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In Depth Product Reviews
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Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
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my coldest ride was last year in the spring. Weather was pretty nice in the bay area so I took a ride up mount hamilton. There happened to be snow at the top still and I was in short sleeves.
January 1994, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Can’t remember the temperature but there was snow all over and was so cold that I ran around the block once and decided to call it quits. It was just way too cold to run!
Last October I went for a ride and got caught in a downpour 18 mile into it. 40 degrees feels a lot colder when you are soaking wet.
Coldest run this season was this past week in DC, 10-15 degrees each night.
In Lincoln, NE, missed the bus during finals week. Had to ride to school with a wind chill around 10 degrees. Longest 5 miles of my life.
Coldest here in Malaysia will be 20c =)
Manhattan Half Marathon exactly 2 years ago – 14F.
Winter camping with a group and we ran bare foot across the lake. Why, well because we were young and fearless and there was a beer at the end of the run. That should read young and foolish.
This week on Wednesday evening: regular training round at -9 with a feel like temperature of -15. A bit too cold for me.
My coldest run was actually during a soccer game in -10 Celsius weather. It was an exhibition game and we were in our soccer jersey’s and shorts. Freaking cold!!
Just the other night in St. Paul, Minnesota in fact! Our nights have been hovering between -5 to -20 deg F this past week. Brrr.
My coldest would probably be a bike ride last December. I was participating in the Strava Rapha Festive 500 challenge and my work schedule for that week made it pretty difficult for me to get rides in, so I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make the 500km. I had one day off during that time period so I decided I was going to aim for a century (which would be my first century!). It was supposed to rain that day, but not until the afternoon.
I got up early but it was ~35 degrees out so I waited about 45 minutes, got in all my cold weather gear and headed out. After about 15-30 minutes it started drizzling. I started weighing my options… and decided, screw the rain, I’m not quitting now!
That ended up not being the best choice as it just started raining harder and harder as I headed down the bike trail to the beach. It ended up raining about 75% of the ride and never got warmer than the low 40s. I was keeping somewhat warm from the activity until I got 2 flats right in a row, one of them the core kept coming out of the valve so by the time I started riding again I was shivering something fierce.
In the end, I made my 100+ miles for the day and it took 30 minutes in a very hot shower, a big bowl of hot oatmeal, and three mugs of tea before I started warming up again. One of the most miserable rides I’ve ever done, but it did feel really good to _have managed_ it in the end.
My first icicle beard!!
Oh, I would love this.
-26 C felt a bit chilly for the first couple of miles but wasn’t too bad after that although it did take quite a while to defrost my beard afterwards!
Running in the snow a couple of years ago my handkerchief froze in my pocket.
Obviously I decided to only wear shorts and a tshirt ^^
My coldest run was just a couple of weeks ago. It was low 20’s and icy. I know that is not that cold for some folks but it about did me in.
Just blogged about my coldest ultra race ever: at Vasaloppet (90K ski) 1987 it was -33˚C (-28˚F). link to bit.ly
Running into a snowy night on a mountain wearing only shorts – a challenge from a friend so that i’d enjoy the sauna at the ski hut we were staying at. brrr!
I live in Florida… so when the temperature drops down into the 50’s I start layering up hardcore. The probably is the heat. Last year’s marathon training had me start my long runs at 2:30AM, and then I’d be racing the sun, because once sunrise hit, it was unbelievably hot.
Running up a mountain canyon while it was snowing in shorts, Vibram fivefingers and a wind breaker. That day I discovered that when you are done running in the cold and your bare legs where exposed to the cold, they start to itch really, really bad when they start to warm up :-)
My second time running 10 miles was 36F…loved it! It was draining and exhausting, but I maintained an average 8:35 pace. A PR for me! :)
Ran this past New Year’s weekend while on a skiing vacation up in Mammoth, CA. It snowed all weekend which was fantastic but made for a grueling 5 mile run in shivering temperatures. Should have stayed in the cabin with the kids and drink hot cocoa instead.
Wandering across Lake Louise at -35c in my Crocs (and socks). Have photos to prove it
I live in a place of the world where it’s warm.. Crete, Greece. But up in the mountains it can be cold.
So my coldest cycling was, descending from the 1500 meters high. With freezing wind blowing, through the sweated shirt. Brrrr!
