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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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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
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Short two days ski tour about 1 year ago in Lithuania. Temps were about -34C. It was little bit cold to sleep in a tent, but everything else just fine.
Last day of 2012 when I ran “Nyårsloppet- New years run” In Iggesund, 300km north of Stockholm. It was round zero deagrese celsius and I had so much fun. Thus after only 5k my calf cramped, as they do nowadays and I had to walk back home for an hour. That was cold and sad.
Coldest run was a trail run in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was raining, and by the time we got to the top of the mountain, gail force winds were about. It got so cold I couldn’t do the zip on my top and even lost my way for a bit.
Hmm, well I had been blessed with living in Hawaii for quite a while until this past year so the coldest its got during a run in my new home (Japan) has been about -5C. Still getting used to it.
Last year, I have done marathon in St. Petersburg (Doroga Jizni/Road of Life) and there was -20C.
Did a 40km run this past Sunday in the Netherlands. The -5 C with strong easterly breeze felt sort of OK during the run, but when I got home I had a hard time getting my key out of my pocket and turning the lock. Hot chocolate milk and a long shower were a good reconciliation prize!
not a run, but cross country ski. -23 celcius and 42 km race. the feeling when your cloaths gets freezed in downhill, is amazing :)
My coldest ride of the season was on 2012/12/08 near Leipzig (Germany) with minmal 13.2 °C and an average of -11.4 °C.
Sorry, -13.2 °C.
Training last winter, running in the dark on icy roads, I discovered that my mp3 player turns itself off if you get much below -2 degrees C. Silent runs. Glistening streets.
Did not know the temperature but was at nearly 4000 m above sea level and in the Himalayas in winter.
Coldest rowing moment I had was just above zero at start, didnt had my thermal clothing yet and when I came out of the boat it was prohibited to leave port as it was below zero. Never been that cold.
Cold runs yes but coldest sporting activity was skiing when my friends binding actually sheared off because it was so frigid!
Not sure, which was the coldest run but my yesterday´s run felt like it.
-12 C one year ago in Berlin
Once, while headracing for rowing in a single, it was so cold that my turtle-shell got cover with ice.
I ran my first half marathon on the 31st of December 2011. (Yes New Year’s Eve) it was -5 degrees. Not that cold. After 14 km some guy ran in to me and I fell over and bend 2 ribs. It was soooo painfull (and kind of hard to breathe when you have to bend ribs and its freezing). I dragged myself through the last 7 km. and finished. (Not last there was 3 guys after me). It was my coldest, longest and hardest run EVER!
climbing one hill with my bike while snowing a lot of years ago, I did it sitting all the time to keep an important zone of my body warm :)
I had right yesterday one of my coldest running session ever. -3°c maybe can sound pretty warm for many people here. But there’s a small detail, I live in Sicily (Italy) and here it’s always quite warm (often more than +30°c in the summer and got used to run HM in those weather conditions). Pretty cold yesterday for a place well known for its sun and beaches!
Coldest run ever, just -1 degree celcius in a t-shirt, wasn’t that bad.
It’s never very cold here in Lisbon, but I used to go for chilly morning runs when I lived in Brussels. The worst one was -7C: it was pitch dark and I was sleepy, and got pretty grumpy after slipping in an iced covered crosswalk in front of a bus full of people!
I do not recall many cold runs, but there was that one time when I went running without gloves. At start it felt quite chilly, but as I had warmed up, I was fine. Except for the hands. I had to keep them under by running jacket for the rest of the race. I ended up rinning the nornal distance.
Pick a day last week, they were all cold!
But particularly Friday when I went out during a snow storm. My face got so numb I thought I was going to get frostbite. While running against the wind I had to cover my face with my hands so that my face was no longer hurting.
My coldest run was last winter as part of my marathon training. I was doing my long run as laps of the village if live in here in the UK. Picking my way through the snow and ice. Cold and slippy but it felt good once it was done.
Any of my runs last winter qualify. The runs I remember were in the 20s with a wind that seemed to be in my face the whole time. My eyes were constantly tearing up, and I don’t think I ever had feeling in my feet.
