Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple AirTag 4-Pack for just $69, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
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!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
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!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2024 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
It was not a run, but Fire Watch duty in the small hour of the morning during a field training exercise at basic training. As I stood watch with an empty m-4, in a cold that was well below 0 on an army base in the middle of Missouri…I seriously reconsider my thought processes….
My coldest run was about -4 C but fairly windy and I didn’t have my running jacket I usually have at that temperature but instead a long sleeve tee and it was a bit too cold. I had to solve it by running faster than normal, which I liked anyway.
I once went on a 6 mile run during a snow storm…taught me that good thermal gear is well worth the money.
PR at -2C at Vitoria-Gasteiz HM in 2009. Wonder how much faster that could have been with better temperature. Had to run over ice as well…
Ran 5 straight days in near 0 degrees weather. Love the cold weather over hot days.
A late December run in northern Wisconsin. Was running with my girlfriend at the time, on a road covered in snow, and she told me how motivating it was to run out there. When I asked why it was so motivating, she said, “if you stop to walk, you might freeze to death.” Pretty motivating, indeed.
Count me in. Ran 9 miles yesterday in 19 degree Philadelphia.
My coldest run this year was this morning, I ran 9 miles before the sun came up and it was 18 degrees. I had little beads of ice on my hat and my hair from sweat. I wore 3 long sleeve tech shirts and a winter running jacket, tights and pants. I’m ready for spring!
9miler in 19 degrees @ 10:00 in the city of brotherly love on 26Jan13.
Brrrr!
Here in Quebec this week we hit a low of -31C which is pretty cold in my perspective. Went for a run but didn’t get too far, air was too cold for the lungs and had to turn back.
Can’t wait for the temperature to rise this week around -10C!!!
Competed in a 5K New Year Day Run at Lincoln Park, Chicago Il. USA along Lake Michigan. Temp was 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but with a wind chill of -10 degrees running in snow over ankle height.
I live in Brazil and we dont have snow here. I was once travelling by sourth Argentina and for some dumb reason i think I could manage to make a quick run at -5ºC. Results? I got a sick flu and almost ruined the end of the trip. Til this date, my girlfriend remember this bad idea.
No snow in Australia but heavy rain combined with 40kph wind gusts at the start of a 130km Tour Down Under bike ride – soggy and freezing all the way!
My coldest run was today! I went out for a run a forgot my gloves so my hands went numb and got all swollen, especially the fingertips. Sometimes during the run I had to put the under my armpits to see if I could get them at least a little warm but nothing worked. The got so swollen that two fingertips cracked a bit and I got a little blood coming out!
Coldest run in recent memory – earlier this week, windchill was -11 F! Ran on an indoor track for the next run.
Skiing with -20ºC….can’t feel my fingers and when I arrived home I put my fingers at a heater and still don’t feel anything….so 2 nights at hospital
In Nashville we have cold days, but not many REALLY cold days. However, a cold run is not always about the thermometer. I would actually argue that “cold” is a function of how fast you could get die as a result of the low temperature.
Hence, 32˚ and RAINING is miserable.
A couple of week ago I had just that experience. It looked like the rain was going to hold off long enough to run. Instead, it held off long enough for me to get to the furthest point from my house. It was a VERY COLD 5 miles home.
I complete a triathlon in 48 degree weather!!! Try biking in 48 degrees when you’re soaking wet. It took me days to defrost!
Snowboarded once in -12 when I lived in Colorado. That was dumb. Ran just this past week and according to the internet, the highest temp reached for the day was 8*, and I ran at night, soooo I’m guessing it was around zero.
Coldest run was also in your current Country… In France, more specifically in a village town near Fontainebleau, in a winter night in 2001. Wow, that made me feel brave, even though it lasted for only 15′ or so… :-)
this past tuesday predawn run was 3 degrees with a 15mph breeze. Its time spring!
this past tuesday predawn run was 3 degrees with a 15mph breeze. Its time for spring!
6 GAP CENTURY in cold/rain. Miserable….
Managed to ride the first three days in December in South Dakota – a rare treat. Coldest weather I’ve ridden in but a one-year cycling newbie!
Well I am a wimp, so the coldest I run outside is about 20 F – other than that, its the indoor track or treadmill for me!
Managed to ride the first three days in December in South Dakota – a rare treat. Coldest weather have ridden in but I am a one-year cycling newbie!
I was training for my 1st marathon & had a 20 mile long run scheduled for January in Edmonton, Canada. -30C & wind, and too young to know how bad an idea that was :)
My coldest run was back in Russia at -25C and a strong wind. Don’t wanna repeat. 8)
Managed to ride the first three days in December in South Dakota – a rare treat.