Can’t feel anything besides my feet, not even toes …
descending mt palomar in san diego recent! couldn’t feel the brakes!
I was running in mid January with three feet of snow on the road dodging snow plows as the made me a nice running track.
This has been my first year working out and running so haven’t made a huge effort to get out into the cold but did a 5k turkey trot that was about 45F out took a good mile to get warmed up. Wish I could figure out how to deal with the cold my lungs feel like shit after riding my bike in the cold.
I was running yesterday, little snowfall, very slippy conditions and about 7k. Temperature about -5° Celcius.
16 km long run on a lovely Edmonton, Alberta winter day: -35C with wind chill. I was wearing every piece of running clothing I owned, and I resembled an ice sculpture at the end, but it was actually rather invigorating. Not something I would like to do regularly, though.
As soon as the sun goes down in Albuquerque in the winter-its FREEZING!!
It was my first mountain free run, sth about 10 km, -13C, and very windy. After that i couldn’t even smile for a 1h ;)
I went for my usual 5k run, but the cold air gave me a nose bleed. I ran the entire way home while bleeding from my nose.
My coldest run was in Jan. 2007 when I was running the 50 miler in Catalina, CA. It was so cold it snowed. For those who don’t know it usually does not snow in Catalina. I was only wearing shorts and a dry fit shirt.
A couple of weeks ago I was running along the beach early in the morning. It was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. I know this isn’t super cold for most people, but I live in Los Angeles, and anything under 50 degrees is freezing!
My coldest running was on last winter. ~28km, -24C. My running jacket, balaclava, all the face had ice :) It was nice! :)
Well my coldest run could be yesterday I ran for 1h30 minutes in I think -7°C (19°F). I had to follow the bicycle route which was completely free of ice.
The sidewalk was dangerously slippery but what was even more dangerous where the intersections whit roads that where not deiced, you relay have to be careful not to end up in hospital then.
Looking forward to spring :-) here in Belgium.
Living in Belgium, you cannot really speek about cold … But I love to run on aan 400m piste doing intervals when it is freezing and you are the first to get your footsteps in a layer of 5 cm fresh now … absolutely magnificant.
greets
Geert
It was an organized MTB touring. It was cold and chilly, but when we started and were about 1 km away, it started to ice-rain and it never stopped until we were at 1k of the end. my hands ands toes were twinkling when i was in the hot shower. awch!
Running in the snow in London last week was pretty chilly!
Half marathon un Cieza, small twon un Murcia, Spain. 0 was TVE highest at 1100am with sun….the coolest run ever
The coldest ride was last year, i left home on a sunny weather and the night caught me on the road with temperatures below zero, was cold as hell.
Living in Holland, the coldest run I recently had was a morning run at -11C true the snow.
Living in Holland, the coldest run I recently had was a morning run at -11C trough the snow.
My coldest run was few years ago around lake Jarun. Actually, it was more walk because the snow was so deep. Anyway, there was a good company and it was fun!
Mine would have to be mountain biking in the highlands of Scotland over new years. -10°c and snow everywhere! Great fun.
My first training ride with my new triathlon club. About -2 from the start with lots of hail. I only had bib shorts and no shoe covers on so it took me about two hours to regain feeling in my legs.
Mountain biking in the highlands of Scotland over new years. Below freezing and snow everywhere! Great fun.
I did a 160 km bicycle ride two years ago. It’s was around -30°C in the morning when I started and the rest around -25°C. No problem!
Hi,
Winter running is most times very nice. The coldest run I’ve experinced is in the summer though with for the season cold weather and heavy rain.
Coldest in tempraturere I’ve been running in is around -10 – -15 C.
Welcome to Stockholm! The cold nice winter weather seems to take a break while You’re here.
So I can’t top most of those stories, but I’m from WI and am now living in Atlanta, GA. It has been cold for the south, but of course not by WI standards so I went for a run in windy 40 degrees thinking I could handle it with my thick WI skin. Not so much. I thought I was going to voluntarily cry before it was over (involuntary tears thanks to the wind and no glasses).
Well, it may not be the coldest by the standards mentioned but one of the coldest runs for me was in Swindon UK.