As a Northern European, I share the conventional wisdom, that people should knot run outside during winter. It is just not done, because it is not healthy and moreover, it is very hard to run in snow. Instead, you should do cross-country skiing. So, coldest run probably around 10C, but coldest skiing surely around -20C.
In Alcorcón, (Madrid, Spain), -5ºC, a Sunday early in the morning, with the ground frozen and a chilly wind.
my coldest run, Was last year injanuary.. only minus 10c, but it came right after rain in 0c. never have it been so slippery in my life. The surface was crystal clear. couldnt run fast and froze my ass off that evening
We ran the Vondelparkloop 10k in Amsterdam last Sunday. Not the coldest run I’ve ever done, but most definitely the coldest race. A 3-loop course in -6 deg C real temps with the added joys of 20-to-30 kph headwinds (I swear it was both directions, but the weather webpage showed it was “only” ever other 1.5 km). Unfortunately, my only drafting option was my pacer, who was about 6 inches shorter than me.
November 2011, my first marathon, was about 3 degrees, started raining/sleeting about a mile in & didn’t stop. By the time I had finished my hands had turned into some form of prehensile claws I had suffered with severe cramps & a flare up of runners knee. After a 40 min car drive home (heater on full) 20 mins stood in the shower (hot as possible) the wife still had to help me dress!!! Can’t wait to do it all again this year :-)
Running around the harbour in Oslo just after Christmas. When I got back, my running top and bottoms were white with frost!
It was summer but remembering Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromsø makes me still freezing… And daily running in Prague now: everyday temperatures bellow zero!
Thanks for another giveaway!
Plan: 10K run -10dgr C.
Result: 10min run with frozen hands!
I don’t when it actually was the coldest while running … the last weeks it was still quite ok running with temperatures slightly below freezing. I have been out in the past at temp lower than -10C for some mountain biking, it can tell that it really sucks to get a flat when it’s so cold, especially if the pump does not work as I had to experience. But the coldest I felt was going on roadbike from Tourmalet in 2012; low temperatures, fog and light rain coupled with not so very warm clothes and the huge windchill on the descent made it painful; I even stopped several times to warm my fingers.
My coldest run was probably last weekend, at temperatures of almost -10°C (contrasting the normally quite temperate weather in Belgium). Running in the trampled snow parts was grueling, almost like running in sand.
At a certain point, I came across a cross-country skier… Which was quite a sight :-)
20K interval run at temperatures well below -10°C last year – coming home with frozen hair was a new experience for me.
I love running in the snow!
It was at the end of December 2012, at second week of training to spring marathon. There was about -14C outside, but I had to go out and finish that long run. My throat was aching, but I had so much motivation, I couldn’t just stay in home. Went out for 1,5h run. When I got back to home, my beard was one big snowball, I barely saw anything thorugh my glasses that were in snow and fog, my hands were shaking. Not good. Next day I was sick and unfortunately had to pause training.
Motivation. Lack of it is bad, and too much is even worse! :P
During a survival trip in the Scandinavian wilderness it got so cold that our water bottles froze during the night even as they were kept in our sleeping bags!
2 weeks ago I had a run in the “Massif Central”, in the middle on France. Snow was everywhere on the ground as it’s in the mountain, but it was also snowing: temperature was sure below 0°C and the wind was pretty cold!
