Gear, tech and training trends

Worth it, no question, they make a real difference. They do need using properly, though, and they can cause trouble if you are not strong enough to run in them well. You probably do not need to train in them much, because modern training-shoe foams already cushion the legs and help recovery. Run the carbon plates a bit through the block and in some key marathon sessions so they feel familiar, and leave it there.

Any of them can help you understand your training, as long as you do not drown in the data. A watch that tracks your runs accurately is the place to start, and most give a built-in heart-rate read, handy but not always accurate. Want better accuracy, a chest strap is worth it. Want the extra stuff like heart-rate variability and sleep scores that your watch does not do, that is where a wearable earns its place. None of it makes you a better runner on its own, though. Get the fundamentals in first, or the numbers just overwhelm you.

It clearly works for the pros, and there is genuine value in it for some people. But it is a fiddly setup, and for most amateurs, who are not running for a living and do not have endless time to recover, train and measure everything, it is simply too much to run properly.

Not the key, no. It is a valuable zone and it matters, and it is widely misunderstood, because most people run it too hard and find it tougher than they expected. Plenty of your easy volume should live there. It is just not the single thing that moves your performance forward.

It can give you a solid read on where you are. If you fancy it, maybe once every six months or so, once you already have a decent handle on your training. It sits in the small-percentages bucket though, not the base work that makes the bigger difference.