My hands get cold quite quickly. I was running with the Swindon Striders one night and it was about -2°C or less outside. I was an idiot not to have worn gloves and one hour into the run, my hands started to go numb. It was only after we finished that I felt the chilling pain from my numb hands. Anything I did to make them warm resulted in an agonising pain. My runner friends tried to help but I was bound to suffer for the next one hour. A hot shower for a considerably long time and constant rubbing and they were back in business.
I’ve run in colder temperatures after that incident (always with gloves) but that run is still in my memory.
Cycle race when I was young (about 12 I think) wearing one layer of lycra in 3 degrees celsius. At the finish I could straighten my fingers to use the brakes or let go of the handle bars. One of the marshals had to catch me and help me off the bike.
Coldest run?
To be able to describe my coldest run I need to describe my second coldest run. And that brings us back to the winter of 1984/85, in the midst of the Cold War.
For reasons not to be presented here I was on my way to The Peoples Republic of China travelling on the Trans Siberian Railway. I left Stockholm, Sweden by ferry to Helsinki, Finland on the 14th of December 1984. It was bitter cold in the Nordic this year, and as the train rolled into Moscow from Helsinki (on the 16th of December) the temperature was minus 30 degrees Celsius.
From Moscow the trip continued eastward and I and my fellow passengers lulled into a kind of meditative approach to travelling, every four hours the train stopped to refuel and/or load or unload passengers. After a few days we were bored to death. So a fun and crazy running competition started: Just before every stop a few of us would gather in the last train car, jump of as the train stopped and run alongside the entire train (The TrainSib is a long train) to the engine and then run back to the last car.
Two things made these races especially challenging: 1. None of us spoke Russian or knew if it was a long stop (30 min) or a short stop (<5min) when we jumped off. 2. The temperature was quite challenging.
The stops just before and after Novosibirsk the temperature was -42 C. And in Irkutsk the temperature was -43 C.
Running 800 m every 4 hours in sub 40 C makes for great laughs and makes Russian Vodka seem like a resonable substitute for Gatorade…
End of preamble.
My coldest run was the 28th of October 2012 at the Venice Marathon, Italy.
Even if the temperature was 4 degrees Celsius, the stormwinds and totally bizarre rain (the expression raining cats and dogs is just silly, this day it was raining cows and compact cars).
It took me 5h 46 min and 2 seconds to complete the most gruelling, cold and miserable run in my entire life. The 27th Venice Marathon made my second coldest race, running in Siberia alongside a train, feel like a walk in the park.
To prove my point how bad it was – the Venice Marathon Race Organisers offered all who entered the 2012-marathon a special discount if they wished to try again in 2013.
Siberia in December is cold. Venice in October with a rainstorm is colder.
My coldest Run was on the morning of 31 december last year. It was a dark and freezing morning with the north wind blowing up to gale or near gale. I Ran 24km with the windows into my face half of the way and then I blew away the rest ;)
My coldest run this week was -22C without windchill and the warmest was 8C.
Just a month ago, I had a run at 0°C. Not so cold for you but for me (living near Naples, Italy) it was!
Above all, because of a strong wind, I had my face wet by sea water (I run near it, seafront) and saw all puddles fronzen and Vesuvio covered with snow
A week ago I was running when it was snowing, it was really fun and nice to see the snow during this run.
It wasn’t that cold (minus 3°) but cold enough for a cold run.
My coldest cycle ever was crossing the mountain range inbetween Irak and Iran in late February. I had just spend a freezing night in my tent, hiding from the border guards during which my 5l watersack froze solid and my cooker faild working cause the lamp oil I used was getting solid as well. So it was allready pretty cold when getting on the bike. I had some non waterproof moutainbike cycling shoes in which the sweat from the day before had created a nice ice layer and rather thin gloves so that I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes about 10min into the ride. When I got off my bike up on the pass at about 2200m I wasn’t able to walk cause my feet where all numb. Luckily, a nice Iranian guy invited me in for some tee just 5k down the pass. He didn’t let me leave until the next morning feeding me tee, soup and biscuits the rest of the day.
Last weekend’s long run took me through an old railroad tunnel. Water normally seeps and drips down from the roof. With the temperature in mid-teens, huge icicles formed making it look like some alien landscape.
The other day I was out running, it was so cold my testicles went black and fell off. My girlfriend now wears them as earrings.