Managed to ride the first three days in December in South Dakota, a rare treat.
Going for a ride in near-freezing temps in a sleeveless jersey (no arm warmers) and shorts! I read the high that day, but not the low and that was a brutal ride!
Coldest moment would have to be the Arctic Enema obstacle at Tough Mudder…body wanted to completely shutdown
Not too much cold here in tropical Costa Rica but my coldest run was during a vacation in Las Vegas. It was around 34F so a couple of layers pulled the job. Pura vida
My friend and I were training for our first marathon in 1993 and went running the Gorge Road in our hometown in New Brunswick (Canada) and it was below -40 C with the windchill index. We got frostbite on our faces. We soon learned from another running companion that putting a thin layer of vaseline on our face will help at that temperature. It worked , and still works when it gets that cold. Currently our temperature is a balmy -21.
Rode my bike in Chicago last year at 7 deg fahrenheit…. Brrrr very cold… So cold the grease in my cable housings froze and was stuck riding in the same gear for 40 miles… We took a picture on some ice sculptures in our kit… always spooks people when they associate biking and ice sculptures…
One very cold day when I had just started to bike. Went on a group ride in sweat pants, a sweat shirt (or 2) and a windbreaker. Got sweaty, and everyone knows what cotton does when it’s wet and the temperatures are cold, right?
9 deree f. was in my second year of running and had no idea how to dress for a run. so shorts, thin running shorts, and an under armour cold gear shirt. gloves and a knit cap. ya know how when you get a shower after a frigid run, things seem to tingle and kinda hurt as blood flow comes back, and the skin returns to normal temps. yah. my “man parts” did that. next purchase? tights!
I ran my coldest half marathon in a cold desert morning.. Which was I think was in the mid 30’s when the race started. My toes and fingers were numb. It was something I do not want to do again. That’s why I hate super cold runs… Espically at night!
My coldest run when I was visiting Lake Tahoe a few weeks back. I ran 3 miles in -10. I normally think anything in the 30s is cold so this was definitely a shock for me! But I’m glad I did it :)
12 miles 15 degrees, on Huckleberry Trail in VA. Trail covered in snow by the time run was over. Surely had others that were colder but this was the prettiest.
I ran a half marathon in the middle of Nov in a desert morning which the start of the race, it was in the mid 30’s. My fingers and toes were numb. This is why I hate running in the cold!
Christmas eve 2012 in Fargo, ND. -3F with windchill… icicles in my beard and tears in my eyes. Literally.
Just recently on the National Mall in DC — 6 degrees with the wind chill! I forgot my gloves, so it was just 2.5 miles before I fled back to the office.
Cross Country Ski Race, Air Temp of -15F, windchill much cooler. Forgot my sunglasses at home, consequently frozen tear ducts for 2 weeks after the race. I never knew that could happen! Had a great race though so that makes it all the more worthwhile!
Living in South Florida, not many cold days….maybe love 50s? But I loved every moment of the cool air!
Riding in the hilly Dandenongs outside Melbourne, Australia with my father in law. It would have been 5 degrees celsius, windy and raining and it took 45 minutes to ascend up the side of the mountain. Going down the mountain I couldn’t feel my hands.
Back in January 1998 I was working in the oilfield in northern BC but I was coming back to my summer job with the Alberta Rapattack program (rappelling out of helicopters and fighting forest fires). To stay fit out in the middle of no-where I would go out for a run after my shift was done for the day. In the dark in the middle of the boreal forest it was a fresh -38 C which is about -36 F.
Running right on the Potomac in 1995 – December. Cold – wet – windy. Really nasty.
Coldest run was the unexpectedly cold Mississippi Blues Marathon in 2010. Starting line temps with the wind chill were 9 degrees. Not quite what I was expecting for a January marathon in a southern state. Took 3 miles to warm up, then the rest of the races was comfortable. But when I stopped, it took no time at all for the body temps to drop and severe shivering to set in. Cold can be scary stuff! Be careful out there everyone!
Last week some of my morning runs were -5F.
This afternoons run was 20F, but have run as cold as 0F.
Coldest run wasn’t as cold as these days in the NE. It was around 29ºF but what made it cold is that it was a brick run and before the sunrise. Finished the bike in the warm basement and got out sweaty for a 30min brick. Never felt that cold and took it out on the drivers that didn’t leave me any space.
