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

Up mountains, through mud slicks and across rivers – trail running requires a shoe that’s fit for purpose. So we put eight of the best through their paces on the muddiest, rockiest, wettest, hardest ground we could find. TESTING CRITERIA Fit

While getting the kit together for a six-day Eco Challenge can be as tough as the race itself, one- and two-day races are perfect for the weekend warrior who dimly remembers owning a bike to go to school on. While international-level teams

It doesn’t matter how expensive your running shoes were, or how many years of research the shoe company says has gone into its latest model, one component of your trainer is always going to be a bit of a let-down: the insole. In all but a very few

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

For the multitude of people who find listening to music beneficial while training, there’s nothing more irritating than having your favourite track ruined by headphones that sound tinny or work themselves loose on the run. There are many different

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

It’s not so long ago that speed and distance judgement was regarded as a skill acquired by those prepared to invest years in their running. For a substantial investment of a different kind you can now literally have this expertise on your wrist

As summer draws to a close – well, if you could call it summer – your early morning and late evening runs will start to get cooler, so you’ll need some in-between kit to see you through to hats-and-gloves weather. These long-sleeved tees are light

on the run) the frame had a tendency to become bent out of shape when being switched between wearing on face and head. Price. These were the most expensive glasses we tested and, brand name notwithstanding, there was not a corresponding difference