My coldest ride was definitely in 2011 when I attended a long race over 430 km in Norway (Jotunheimen Rundt). It started raining by start, and it poured down continuously during the first 10 hours of the race, and the temperatures went down to only +4 degrees Celsius over the mountain passes. Over 1/3 of the riders Did Not Finished, DNF, due to the extreme weather. However, the weather improved the last six hours, and at the finish line it was sunny and almost 20 degrees :-)
Didn’t check the forecast, and did a long ride through the hills last year in just a jersey and sleeves. My hands ached, my feet ached, even my face went numb. Turns out it was the coldest day of the year!
I always feel way, way colder when cycling vs. running. A ride last year was my coldest for sure. Temp was only in the mid 20’s, but I still hadn’t gotten shoe covers, winter gloves, or a solid base layer. Wind was about 20-25mph and my ride took me along a river – big mistake. A couple hours later I painfully inched my way back home to warmup, and my hands and feet took hours to come back to life. Needless to say, I ordered a complete set of cold gear the next day.
My coldest training experience was when I was a little boy on swimtraining. I was about ten years old and the heating in the swimming pool broke down. The water was very cold. After half an hour I came out with bleu lips and shivering all over my body.
Actually my coldest run was last week in the outskirts of Gothenburg, Sweden. A beautiful clear day with sunshine and around -9 °C, and with a quite slow tempo it was really enjoyable.
Coldest run was my first real run, back in 1988. I was 18 and had just returned to NY from several months working in a hotel in London and had gotten it into my head that I needed to get in shape. It was snowing and windy and I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I left the house around 8pm in shorts, a turtleneck and a bright orange hat. Ended up doing 8 miles and I was hooked!
A 4 hours nightrun with the MTB whilst snowing. -14° Celsius but it was still ok as I’ve been dressed within clothes I normally use for snowboarding. ;-)
After a couple tough 1 degree (Celsius) 5am runs in Pretoria, SA all bundles up I found I was starting to warm really quickly and hated carry a top and more clothes than I needed. One morning I decided to tough it and run sans long sleeve top and gloves. Needless to say I picked up my fingers later on the way back.
Am from Sydney and it doesn’t get too extreme (on the cold side…don’t talk about the heat though!) – so coldest would probably by in 10 degree celcius weather in a singlet and shorts! It’s tough starting out but once you get started its quite good! =)
Living in Florida, I don’t get to experience too much cold weather, but there are some days. Though I don’t have too many specific memories of bitterly cold runs, I do remember some cold ROWS from my crew days. We’d meet at the boathouse at 6am in spandex and a t-shirt and all be shaking. All of our strokes would be off because we couldn’t stay still in the boat. I still think of those days whenever I feel a little chilly now and just think, “it’s been so much worse.”
Riding in the snow in Charleston SC a few years ago, who’d have guessed it?
My coldest run was last year: I was guest of my bestfriend living in North Italy and, on a early morning, after a snowy night, we went out for a run. It was exciting, almost imaginary, running in this frozen space (temperature was only 2°C) through iced vineyards surrounded by snowy Alps.
But I did not last so much: after all I’m still a very very south girl!
It was -15C running on river bank head on to north wind..
Fortunately return was down the wind.
My coldest run was about 12 years ago…a blurry memory…in Chattanooga, TN. It was 17 degrees Fahrenheit and I just remember my nose hairs freezing.
My coldest run was 3 years ago at the 6 hour BPAC classic. nothing like an ultramarathon in freezing conditions :p Someone drank my gatorade, and the event coordinator didn’t bother to tell anyone he was spiking the water with a hammer product. yakked my brains out after 5 hours…good times :p
I use to run at night in winter, don’t ask me why, but I like to run at the end of the day, before dinner I go to the river and just run… no cars, no tourists, just a few of crazy ones running at 4 – 8 ºC (lucky us)
I was a cold winter day, 6 Celsius. I gone to my morning run and when I was 5Km from home started to rain! But It was not a regular rain, it was huge! A lot of cold water!
I was going to post about my coldest run but all I can think is my coldest time doing sports. In up state Pennsylvania I was ice skating on “the pond”, as they called it there in town, that froze over and after some time I couldn’t feel my feet and then I couldn’t stand up and when I took my skates off my toes and part of my foot were encased in a block of ice. The worst was thawing them out… the warmer they got the more they hurt.
