The upside of the end of summer and and the days getting darker is that it’s the perfect excuse to update your running kit. As the shorts go back in the cupboard for the winter months and the high visibility jacket comes out, maybe it’s time to treat yourself to some winter kit.

When it comes to running kit I want clothes that actually work, can be thrown in the wash time and again without deteriorating, and that don’t cost the earth. Is that too much to ask? The people at Sports Pursuit think not.

Flash sale websites are nothing new and you can get everything from a weekend break in Bognor to a vajazzle for you and a friend at a greatly reduced rate if that’s your sort of thing. Sports Pursuit is a UK-based flash sale website for stuff you might actually want though – namely running kit, cycling kit and all other sorts of outdoor gear at discounted prices.

I tried it out. First you have to sign up to be able to view the offers that they have. Then you’re free to browse these offers. Items are listed by brand only – so for example, if you’re looking for something specific like a pair of women’s shorts, you’ll have to go into each brand individually.

Each brand will have a countdown clock ticking away over it to give your shopping experience a bit more of a Mission Impossible feel to it. This is the time you have left before the deal ends, you don’t need to cut any red wires…or is it the blue wire?

Some items will sell out before the end of this countdown – I couldn’t get a top I wanted in my size as they’d all gone. But I did find a pair of Gore running tights more than half price. Being a savvy shopper, I checked around at what they were going for on other sites and even Amazon were charging double the amount of Sports Pursuit. I had myself a bargain.

Internet shopping always comes with a bit of delayed gratification – waiting for your items to be delivered. On this site you have to wait until the deal ends before it can be shipped out to you, so if you’re hoping to get something for a particular race, check the estimated delivery date. Once dispatched, though, my tights arrived the very next day. There’s also a referral/reward scheme – so if yo tell your friends, like I’m telling you, and they sign up – you get credit towards free stuff.

The other upside of the winter months is that it’s cross country season. And with a new club to run for I’ll be running up and down hills and through mud on a Saturday morning. This of course calls for some cross country running spikes..! Now where I can get some?