well…actually one of my coldest runs was in Paris… :) a few weeks ago, i was there for vacation
My coldest run was during the “Big Freeze” 2 years ago at -14°C. That may not be cold in countries with proper winters, but on the Irish Atlantic coast that was utterly unheard of. The main problem, however, was not the temperature but the fact that the country is unable to cope with these conditions and the roads were kept untreated for weeks. My normal running routes were covered under an inch of ice and unusable; luckily the main road featured two small lanes where the cars had forced the ice off the road surface. It was the only runnable piece of road in the vicinity, and at 6 am in the morning running on the main road did not cause any problems. I was happy enough not having to miss any training :-)
As I am living in Romania, temperatures are quite low in the winter (-22°C at the beginning of this year!!!) and, as I am running early in the morning (about 5AM) I generally get the coldest temperature of the day. I go out down to -15°C, if it’s colder, no way!!! I hate running on belts in fitness center but that’s definitely the only solution when it’s cold for a long period of time…
My coldest run was actually just last week, here in Belgium. I took my running clothes, I went out, I wanted to go back in (but didn’t) and started running. A few minutes later I was sweating like hell :-)
During this recent cold snap on the east coast, I enjoyed a nice 25 mile commute to work with a starting temperature of 5F. l ended the ride with a nice white (ice covered) beard which was a first for me as the beard is new.
I skipped my evening run yesterday. It’s been -10C in Berlin and with a 10h car ride today, I couldn’t be bothered. But on Sunday I’ll definitely go. The forecast is -16C in Berchtesgaden :-)
I skipped my evening run yesterday. It’s been -10C in Berlin and with a 10h car ride today, I couldn’t be bothered. But on Sunday I’ll definitely go. The forecast is -16C in Berchtesgaden
My first run after moving to NYC in January, 2000 (winter) from Sydney, Australia (summer). I thought that a “just moving fast enough” and wearing a set of light sweat pants would be okay. But it wasn’t, and as a consequence it was a very short run.
My coldest run was last year at Salonica, Greece. -10 deg C.
2 years ago. I just started cycling. It was freezing cold and there was a terrible wind. Little did I know about different types of clothing. I was wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt (both of the early-summer type).Little did I know about different types of clothing or shoe protectors. I felt like completely frozen after only 10 minutes but kept strong. In the afternoon I went to the cycling shop to buy proper winter pants, a windtex vest and decent overshoes. Lesson well learned!
Last oktober I did my first marathon in Lucerne, Switzerland. It was the first cold weekend and it was snowing all day long. I don’t know exactly how cold it was, but in the cups of water you received at the aid stations there swam little icebergs under a cover of snow.
My coldest run was in January last year, -18°C. I don’t wanna do it again!
I broke my 400m PR the other week on a bitterly cold night sprinting from the bus stop back to the comfort of the fireplace in my living room. Amazing what being motivated can do for you.
My first half marathon was on december 31 2011, in about -5 C, and quite windy weather. Normally the cold isn’t a problem to me as i warm up pretty fast, but i needed close to a third of the distance before the warmth would spread.
8 deg. F! Cold’er than the hinges of hell, as an old-timer coworker would say. I looked like Ralphie’s kid brother from a Christmas Story. Still, I’d rather be outside in that than the soul crushing boredom of a treadmill!
Well, everything is relative I guess. Here in Rome, Italy, cold means +5*C which normally is the coldest it gets.
With that kind of “cold” I wear a copious ammount of layers and gloves and a hat and everything on my runs. My running happens to be Scottish and everytime he spends the run having a laugh at my clothing. He wears what I would wear during a hot summer instead.
*”My My running MATE happens to be Scottish”
coldest run must ‘ve bun sunday when I did a run of 20k through heels-high snow.
Probably freezing my limbs off while XC skiing in Einsiedeln in February 2012 at something like -12 °C.
I’m primarily a cyclist and I do a lot of cycling all year around. But I recall one late fall/early winter dive in the Adriatic see – Piran bay several years ago when suddenly when I raised my head a few drops of of water somehow got into may diving suit and down my spine all the way to my a**. Well that was COLD!!!
Did the skate tour of the 5 lakes in Wappernerveen yesterday with 16.999 others. First skate tour organised in Holland in 2013.
My coldest run was my first 10k race. It was on October 27 2012. It was about -1°C and it was snowing heavily. Here is the of that race.
It’s not my coldest but I’m currently communting to work by -5°C with snow and ice on the road, tricky cycling.
Last Run for Hot Chocolate was about as cold as I ever want to be. Don’t remember the temp, though.
