have another expression for you, a running joke. What's a running joke?

R: That's a joke that gets repeated constantly. Well, no, it's a joke that gets repeated constantly in a specific situation.
M: For example, in an office when one person makes a joke, and then like, everybody likes the joke, and like, once in a while, they repeat the same joke, or they refer you to this joke. So it's kind of like a repetitive... Repetitive joke? Like a joke, which is repeated many times. On this podcast, a running joke is a coincidence. So if you listen to our audio episodes without the video, we have this coincidence. Oh, what a coincidence on this podcast. So it's a running joke.

R: I should say the coincidence did not start out that way. It started as a way of getting people interested in the topic, and then it just sort of took on a life of its own.

M: So the beachfront is perfect for running, to go for a run. What else?

R: Well, the seafront.

M: The treadmill?

R: The treadmill. In the hills, on the... Well, in the hills, in the streets, perhaps, if you live in a quiet neighborhood like I do.

M: You can go jogging in the forest or in the park. Right? And also, if you go to a gym and this gym has a beautiful view over a park or an ocean. Why not? In the hills. Yeah. And then, cause Rory isn't into running. So he doesn't like it. So you say I don't pay much attention, right? So I don't care, right? Like, it's nice scenery, you can go to a park because of the scenery. Like the scenery, the view, beautiful trees, and hills and mountains. So nice scenery. But then he goes like, I can't really say in greater detail. I don't know, I can't be bothered with running. So it's not my topic. So go away. I can't really say in greater detail. So if you want to finish your answer, so then you say like, ah, I think that's it. I can't really say in greater detail. Which means like, next.

R: Yeah, next question, please.

M: And also, we're gonna wrap it up with a joke, because I feel it's like, we don't have enough jokes in this episode.

R: Do you think?

M: Why don't oranges run marathons? Because they ran out of juice.

R: The real wrap-up of this episode is in fact, the reflection task, which is based around understanding. So, your job will be to pick out the key phrases that I use to discuss a topic that I wasn't very familiar with. And can you list them in the comments below? If you're not on our YouTube channel, then, of course, you can send them on Instagram. And I'll be able to give you feedback there.

M: Right, so we're running out of juice. I'm gonna go for a run. Thank you very much, dear listener! We love you, we hug you! Bye!

R: Bye! Maria has already done more running than I ever will this week.

M: Bye!
Get exclusive episodes on IELTS Speaking parts 1, 2, and 3
Get exclusive episodes on IELTS Speaking parts 1, 2, and 3
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