If you have a smart phone then you should check out the following apps which will track your runs in real time and give you lots of information. All of them work on Android phones, Iphones and Mapmyrun will work on BlackBerry phones. My favorite is Strava but give them all a try (and if you find another good app please let me know).
If you plan to use your smartphone you might want to get an waterproof armband to carry it. Its always a good idea to run with a phone if your by yourself! Although they are a slight hassle to run with and of course you don’t want to get it stolen.
Some phones are better than others at recording accurate data and you might find yourself wanting a sport watch with GPS built in, we can give advice on these devices.
Another great app is Glympse, this is available on Android, Apple, Windows and Blackberry phones. This allows you to send a link to someone who can track your location in real time. You can specify how long the person should be able to track you for up to a maximum of 4 hours. I can think of lots of uses for this apart from running such as sharing your location with some people you are going to visit in a far away city, they would be able to see how far away you are. Or you could track your kids location. Its free.