-brainer choose a gilet. We think these sleeveless tops are the most versatile pieces of kit you can buy and should be in every runner's wardrobe. A gilet will keep your torso dry and warm on all but the coldest, wettest runs and if the rain stops

Scrabbling around in the cupboard under the bathroom sink for something to treat a minor running injury is a common occurrence chez Spedding. Sadly, I’ve yet to find a muscle pull or joint twist that responds well to applications of Bonjela or six

You can keep your tropical sunshine, melting Tarmac and chilled energy drinks. We are just about to enter the best time of year for running. While the rest of the population chucks another log on the fire, wraps itself in a duvet and sips from a

yourself with a GPS-powered distance monitoring system.Well, yes, running can be a little pricey. But there are plenty of kit bargains out there that can keep your favourite pastime your most economical. We've gathered together a few examples of top

, running apparel hit the shelves of a leading supermarket, as well as an effective injury treatment sourced from a flightless bird. Here, then, is a purely subjective list of our favourite running products of 2003.Shoe Of The Year… Reebok Premier Road – £55

to run unencumbered by chest straps and don’t want to know the distance of your long run to the nearest inch there are still plenty of timepieces to choose from. Here’s a selection of the best.Oakley D3 – £100Better known for its shades, Oakley also

's new Formotion products have been designed with movement in mind so these short tights are supportive, breathable in the right places and won't chafe. (Men's + Women's)Contact www.adidas.comNike Lightweight Running Short – £16Roomy, baggy shorts. Dri

If uncomfortable experience has convinced you that damp, cold feet and sopping wet shoes are part and parcel of winter running in the UK then there's a good chance that you've been tempted to try one of the many new shoes designed to keep

So far this year we've printed three of our four quarterly Shoe Buyer's Guides. And that means we've already tried and tested an astonishing 63 pairs of brand new, or significantly updated, running shoes in 2004. As we still have one more guide

of running shoe that fits neatly into a similar ‘hybrid' category: performance trainers.They're light enough to slip on for a speed session on the track, but offer enough stability and cushioning to cope with all but the longest Sunday training runs. They