This morning I landed back home in Europe after being in DC for a couple days. In doing so, I increased my environmental temperature by approximately 50°F….to approximately 50°F. Just think, if I did that again it’d be like being in the Caribbean.
And then I remembered that everyone else stateside is left in the cold. The windy, snowy, icy…generally miserable cold. For you in Australia, you don’t get to complain at this juncture about your warm temps.
Thus, in order to make the situation a tiny bit better, I figured a giveaway was in order. It’s been a little while since the last one. Actually, sorta way longer than I realized. Not exactly sure how that happened, but we need to get that fixed pronto!
The prize is simple: A $400 credit to to Clever Training to buy anything from the site you’d like. You can use it on anything they offer, from a Garmin watch to a PowerBeam trainer. If the item is over $400US, you’ll simply pay the difference, shipping is free either way. The giveaway is open to all readers – including international folks.
To enter yourself in, simply leave a comment below with the following:
To Enter: Give me the lowdown on the coldest swim/ride/run you’ve had this winter – simple as that!
Got it?
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Entries will be accepted through Sunday night, 11:59PM Eastern time (February 2nd, 2014). I’ll be you giving one device worth up to $400US from Clever Training. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on roughly Tuesday (my Mom’s Birthday) or Wednesday (if I’m still celebrating the Seahawks win on Sunday at the Super Bowl). One entry per person. The winner can decide on which device after they win. Devices/gadgets/gizmos over $400, the winner can pay the difference.
This giveaway is sponsored by Clever Training, which I’ve got a great partnership with. As you probably remember, by picking up sports technology gadgets from Clever Training you support the site. And on top of that, all DC Rainmaker readers get an exclusive 10% off all products they sell (basically every sports tech company/gadget/device) using coupon code DCR10BTF. Even cold weather gear. And most of all, you support the site in a big way – so I appreciate it!
Note, if you’re US Active Duty Military – you can submit your entry via e-mail [entry period closed] instead. No bunny rabbits or chocolatiers allowed via this method. Mmmkay? Thanks all!
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I recently moved to a new city for work. My first run with the local running club was in 30mph winds and 20 degrees fahrenheit before wind chill. Apparently they go every Saturday in any weather. I think I’m going to like it here.
Coldest run? Not sure of the temp, but it was last week here in the South and after my 6 mile run, I had ice on my mustache. I’m ready for Spring…
Run Ozarow Mazowiecki next to Warsaw Poland last Sunday -17c with 35km/h wind = felt -27c (-16F)
I don’t train in the cold outside. But my fat bike gets lots of trips outside to play in the cold and snow.
-35 C (-31F) and with the wind it was -40. Did 3 crazy miles in that!! Brrrrrr
Trainer rides in the garage with a -23 degree F temp and a -43 degree wind chill. Gotta bundle up!
A friend and I did a Raleigh, NC Neuse River Greeway ride a couple of weeks ago with an average temp of about 35 F. He’s coming back from some minor knee surgery and neither of us really had the right gear (we live in the South, after all) so we only did about 20 miles. It wasn’t too bad except my toes were frozen by the end.
You mean besides running from the office to the car during the polar vortex?
Hiking Old Rag (near DC) in the ice & snow and running parts of it to stay warm.
5k in 20F with 20mph wind, gusting up to 35mph. The wind cut through every layer…
Coldest run so far has been 1F/-17C, but if you include windchill than the coldest run has been closer to -25C a week before that. Been awful weather training for a spring marathon.
thursday night 11 km at -13C (with wind feels like -19C ~ -2F)
my schedule was for 14 km but it was too cold on final kilometers and i have to go home
Coldest run by far it was 52 degrees out. Almost froze! Winters in South Florida are brutal!
My coldest run was a 15K relay a couple of weeks ago. It was roughly 36 degrees and because I’m a team player I followed through with our plan and wore 1″ high split shorts and a singlet. That rivals my coldest run ever, but it was good enough for a PR and our team placed in our division so it was well worth it!
Swim in -10ºF (outdoor pool!) and run in about 3ºF. Whee!