My buddy Micheal and I took a run last year in -16º C (3ºF) and we changed our course to run across a frozen lake so that we could check it our on Garmin Connect and Google Maps afterwards. It looked like we had swam really quick around the lake on our run! We even went under a bridge to show off!
Here in Finland, cold runs are daily in the winter. Yesterday I did 15 miles in -7 Celsius, but my best effort must’ve been on a Christmas Eve couple of years ago, 14 miles in -22 Celsius!
Anyway, the Garmins can generally take it, so no problem! I could certainly use the 910XT though, as my old 310XT is starting to get a bit sluggish…
I was doing a 6am zone1/2 10km run before a long workday; coldest day this winter in Austria: -15*C :)
My coldest outdoor activity ever wasn’t running, cycling or swimming, but skiing (which makes sense). I was on the ski patrol at the local mountain, and one day with windchill it was -57C (about -71F). I think the actual temperature was around -36/38C, but there was a howling wind also. The mountain should have been closed, but they had a “guaranteed days open” policy, so they tried to stay open no matter what so they could hit the guaranteed number of days for that year. There were six people skiing on the whole mountain. What they were trying to prove, i don’t know. We were all in danger of getting severe frostbite, so at lunch time the whole patrol said they were leaving, which meant the hill had to close. They made their guaranteed days for that year anyway, so there was no need for any of us to be there in the first place.
This past Monday. I live in Germany (ex-pat). Was -10C…did I mention there was about half a 4 inches of snow on the trail, and I was pushing my 18 month old daughter in her BOB stroller? I need to get skis for the stroller…that was a tough run!
When i was a child, me and my friend rode to the gym by bike – i was f*’**g cold: – 29 C
Rainy with head winds and a few tropical depression here and there so its been colder than usual here lately.
fifteen years ago, 24th december, i was canoing with friends on a small river one hour away from home, small river which can only be done when raining since a week, and that day in particular : 10cm of snow
:)
great day, great memories
Running one hour -21 Celsius last Christmas eve at Finland. There are some (ski etc) mask available on the market that will help a lot to keep face and inhaling warm while breathing is also easy (not “blocked”). I use mask typically under -15 Celsius.
Two years ago cycling with fattybike on MTB trail at -24 Celsius (-11.2F)
Few other tips for running beside proper clothing and mask is learn to run with ball of the foot instead of heel first. (For me at least) it really keeps feet warm. If really slippery there are shoes with studs available.
Remember your music and slip your mp3-player inside the glove ;)
Some study I remembered to saw which claimed that some additional benefits can be achieved by exercising at cold weather (sorry haven’t got the link)
Last December I went running while it was snowing, since I just moved from Sri Lanka to Romania I did not bring my cold weather clothes from my home country, had to use socks as gloves but it was a decent run, eveen in -5 (celsius).
Coldest run Ina’s got to be one of my runs in Montreal…I have never been colder than I was when living there!
My coldest run was this winter running to work in -7 °C. The cold was not to bad but running un uncleared sidewalks covered in 5 cm of fresh snow made the trip a lot longer. Love running at night in the snow though. The light is so much brighter.
Just looking at the thermometer right now (in Denmark). It’s about -5º C and the sun is shining. I’ll head out for at run in a couple of minutes to test my Alpha Strapless HRM and to see how it compares to my old Garmin HRM. What a beautiful cold day for a run :o)
My first ever race was a half marathon at the beginning of February one year ago. The previous days we were hit by a cold front, with temperatures going down to -5ºC (that’s REALLY cold for the area around Barcelona) and it snowed pretty hard.
The day of the race the weather had eased up just a bit (but at the time of the race it was 0ºC), but there was plenty of snow next to the roads. The first 11km were just fine as the sun was out but the other ten, were horrible: no sun and a slight breeze making me feel almost as if running naked :P
The following day I bought my first windstopper jacket :D
Last swim in open water last autumn was pretty cold. Could not feel my wrists and feet after it.
Well since I live in Australia, our version of “cold” is a lot different to you guys.
