. This one could be just the ticket for a late summer holiday, as the race falls amid a week-long festival celebrating all that is Catalan – music, a night market and a lace festival – with bull fighting also scheduled for those inclined. The race itself

smoother ride from heel to toe, and just as much stability.Other changes are small, and either neutral or slight downgrades: a more basic lacing system; a fractionally looser midfoot fit; a shorter tongue; and an almost imperceptibly narrower forefoot fit

, or parasthesia, has a variety of causes. The most obvious cause is having your shoes laced too tightly – or wearing a sock liner or even sock that’s too snug – as this can restrict the circulation in your feet. Along similar lines, you might find that you’re one

. And – given the shoe’s clumpy look – faster, smooth running is surprisingly easy.On a purely visual level, the main difference between the Shox D and R4 is the removal of the zipped shroud over the laces. The shoe now looks far more runner – rather than street

will find the 764 even better. The midsole has been thickened slightly, which gives better cushioning and a noticeable rise in the heel for a more ‘forward’ running motion. The lacing has also been reworked, as the last version was problematic for runners

agreeable trail shoe. The one-piece, sock-style, reinforced upper is comfortable, and although initial fit is pretty generous, it laces quite a way down to the forefoot, so getting the shoe snug is easy. Grip is slightly better than the new Trail Pegasus

that the cushioning seemed to have improved, leading to a far more positive, controlled feel on toe-off. The upper is less fussy than last year’s model, and Mizuno has done away with the internal stability strap attached to the laces, but there’s still enough upper

is the Boa Lacing System, which makes it easy to tighten or loosen the laces on the fly by simply turning a dial on the back of the heel. Contact www.thenorthface.comNike Air Pegasus Escape+, £75 Weight 355gDesigned to replace the Air Trail

tightening the laces pointless. The reinforced toecap gave the shoe extra solidity but made it inflexible to run in, as did the hard cushioning and stacked-heel effect. The low-depth tread performed well on different surfaces. Good for heavier runners

leave you confused! With 11 sections, including goals, body fat, weight training and cardio training, it can be started at any time in the year for 12 months of use from that date. Good for: New Year's resolutions Xtenex laces, £7.99www.xtenex.fr Make