If you are new to running, or only want an approximation of your maximum heart ate, you can use the formula of 214 – (0.8 x age) for men and 209 – (0.9 x age) for women. Unfortunately for 5-10 per cent of the population, this figure can be wrong

Gone are the days when runners would rate our efforts based on the colour of their cheeks after a run. Heart-rate monitors are now so easy to use, affordable and accurate that there's no excuse for skipping the science bit in your training. Most

When Runner's World readers were asked to list their essential kit last year, heart-rate monitors came out on top. Unfortunately for the female runner, using a heart-rate monitor is usually an uncomfortable experience, requiring 10 minutes before

, but your new training paces might come as a surprise too. Before you get started, work out the right benchmarks to work towards by finding your maximum heart rate. If you're a complete beginner, start off with this very approximate formula: 214 - (0.8 x

Heart-rate monitors vary hugely in price and functionality. For less than £20 you can pick up an HRM that simply measures your pulse, while parting with £150+ will give you a monitor that will set training zones for you, tell you how many calories

though, it does the basics well enough.Contact www.timex.comTimex BodyLink Trail Runner £180 Tested by Big KevFeatures Simultaneous display of heart rate and speed distance, 2 linked interval timers, latitude, longitude and altitude, navigation

’s still packed with all the features that made the 305 great: it monitors your time spent running, distance, pace, calories and heart rate, and your runs can be stored in the memory, so you can review and analyse the data and the routes you’ve taken later

10-15 miles beforehand. Then at least you'll be doing the 'last' 6 miles of your training run with the crowds, which will keep you going. If you decide to do the extra miles after the 10K race, make sure you run much slower than your 10K race pace

ratings101Arundel Castle 10K, West Sussex(8/27/06)8991%16 ratings102Swanley Christmas Caper, Kent(12/11/05)88100%20 ratings103Santa Dash 5K, Merseyside(12/4/05)8898%33 ratings104Stamford Striders St Valentine 30K Lincolnshire(2/12/06)8898%55 ratings105G3

-Marathon,Lincolnshire (11/3/07)8498%20 ratings196Bolsover - Mizuno 10K,Derbyshire (16/12/07)8497%19 ratings197Devizes 10K,Wiltshire (4/3/07)8497%32 ratings198Wetherby Run 10K,West Yorkshire (9/9/07)8497%15 ratings199Easy Runner Tough Ten Challenges 2007,Somerset (11/2/07)8496%39