But I did a night run along the beach in winter one time, and the wind coming off the water and bad timing with a wave meant that i was cold and wet, and I still had another lap before I’d finished.
Had super hot shower after that run to defrost.
Yesterdays commute to work, the temperature was -10°C in Belgium and I got stomach cramps after 5km with 12km to go. I couldn’t go fast which made me freeze completely. It took me almost an hour to get there, the hot shower was very welcome.
In Greece it’s supposed to be warm, so all of our pool facilities are open-air. Now that we have run out of money we can’t buy diesel to warm up the water so during the past months I was swimming for 1.30 hours in really cold waters-on the other hand there was almost no one else swimming..
Day 5 of multistage race through the Himalayas. Overnight temps dropped below zero but having already covered 160km, felt even colder!
I ran a race in december, when it was -13.
That was interesting :)
link to kondis.no
Cycling…minus 10 in the UK…in the snow…and ice. Painful but felt great for training afterwards!
November. Mountain-biking in Denmark. Didn’t wear shoe covers. After 10 minutes I rode hard through a puddle and my shoes/feet were instantly soaking wet. And very cold. And remained cold for the next 2 hours.
i will run until gets down to -35 C. fortunately it hasn’t gotten that cold here in Toronto, Canada in several years
Hook me up! Ready for a new watch…
Coldest run last winter was little below -20ºC, went for a run in gym just 3 times that winter when temperatures droped below -25ºC.
Did some cross country skiing once in Finland when temperaturs were around -30C. They use some kind of mouth piece there to avoid the extreme cold air. Not much fun though.
Last year i went for a run at 8 AM, with only 4ºC, and 90% hum. wearing wool gloves and a beannie. At 9:30 PM i was so frozen and my gloves were soo wet i hardly could open my door when i arrived home. Then I had the niciest warm shower after a run ever.
Last winter, ski-running on a frozen pond in Lagiewniki, Lodz, Poland. ~minus 20 C.
My coldest cycling session was two years ago, when I was cycling to work despite the snow and I couldn’t prevent myself to go as fast as dry weather in order to maintain my monthly speed average!
Weekly at the campus of Leuven here in Belgium, around minus 7 degrees Celcius.
Just completely changed my running training from “flat out” to HR monitor “train only at aerobic HR zone 2”. So heart rate dropped from 155 to 127 bpm. Off on a little 4 mile training run yesterday in my usual kit – perished – wish I had put on a wind proof jacket – grateful for the gloves. Seems strange to be jogging so slow – did not want to be spotted at such a slow pace.- will keep it up for a month or so and see if my Pace improves.
Snowy roads her near Gt Yarmouth United Kingdom- had to jog past a farmers hedge cutter operating in the snowy field next to the road with my eyes closed for fear of hedge trimmings being flung at me.
I once got lost on a cold run and was out way longer than I expected. I had no cell phone and had to go to a stranger’s house to use a phone and call my wife. I was so cold, I couldn’t talk – speech was slurred. That was a very uncomfortable encounter.
January last Year, -24*C, simple training run: link to endomondo.com. I love it :) My Buff look like a ice wall on my face ;)
It was winter in Melbourne, Aus, my wife (who was feeling strong or crazy) actually made me run with her at 545am in the morning. I think it was less than 5degC.
My coldest run was just before christmas 2012.
Temperature was -18 °C and I was running in short adidas pants.
People were looking at me funny.
Then I got an idea to wear some thermal base layer clothes and to put on the top of this hawaiian style shirt and shorts, sun glases and watch how they will reackt ;)
Coldest run ever? Too many to remember. I just remember frozen body parts and my nostrils sticking together!
My coldest run was last december 31st, in Amadora, Portugal, a “São Silvestre” race with so much cold and rain that I was admired it didn’t snow…
I always run with shorts, can’t bear long trousers and here in Greece the mercury showed -2 with 80% humidity.As i was running down the coast the passers by where giving me the face ”are you nuts running only with shorts”
This winter, 8km @ -8C. With lots of snow. With Yaktrax, It was OK. :)