DEC 25 in NYC, my gloves weren’t adequate enough, made a u-turn mid ride and stopped in a bodega, i rested my hands on top of the freezer to warm them up!
Coldest run was 15F in Tx. But saw runners in Calgary, Alberta running at -40.
It’s the middle of a beautiful summer here in NZ, so nope I’ve got nothing. :-(
But all of the vineyard bird-scarers did make yesterday’s ride a little less tranquil – does that count?
Swim indoors durring the winter here in Barrie, ON but the drive to the poole was -40C recently with the windshield.
-26C at 6 o’clock in the woods.Breath taking.Amazing.Unforgetable.
Coldest run was 72.0 degrees on my treadmill in the garage….i don’t do winter….
THANKS!
I run 18 km in ~3 F last Saturday – trail run around Brno Lake. It was one of the most memorable runs ever to me. Can’t wait for the next weekend when I hit the trails again!
I spent a weekend in the Canadian Rockies (outside of Banff) and went for a run in the snow/ice. I even needed those spiky things for the bottom of my shoes!
It was a very cold 45 degrees here in Houston on my last run.
My coldest ride this season was early one January morning, rolling through Sydney, Australia. It must be have been nearly 27C/80F – brutal :).
Currently a beautiful summer in NZ; coldest training seasion this winter is yet to come. Will probably be an icy bike through thick fog on my commute to work. Where I live we can sometimes get fog that doesn’t lift all day during winter :(
120 mile cycle to get home for Christmas after the trains broke, slight tailwind thankfully!
I took part in an actual race on Sunday the 26th with a wind chill of minus 20! My coldest race ever.
This past Tuesday during the Atlanta Snowpocalpse I parked and went 11 miles to get home amidst all the chaos and helping a few cars that were stuck on ice. I had a blast!
Just yesterday, with a high here in upstate NY of 28, I went out from work for a lunchtime run. I found the route of my original path blocked by a train moving back and forth and seeming like it was getting nowhere fast. So, I turned with my running partner and went off to the Albany Rural Cemetery, where President Chester A. Arthur is buried. There we found the route was not plowed and for some reason blocked by logs, clearly meant to keep vehicle traffic out. Hopping the logs and running up the big hill was simple enough until we realized why they were there – a big section of the roadway was completely washed out. We managed to work our way around the missing road portion and related obstacles (downed trees and such), and by the time we hit the top of the big hill realized that neither of us wanted to run back down that same way. Instead we tried like crazy to navigate our way out of the cemetery – from which there were seemingly no exits at all. Eventually we found our way out, having run to the far south end of the cemetery in our attempt to exit toward the north. Suffice it to say that I got more miles in than ever expected for this lunchtime run, and had to burn a little vacation time as a result.
20 deg F is the lowest that I have ran. I’m also pregnant so icy roads are scary even with yaks. Oh and I live in the snowiest city in the US.
Thanks Ray!! “Coldest” run was a 48 degree F 8 miler in prep for the Carlsbad Half Marathon a few weeks ago. It was good cause it helped me decide on wearing a short sleeve shirt!
Not too cold here in Amsterdam, just a nice cool 5 degrees Celsius during runs and rides. :-)
Out for a light jog in sub-zero temps for the first time in 20 years here. Jog did not last long!
Mine was a six mile run a few days ago here in DC…was close to 0 with the wind chill. I was so grateful I had my sugoi subzero tights, they kept my legs warm the whole time!
Surfing in 55 degree water and outdoor temp of 35 and persistant offshore winds. The ice cream headaches are instant as soon as you hit the water and toes go numb after about 15 minutes.
My rule of thumb is no riding or running below 30F. Too cold for me. Forecast has starting temp at 29F raising to 35F. Borderline for me but decided to head out with some friends. Starting temp was instead 25/26F and were riding in 22-24F (sun did not come out and wind picked up). So long for the forecast. Will never forget. One of water bottle froze.
Had an awesome Seattle Rain Ride at 34-degrees with the SRAM hydro disc breaks where the The front break stopped working!
10 miles in 3 degree weather with a wind chill of negative 5 and a constant wind. Brrr….
