Getty ImagesThe conundrum: push yourself too hard and run yourself into the ground. Don’t push yourself hard enough and never improve. The answer: start listening to your heart, not your head, by using a heart rate monitor (HRM). What does a HRM do

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

Whatever type of runner you are, you should give serious consideration to investing in a heart rate monitor. From as little as £40 you can add a whole new dimension to your training. Strap on a heart rate monitor and you’ll never run too quickly

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

Training with a heart-rate monitor may no longer be the preserve of the elite, but choosing a model perfectly suited to your needs and budget can still be a minefield of technical jargon and seductive (read expensive) features if you’re uncertain

Questions about GPS watches for runners often crop up in the RW forum. The following article tries to answer some of those questions and provide some interesting information about how GPS works. I don’t refer to any particular model of GPS, and questions relating to features othe...

’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

treadmill times will probably be faster. Climb Higher Most runners use less oxygen and have a lower heart rate when training on a treadmill than when they run on the roads, so consider tackling a steeper incline (and even going faster) during your indoor

,500 (treadmills can cost anything from £500 to £5,000) you’ll have a sturdy but supported ride, a good speed range and even added extras such as TVs and heart-rate monitors. Six RW staffers invited a treadmill into their beautiful homes for a week, and no