The Kit Cupboard!

Shoes

Saucony Grid Tangent: My road running shoes, great for longer distance runs on the tarmac. So, basically my mileage shoe. They have a nice but of support, sufficient for what I need anyway. They are also very lightweight and so ideal as a racer or for faster paced training runs.

Inov8 Mudroc 280: My Fell Running shoes. I've tried lots and they all seem to do a fairly similar job, but I really like these. They are fairly light, but the major advantage is the sticky rubber compound used on the sole which gives great grip in the wet. The pair I have currently are coming to an end so I will be looking to get some more Inov8's. I will get a different model this time, hopefully pretty soon, well as soon as I get paid so I can have a nice pair of grippy shoes for Sedbergh on 13th May!

      

Inov8 F-Lite 230: My favourite shoes by a mile! A real luxury to have and a real bargain at 35 quid off Ebay. These are basically really lightweight (230g) trail shoes, ideal for road, canal towpaths, forest tracks and anything similar. I use them for very fast paced training sessions such as Tempo runs and Fartlek. Many people would say it is a waste of money to have a shoe like this, but they feel so good and I just love light shoes (who doesn't?!) , particularly when they are as responsive and asthetically pleasing as this. And nope, they aren't flimsy like you might expect.

Gadgets

                                                      

Garmin Forerunner 205: Where would I be without this magical piece of kit, which is possibly the greatest invention to hit the running market ever? It allows me to track pace, distance, ascent, elevation and everything else I need to aid my training. It's a pricey piece of kit but to say I use it every time I run it's certainly worth the hefty price tag. Without this, I wouldn't be able to track my weekly mileage or anything. Thankyou to the geeks at Garmin.

More Mile Compression Socks: The running world has gone mad these things! They promise to improve circulation and reduce lactic acid build up. I was a little sceptical about them to start with, but considering so many people had started wearing them, I decided to try them myself. I don't regret it one bit so far. They really make your calves feel good, and I certainly noticed the difference in recovery after sessions. Top stuff - I might just buy another pair I think!