Coldest cycling -15 in Laramie Wyoming
Coldest cycling -15F in Laramie Wyoming
Training for a early Half Ironman and having to do building base miles in January. Being from Texas anything below 37 degrees on a bike is enough to freeze me to the bone.
My coldest run so far has been -10C here in Calgary, Alberta. I was too warm though, should have lost the mid layer.
Coldest swimming was in mid October of last year doing a triathlon in Chestertown, MD. The water temperature was so shocking that I kept having spasms to my face every time I tried to put it in the water. The swim was one of my worst swims ever. I don’t know what the water temperature was, but I don’t want to swim like that again.
I ran a 5K on a frozen Lake Skaneateles. I’ve run on colder days, but something about running on water…
link to flickr.com
So far, my coldest run was -19C (with wind) during a snowstorm earlier this week. For proof, there are some photos on my post here: link to janetcetera.blogspot.ca
I’m a Texan so it has to be every morning I have to put on a long sleeve shirt. The long sleeve shirt and gloves usually come out at around 50 degrees! Plus hand warmers! Stop laughing.
My coolest run was a long run on country roads that started with a gentle snowfall but ended up being horizontal sleet right into my face. My hot bath and hot chocolate was very welcome after that run.
Coldest run was a half-marathon last January. Temps were in the 20s with into-the-wind the whole course. At least it was a neighborhood course, and I was quite artfully bundled.
Coldest stand up paddling was last October while providing safety for a local open water swim: temps were again in the 20s, with fog coming off the water. We all had on multiple layers and I discovered that I could paddle with hand warmers in my gloves.
Not many cold runs…..10 degrees in the Tennessee mountains is about as cold as it gets for me.
Coldest — #1 summer in San Francisco #2 Thule Greenland -20F
So far, my coldest run was -24C (-11F) in Montreal, Canada. With windchill it felt like -36C. I managed to grit my teeth and push through but after 7km, my eyelids were freezing shut, icicles were hanging off of my eyebrows and I couldn’t feel my bum, let alone my toes. It was a seriously intense run (only seconded by my 15km in a snowstorm last year with snowbanks almost up to my knees), but since then I have decided to revise my temperature limits to a max of -25C with windchill (not before!). Oh! Canada, you never fail to deliver interesting run conditions!
If I freeze while running, please don’t draw a sexual organ on my face!
NYRR Manhattan half marathon in 2011. 14 degrees and snow.
Coldest run was a 32Km race in Manila last September 2012. We were running in intermittent heavy rain and in the last 10Km, cold wind was blowing from Manila Bay making the run extra cold.
For my first marathon build up, I ran an 18 miler in about 28degrees F. Which isn’t that cold, but I made the mistake of taking an icebath right after for too long. This made my capillaries a little too “leaky” for too long causing my whole body to have an allergic reaction putting me in the ER until the massive doses of benedryl kicked in.
I survived and have some great pictures of my deformed face.
Next time. Warm shower first :)
A couple years ago I went for a night run in dreadful winter conditions. Single digit wind chill and blowing, wet snow. Not only was I chilled to the bone, but my eyes were freezing shut. When I got back home I had icicles hanging off of my face. That was the strongest statement I’ve ever made about how much I hate running on the treadmill…seeing as I have one in my basement, I have a photo of the ice man if you want to see it!
Coldest run I have completed was in -1’F in Boise Idaho this past Tuesday morning. Crazy cold front the past few weeks. Didn’t feel too bad though will the crazy amount of layers I had on!
It was bad enough being in NE Pennsylvania in February, the run started cold, but then it turned into a snow and sleet storm. But being out in the muck, alone in the whole town, turned it into a fun run.
I know is not nice too run outside in winter. Here is – 36 celcius :O !!! (Québec – Canada)
Love a cold run when the air burns your lungs for a bit and the temps cause your nose hairs to freeze together!
I got nothing for a cold run!! I live in Southern California so you can consider me spoiled by the weather here. The coldest thing that happens to me on my runs is my friends pushing me in the ocean unexpectedly as a joke. That isn’t even close to a polar bears and penguin experience!
Last week here in Wisconsin. We were pushing -20ºF with wind chill. Some hand warmers in the gloves and two pairs of socks did the trick!
In February 2005 on Saint-Jean Lake in Québec, Canada, I had my worst ski run on the frosen lake. After winter camping on the lake, the day was horrible due to the cold (-25C) and mostly to the strong winds. It was almost an emergency situation. Any uncovered skin could have frozen. But what good memories!
That is a lot of cold wx runners!
