Most off-road runners have their favourite brand of shoes. And for many years mine have been Inov-8. But slowly but surely a couple of pairs of Salomon off-road trainers have been creeping into my regular runs.

I now choose my shoes depending on where I will be running and take into account the terrain (all muddy and off-road, some trails or some tarmac). I confess I have many pairs of off-road trainers to choose from so I am lucky but newest on my top five list are the Salomon Speed Cross 3 and the newly upgraded Salomon classics, the XA Pro 3D. I

have the Salomon Women’s XA Pro 3D, which until March 1 are only available at Cotswold Outdoor for £100. See details here.

The Salomon Speed Cross 3, which boast pretty aggressive studs on the sole, are best suited to wetter and muddy off-road trails and where I will not be running on hard-packed surfaces or tarmac.

Meanwhile the Salomon Women’s XA Pro 3D, with the new Contragrip sole unit, are better for hard packed trails, muddy or not, and some sections of tarmac.

The classic Salomon XA Pro 3D – for both men and women – build on Salomon’s 60-year heritage of developing great outdoors products.

The new XA Pro 3D shoes have a variety of innovative features, with a closer fit, improved durability and enhanced grip.

The new 3D chassis offers more foot support, which in turn helps to reduce fatigue and means you can keep exercising for longer.

The new Salomon XA Pro 3D has an extremely secure fit, thanks to its SensifitTM technology, which cradles the foot, and asymmetrical QuicklaceTM technology that offers quick one-pull tightening for a customised fit and easy adjustment.

The new Salomon XA Pro 3D also goes further to protect feet with a rubber toe cap to shield toes from rocks and a mudguard for extra protection around the base of the shoe.

Quick-drying breathable mesh helps to keep feet feeling dry and comfortable, even during a long session.

Out on the trails I find the shoes are supportive and perfectly grippy but not too aggressively so. The laces allow me to tighten the shoes to just the right setting, and they stay secure.

I have comfortably run along for up to two hours. Sadly, the bright yellow shoes are now a muddier shade of dirt yellow but I did enjoy having a pair funky coloured off-road trainers for a while.

If you like your running footwear in lots of different colours, and you are looking for comfort and grip, then you will love the range on offer in the Salomon XA Pro 3D.