This is a really quick tip to keep your hands warm by creating instant thumbloops when you’ve forgotten your gloves, or just plain can’t be bothered to get them out of the pack. You will need : One jacket with velcro adjusted cuff – basically almost any regular jacket that’s neither cheap or ultralight. All you need […]
The Beast’s Tip of The Week – Keep Your Hands Warm With Instant Thumbloops Read More »
We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on and our arms and legs eventually into some SUB Cold base-layers We tested the compression fit Mock Neck top and a pair of SUB COLD compression shorts during the recent cold snap. Top Long Sleeve This looks like some sort of action man top when you first take
SUB Sports Cold Compression Baselayers Read More »
With the lower quality rags warning of a Siberian Winter, as they invariably do every winter, year in and year out, you’ll need to get properly kitted out for some winter running. Not because of their usually incorrect forecasting, but due to the solid science that the months of January and February are usually quite
Cold Weather Running Read More »
The number of different energy gels for runners out there is bewildering, so we put a number of them through their paces in our Running Gels Rundown, along with the energy ‘jelly beans’ and a much cheaper alternative! We won’t go into the rights and wrongs of using gels here, that’s a whole argument in
Five Things – Running Gels Rundown Read More »
It’s that time of year again, when you need to be a little more visible during those twilight runs and cycles. The Smart Red LED light is a multipurpose clip on light that you can use both running and cycling. I find that clipping a rear light onto my bike can be difficult owing to
Smart Budget LED Red Light Read More »
We all get them, and while we may blame the humidity or our legs still being sore from the long run at the weekend, we still know we had a poor run. But it’s not all doom and gloom, so here’s a few points to ponder after one of those lead legged runs that may
5 Reasons to Feel Positive About a Crappy Run Read More »
I don’t usually bother writing about individual runs, especially when they’re on your bread and butter routes. Tonight’s route was just one of those, but a run that’ll mark itself as one of my most important runs this year. It reminded me that running anything less than 8km is just not fun. I need that sort of
How light can a pair of trews get? Not much lighter than the Montante Featherlite pants that’s for sure. Suitable for those fast and light summer trips, running in less favourable conditions or as an emergency layer in your waist pack on a trail or fell run. As new, the Durable Water Repellancy treatment means that water
Montane Featherlite Pants Review Read More »
If you’re just getting into trail and fell running, you may want to get off path without all that ascent. This easy route starts at over 350m at the Bwlch y Groes car park before a steady ascent takes you through the quarries to the summit of Cefn Du at 441m. The return path is
This is the route of the full run for the Slateman, though you need to be aware that there’s no official access past the powerstation (thanks! Dig a bloody great big hole in our mountain, drain our lake, spew out more slate waste than the quarries and don’t let us run around the lake.). This
Snowdonia Slateman – The Full Run Read More »
The Merrel Sonic Gloves, despite the name, are an item of footwear. In fact, they’re a bit more than that. They’re pretty cool footwear that protect your feet while you effectively run barefoot. The soles are a tough Vibram and designed for a bit of off road running. I’d be wary of using them for
Merrell Sonic Gloves Barefoot Running Shoes Read More »
As Christmas draws ever nearer, like most of us, you’ll probably be over indulging on mince pies and spending the dark evenings lounging on the couch. However by the time New Year comes around you’ll be wishing you hadn’t eaten quite so many chocolates and making resolutions to lose the extra pounds and get fit!
Get Running For The New Year With Couch To 5K Read More »
The Garmin Forerunner 110 is a basic gps watch, with an RRP of £150 alone, or £180 with a heart rate monitor. I was fortunate enough to pick one up on Amazon at just over £100 without the HRM, but seem to be around the £125 mark now with the HRM bundle being cheaper than
Garmin Forerunner 110 Review Read More »
Coed y Brenin is well known for it’s mountain biking, but less so for trail running. This is a waymarked trail run of around 7.5km, or you can follow the easier Lonc Sarn Helen if you fancy a 4.5km yomp instead. The annual Wales Trail Marathon is held here, so there’s some good trail running to
Rhedfa Sarn Helen – Snowdonia and Coed y Brenin Trail Running Read More »
If there’s one item that I own that’s elicited any curiosity in people over the last few years then it has to be these Kahtoola MICROspikes. From work colleagues, to neigbours, they’ve seen these in use over the recent harsh winters and politely enquired about them before quickly ordering their own pair. Even if you
Kahtoola MICROspikes Review Read More »
Cheap and cheerful running windproof. While it may have an RRP of £45, it’s available for a very reasonable £14 from the Sport Direct website. For that price, you can’t go far wrong. For the full price, you could easily get a better windproof from the likes of Montane. It’s durable, being used for a
Men’s Karrimor Hi Viz Run Jacket Read More »
When you buy any running baselayer for under a tenner (rrp is £27, but you can get it for under a tenner on Sports Direct), you’ve got to be ready for anything. This top looks good on the images, and it pleased on arrival as well. Sporting a useful quarter zip and a highly visible
Men’s Karrimor Quarter Zip Long Sleeve Top Read More »
If you want a bargain running sock, then look no further. These are a fiver for two pairs (though the RRP is double) and are nothing more than a decent, well priced running sock. We won’t just recommend you go out and buy them, we recommend you stock up and buy a few and banish
Karrimor Dri Socks Read More »
Cheap and cheerful running shorts that might suffice if you’re not used to more salubrious inner pants (to put it lightly). Probably ok if you’re starting out, but go for a size up! Again, we see the overpricing of the Karrimor items in order for them to be highly discounted – so we’ve reviewed them
Mens Karrimor Run Shorts Read More »
As the days get depressingly shorter and winter approaches, it’s time to think about getting some high viz gear out. Last night I set off with the sun on my back, only to return a few hours later in complete darkness. Needless to say I hadn’t bothered taking any measures to make myself more visible.
5 Things – Night Running and High-Viz Read More »
Apart from having to drag my lazy ass out of a toasty warm bed in the morning, I’m a lover of winter running. Once you’ve got yourself going, there’s nothing like the cold crisp air in your lungs and the crunch of winter frost underfoot. For one thing it is not as exhausting as running
Kitting Up For Winter Running Read More »
A steady trail run from near Conwy. You can easily extend the run to nearer 10km by heading to Cefn Amor, past the old quarries and return along the really good green track on the opposite side of the hill. This is a pleasant trail run along grassy paths that, other than the uphill bits,
Cefn Llechen Trail Run Read More »
Is it just me, or does running indoors just sound like it isn’t worth bothering with? I’ve run enough on a treadmill to know that I prefer being out in the elements, soaked to the skin than in a soulless gym on a slightly modified hamster wheel. In Germany, they’ve just opened an indoor TRAIL
Trail Running Indoors, surely that’s defeating the object? Read More »
Anyone who is older than the age of consent will probably have heard of the Karrimor brand. Erstwhile stalwart of the walking community, it went to the wall and was bought up by a larger company a few years back. Since then, it’s become a bit like the French Rugby Union Team, in that if
Karrimor – Bargain Running Gear? Read More »
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