The kind of watch you need depends on the kind of runner you are. If you never race, never do speed sessions and all your runs are leisurely lopes, you don’t even need a watch. But most of us – whether we run a mile in 12 minutes or five – like

to accommodate a well-designed display, and it should be situated high enough that you don’t have to look down while running (which can be disorienting). Other preferences We like to see our pace constantly displayed in minutes per mile, not toggled back

Until very recently, I used two different bikes for my daily commute to work. If I wanted to make the 30-mile round trip in double-quick time, I'd leap onto my Tour de France style road bike. But if I had time to spare and fancied a leisurely ride

running and don’t have complex interval sessions as a high priority; also if you don’t need to go above six-minute miling.Contact: 0115-981 6500; www.cvfitness.comProform 570 £800Defining features No programmes; sliding speed control; 10mph; 40x127cm; 0

for running faster. Most speed and distance monitors will be able to store lap times and mile splits, let you upload a training plan and download incredibly detailed stats to your computer, so you can get the most out of your session. Being able to see

For motivation on the run, few things come close to your favourite songs. If you want to push yourself to the limit during a speed session or just need something to take your mind off the fact you've another 20 miles to go, then grab an MP3 player

while you do and you can store 20 phone numbers!Nike Triax Speed – £60With huge digits and an angled face, the Triax Speed is incredibly easy to read on the run. Five countdown timers mean it’s a great tool for interval sessions. Another excellent touch

We are never going to claim that running a marathon personal best is easy. Even if you've never run a marathon before, there's no guarantee you'll walk away with a new mark. You might have completed every training session; treated each ache as soon

's unlikely you'll need a watch that does much more than tell you when it's time to go home.Most of us, however, want more. At the very least a simple stopwatch that records how long you've been running; probably a lap counter to record your pace per mile

for your anaerobic threshold if you know it. Alternatively, there's a ‚'free' setting to use just the basic functions. A 'marathon' feature allows you to analyse your time and HR for each mile split. Though it's a fairly sophisticated piece of kit, our