Three years ago I had an unplanned run in Parang Mountains. I got at the base of the mountain with a 5-6 kh backpack ready to go up with a couple of friends at 11 PM. I remember it a as a very cold night (snow was half frozen) and full of stories about bear encounters, which dictated a high pace for the hike. All ended well when we got to the cabin, no bears were seen that night. Still it took a couple of hours to feel my legs again :)
Cross-country skiing, 2 years ago, -15°C with head wind… I like the cold, but that was too cold for me.
As a kid, living in Estonia, my cousins and I headed out on a typical snowy winter day. All our eyelashes were frozen and my oldest cousin got frostbite on her earlobes. Little did we know that the temp was -40 C
that day and our skin was obviously not protected well enough. But, when you are a kid, its more important to have fun than to worry about the cold…
My coldest run was a training I did two weeks ago. Winter in Holland is cold this year with temps of -10ºC (felt like -18ºC) and a lot of snow and wind.
Coldest run was the other day in Ireland with -6* Celsius whether. I had the full getup of cold weather gear on, but as I approached the house after 7 miles, I noticed my sweat was beginning to freeze on the outside of my fleece gloves. Gotta love a nice cold weather run.
My coldest run was just one week ago: I hadn’t thought that is was going to be this cold, so I didn’t dress properly. Five minutes after I started running I couldn’t feel my hands. But because I thought it would get better during the run, I didn’t turn around and went on running.
When I got back home I still couldn’t feel my hands and my hands looked like blueberry muffins (with blue dots everywhere).
Greetings from Germany.
K
My coldest one was this week (since I’ve just recently started training). The temp read 12º, when I woke up. I’m doing a sprint distance tri training plan, so it was 15 min out, 15 min back. By the time I got back an extremely hot shower was needed. Unfortunately due to the temp we had some frozen pipes making things difficult. Thankfully our other bathroom was in full working order.
My coldest run out here in tropical Malaysia was 23º Celsius on a rainy morning – shirtless. I know, damn hardcore right? :)
Chicago Marathon 2012! It was mid-40s so great running weather. I was totally comfortable during the run – but AFTER was the coldest I’ve ever felt in my life! I remember vividly walking through the finishing area, in my shorts and that little silver blanket wrapped around me, teeth chattering and shivering uncontrollably, trying so hard not spill my beer! Good times!
Living in central Texas, I don’t have the opportunity to run in the cold very often. But I did run once in Idaho. It was about 23 F and icy. I tried my best not to bust my but on the ice while I ran along the water front in Idaho Falls.
Thus far my coldest run was 5F with a windchill of -3F here in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Coldest bike was 0 F for 2.5 hours. When I got home my bottles had started freezing!
I dont workout in the cold so much, but my favorite story was trying to run after a NYC cab in the freezing temperatures this past New year’s eve because my water broke and I had to get to a hospital to give birth. Getting a cab on new years is tough so I was booking it to run after a cab. Other than that, I just stay inside
Day 3 of a recent cross-state bike tour. Didn’t bring rain gear because it was supposed to be summer in the South. It rained. Hard. All. Day. Long. By the end of the day, I was so soaked for so long, I couldn’t warm up no matter how hard I rode. I was cursing the downhills because I didn’t want the breeze.
Cycling at -7C near a river here in Italy. Damn cold!!!
-20 F…Wisconsin winter…thick layer of frozen sweat caking my fleece as my shell froze to a semi-solid state. With our moisture and wind…anything below 0F is pretty tough sledding.
My coldest one run was -2C I did in Karlsruhe, Germany last year. My coldest drive was -18C in the same place last year.
It’s not the cold that the problem currently, it’s the slippery snow!
Lake Metigoshe, ND a year ago. I live in Atlanta, so to do 8+ miles in the low 20s was very different. (I didn’t mean to over 8 miles. I missed the turn for the trail around the lake because it was hidden under snow and ice. So I ended up on the road that took the loooong way around.)
I rode to work one morning in the teens with a pretty stiff wind. The ride was only 12 miles, but it seemed like it took hours (really only 40 minutes). Despite a hot shower at work, it took over an hour for my fingers and toes to regain normal feeling.