8 mile training run 2 weeks ago. 9 degrees
Tough Mudder Kentucky 2013…. 35 degrees and running in and out of water obstacles for 4 hours and 13 miles. I was wearing only my shoes and shorts, emergency blankets were flying, and there aren’t enough bananas in the world to keep up with the amount of cramps that ensued. Was a very tough day….signed up for my next race the same evening…because I’m a little nuts.
It was -31.2F outside the first week of January, and being a habitual runner, I did what I usually do, 5 miles on the treadmill. :) I hate the cold.
I’m from Australia but in Vegas at the moment, so even here cold is not very cold.
But went for a Hike in the mountains and it was only about 52F/11C and that was could enough for me…
This has been a very mild winter in the Netherlands, with no hopes of snow… My coldest run was at 3 C (37 F) – no big deal compared to typical Dutch winters.
The coldest run last year was my weekend run (11 km) on the snow with a -5 C temperature equivalent to -13 C due to strong wind (i.e. 23 F / 9 F). I was fully clad under three layers and enjoyed every single step on the snowed tracks. The weak point were my hands, as I had standard running gloves (not the thermal ones).
I was counting the number of runners I met, figuring out no one else would be crazy enough to be running on the snow and in that cold wind. Guess what, I met some 25 runners that morning – 14 guys and 11 girls!
I only regret not carrying a camera with me like Ray… It’s really magical to run on the snow.
Glow worm tunnel marathon in the blue mountains, Australia, July 2013. It can get quite cold out there during winter (… At least for Australian standards) foolishly we thought we can just camp out there for the weekend but did not expect the temperatures to drop down to -2 C. The first 1,5 or so km were the weirdest I had ever run: I was obviously running and felt my legs working with the usual impact of the ground.. However, I couldn’t feel my feet because they were numb from the cold. It did feel a bit like running on stumps.
How about a cross country ski race…they “fudged the temps and declared it -39F below zero to make it legal.” No one knew the real temp but it was colder. Did tun the next day at -20.
If the temp. is below 60 I don’t go out, why, because I have to put on to much clothing
New cold weather record set a couple of weeks ago. Made it out for just over 3 miles when the temperature was just above zero and wind chills were between -15 and -20.
A brisk and slippery (think ice skating in running shoes) run in beautiful Utah at 0 degrees F.
This season: 11km run in -4ºC next to the open ocean, don’t want to count the windchill or compare the humid air to a dryer one.
My coldest this winter was a nice little 8 miler around central park. I set out thinking it was a going to be a cool (-2 C) but nice run, and dressed accordingly.
About 2 Miles in, it started to snow. That was ok, it was only a light flurry. I hadn’t worn anything waterproof but I jsut kept brushing myself down to avoid getting too wet.
4 Miles in, it REALLY started to snow. I could barely see 10 meters in front of me.
At this point i started to regret wearing my non-waterproof 5 fingers instead of my nice water proof ones I wear when it’s really cold.
All in all it turned into a cold run, but was still fun. The sound absorbing qualities of snow are quite amazing, creating an almost spooky lack of noise, especially in the center of the city.
Coldest this year was just after dark during the snow storm on Tuesday January 21 in the Philadelphia area.
It was still snowing and the temps were down to about 10 degrees F, with wind chills at around zero.
I slipped and slid around the local roads for about half an hour and never once saw a car… everything was covered in a beautiful blanket. I was cold to start, but with balaclava and thermal tights I didn’t have any problems with the temperatures.
Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 2 days ago. Running 13K in -20C, windchill about 5 m/s and high moisture, perceived temperature was about -30C or may be more. Great running, I love this weather, but icicles in the nose hinder breathing…
A snowy/icy run here in Chicago with the windchill below zero. Let’s just say some sort of wnidblocker underwear would have been a good idea!
I bought a new fat bike and couldn’t let it just sit there until it got warmer. First ride was in -22 windchill here in Minnesota.
I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago, and it was 50 degrees at the start. Yep. South Florida weather. I know it sounds perfect to others, but I’d rather be running in colder temperatures over running in 80 degree weather like I’ll be doing this afternoon!