It’s not that cold in the Bay Area – although we’ve had a cold snap in January with high twenties in the morning and cool afternoons – making runs and mt. Bike rides very chilly!
For cold we head up to Truckee. It was minus nine last time we were skiing!
Waiting on staton island before my first marathon, the NYC marathon, in 2007 I was so cold I wanted to cry. I didn’t dress appropriately for the incredibly long wait. But I warmed up once I started racing and went on to a fine finishing time.
My coldest run was in Calgary, Canada. I run outside my third time in my life and it was -11C. It was pretty cold as for me.
Coldest run ever was last Friday under 12F conditions: I manage to last only 50mins! :O) yep… I know others here have run under more tough conditions but that’s just my personal experience!
Running in mount salak. Heavy rain and gusting winds!
Coldest walk happened in Eastern Europe believe it or not and perhaps was during my recent visit to RO
It never gets super cold in TX, but it certainly feels cold when running in the dark before work.
Thanks for the contest!
My coldest run was last winter, January 18, 2012. I ran at lunch because it had “warmed up” by noon. It was a balmy -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit), without the wind chill. Factoring in wind chill it was easily -35.
Not many years around here but I can tell you today that swimming class was really cold on me… despite calling for help I was asked to cross my arms and get warm while close to the shallow stairs… other participants were really reallly cold just like me!
This is only my 2nd winter as a runner, so I haven’t had too many cold runs yet. Coldest was last week during the inauguration. I watched President Obama get sworn in and then went for a chilly 5 mile run. I love my PowerStretch hoodie. Keeps me perfectly warm, as long as I keep moving at a good pace.
Last wednesday it was single digits here in Ohio. Did a 10 mile interval out and back not realizing the wind was at my back the way out. Then it started to snow and my beard completely froze on the way back to my truck.
My coldest memory is shoveling about 4 feet of snow off our driveway. It took about a few hours. Not quite an official sporting event but fitness-related nonetheless…just entering the giveway so i can surprise my triathlon husband with the ultimate in sports gadgets. It would be priceless if pull this one out.
Recently went to swim at my local outdoor pool and thought that it was weird that no one else was swimming. After I dove in I found out that the pool heater was broken and the water was pretty cold. I still got half of my laps in before thinking hypothermia wasn’t worth it.
I remember getting frozen eyes in one of my first cross-country race ( in Canada at -17C). since then I wear glasses when it’s really cold!
-11C during the Palisades trail run this week. Seeing the sun coming up thru GW bridge and knowing that the next 4 hours would be mine….
Coldest bike ride. 3 degrees air temp. -12 with windchill.
My coldest run is in Bhutan (3500mt altitude) during a vacation 3 years ago and coldest biking expedition is at Rohtang Pass (Himalayan range) at 4200mt altitude during a snow blizzard on a full moon night for 5 KM before the conditions turned too risky for anyone of us to continue safely.
Well, I just lost my Garmin 500 and I’m miserable about it, so here it goes…
I attended University in Portland, Oregon. I made barely enough money to live and pay for school, and I bike commuted everywhere, at all times of the year. My coldest ride was in January, 1991. It was well below freezing out (probably about 25º F, and I was riding in a short-sleeve jersey and spandex shorts because I had no arm warmers or jacket except for a big, bulky denim and wool monstrosity that was impossible to ride in. I was warmest under my backpack, and I found that I could keep fron freezing by sprinting and pushing as hard as I could on the climbs, and getting into the tiniest of tucks on the descents. I was completely miserable. I actually had ice frozen on my arms when I got home.
As a result of this, I can handle pretty cold weather without much more than the same outfit I wore that day. That being said, I now own arm warmers.
I ran a couple times with it was about 0F with a 30mph wind. Made for some cold runs.
Today on a mountain bike ride my eye lashes stuck together.
It’s the wind that gets me. I can deal with cold (down to any normal winter temps we get in NC) by bundling up and keeping warm by running. But the wind cuts right through the layers. The worst I can remember was a mid-winter run with temps just below freezing and a steady wind. I had to slip a plastic bag down the front of my tights to keep my bits from freezing, and my face was so cold that it took a while before I’d thawed out enough to form words after I finished.
Training ride in SC 2 or 3 years ago in Jan. Wx was WAY off… Cold snap hit and I didn’t bring enough of my damn-Yankee bike gear. Thought my feet might actually freeze and all off on a couple of rides. Actually used sandwich bags to help insulate my toes.
Coldest swim by far in Svalbard, Arctic Circle. Don’t know exact temp, but the ice around me wasn’t exactly melting!