Coldest workout this winter was probably an outside run with mid-30s and 15mph winds. I’m from Texas, that’s cold for me!
On Christmas day decided to head out for a run in between the festivities, it was about 5 (F) and I decided to run through town where the snow was plowed, fat chance of that ran a quick six miler through a foot of snow with about a 30 mph breeze, came home with the ice beard. Love winter training.
Seven mile run, 2,500 feet of climb and descent. Started with snowshoes, abandoned them for a stair section but wished I would have kept them when I reached the ice section and the knee-deep snow drift section. Picked them back up on the return climb. Two below at the start, seven below at the end. The wind chill was way worse, but fortunately everything but the ridgetops was sheltered.
Lovely run in the alps at -20C. Very crisp!
its an incredible mild winter in the Austrian Alps… So my coldest run was probably during the New Years Eve Run in Innsbruck. According to Garmin Connect, it had -1°C. But it definitely felt a lot colder!
I did a 6 miler at 5 AM this week before work. It was so cold that I didn’t see a single person outside during the entire run.
-6 degrees and windy. My first we’ve winter mountain hike! ruled out Everest ;)
Israel ain’t cold enough for war Stories, but once in a while winter gets crazy cold and since we don’t invest much in winter gear, last month I ran 10k in 5 degrees totatly unprepared for the shock
Coldest ride was a commute to work of maybe 12°C it’s tough down here in Australia.
Ran home from work two weeks ago in NYC. 7 miles with temp of -12C and wind chill of -20C.
Every year on Christmas morning, I go for a pre-dawn run around my hometown of Cumberland, MD. This year was especially beautiful but the coldest I’ve ever had – 15degF at 4:30am. I didn’t warm up until I was 5 miles and two cat-5 climbs into the run. Merry Christmas!
Ran an hour outside at 4PM eastern time in South Central PA during the recent cold snap that came through. It was 8 degrees outside with it feeling like -12 degrees with the wind chill. Was definitely happy to get home.
-16C, 12.01.2014, Tallinn, Estonia
Having fun in the snow of Buffalo, NY, I ran for one hour, it was about 10 degrees. I wanted to do a long run but no chance for me.
Maybe I just tend to forget bad days, but I find this winter particularly harder than last year’s. Or maybe I’m just getting older…
Anyhow, today I went for a ride: it was sunny but the temperature never went over 7ºC. Next day I will go for the indoor trainer ;-)
+15 degree C run at treadmill at local gym when their heating system broke down :-)
11mi trail race, at the start it was 15 degF…maybe not the polar vortex, but down here in NC, that is cold!
0 Celsius 11km run in Osaka. Live in Okinawa, it never gets that cold here, but on a trip to the North had to face some freezing weather.
Actually this day, as it was the first ride of the year.
We had a very mild winter, the coldest run I did was probably in 5 degrees Celcius.
-16*C downhill bike excursion in the foothills of the Cdn Rockies just outside of Calgary Alberta. There hasn’t been a lot of snow, and the south facing slope trails aren’t in the worst shape given its still winter. 4 hours of riding in those kind of temps has interesting impact on brakes, suspension and tires.
Bring on spring….June is only 5 months away!
Europe’s having an oddly mild winter this year, so my coldest bike ride was about -1 Celsius. My coldest cross country ski was about -15 Celsius near St Moritz in Switzerland.
I live in Alaska, so they are all cold! This January has been particularly bad because it’s been too warm and the roads are all slushy and wet. I’ve been returning from runs, almost completely soaked, which makes it hard to stay warm.
Atlanta 14 Degrees. The wind made it bad, Don’t know the wind chill. Yesterday was cold, but not as bad, the ice IS still bad.
May not count as a run/swim/ride but I need a Garmin with longer battery life than the trusty old fr305. Dec. 29, left Grand Canyon village at 6:45 a.m. in the dark with headlamps at 9 degrees F for a 15.5 mile hike with my 12 year old daughter. She did fantastic. She needs a GPS watch as well as she is just now getting into distance running. Primarily 5k’s. It was an incredibly fun beautiful day on the Bright Angel Trail. Nothing quiet like the Grand Canyon. One of these days I’ll run it rim to rim. Hopefully, my daughter will beat me then.
Coldest swim was around 45 F, but heated pool. I’m way to soft to go in when the air temp is lower than 45…
For running it was around 35, which was about my limit since I didn’t really know it was that cold until I got outside and by then I was wearing my shorts and running shirt. My face was frozen by the end of it.
And for biking, well, about 69 indoors, I’m too much of a wimp to bike a lot outdoors in the winter ;)
Rode to work one morning at an air temp of 14°F, that’s quite cold for Portland!
We actually haven’t had a lot of what I would consider “cold” days in Portland, OR. I moved from Wisconsin a couple years ago, and nothing compares to that anymore! Regardless, my coldest workouts have been my Sufferfest videos on my trainer. But those are cold in more of a dark, hostile meaning of the word….
A Xmas swim @ 10 C without gloves/socks
Ciao
Coldest run was in the winter in the Falkland Islands. 5k was as much as I could manage in the snow!
Last week we had a surprise storm here in DC, and I spend 4 hours running around the city taking pictures and enjoying the quiet. While only in the 20’s, the windchill was near zero and my hands were stinging terribly.
I’d do it again. Because the city is actually pretty when it snows.
This year around 5 degrees Celsius (benefit of living in Istanbul) but I did half marathon with -12 few years ago.
4 mile run today, 22 degrees. The amount of snow we are getting in Michigan this year is absurd.
I just got into cycling this year, and living in San Diego by the ocean its normally not that cold. I didn’t have a lot of cycling gear so woke up in the morning to do my usual ride, except this time it was super windy and I’m pretty sure below 40. Half way through the ride my feet and hands were numb…
Of course this is not nearly as cold as some of the other rides posted, but when you’re body is used to a nice constant 70 temp practically year round it sure felt like I would freeze.
Did a 10K tempo run at -7°C with wind around 40km/h. One way was nice, after the turn, not so nice with wind blowing at me.
4 Mile temp run this week with -20 (Chicago) windchill. Sumetimes you just have to get out and run. I have been keeping the swims and rides indoor for now!
Beautiful sunny day on Jan 25th for the Skamania lodge 4 miler. 34 degrees with 15+ wind and gusts to 30 mph! (plus 350 ft elevation gain) :)
Seeing as I’m in the southern hemisphere my coldest winter (summer) ride was last weekend. It was about 12C and raining and a head wind. Love those!
The last time I rode my bike to work, about a month ago, it was 10 here in upstate NY. I had no feeling in my legs when I got to work.
Went for a swim in an outdoor ‘heated’ pool in 9 deg C. Thought I’d warm up as the session went along, but that never happened.
Coldest run of this winter season was a 5K race on New Years Eve – SUB ZERO wind chills. However I didn’t have to “Bare” it all alone as 115 of my closest running friends and I did it together for most number of runners to complete a 5K tied together and raised roughly $20,000 for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer – the MACC Fund. Story here for anyone interested:
link to theactivepursuit.com
I’m a big believer that the most fun wins. My most fun winter run involved logging several miles in the middle of our (typically) busiest roads and only seeing one car and two snowplows the entire time. Everybody was snowed in from a massive snowstorm! We party hard here in the upper Midwest…
Sadly, that is an easy one here in Alberta, Canada. I’ve been out in -25c with wind chill making it feel along the lines of -30c. My balaclava was encrusted in a very thick layer of ice by the time I got home. Interestingly my feet never get cold even with summer runners. Lots of friction I guess.
When the actual temps were -30c without the wind factored in, I conceded and hit the tread mill (ugh).
Did à 5 k run it was -2 Celsius but that was in the Netherlands. We have this Year no winter over here
Last weekend, I went for a six mile run at Ft. Monroe, VA Military Base. The base, which closed a few years ago, has almost no traffic, which makes it really convenient to bike or run without worry. Also, because the base is an island, there are tons of great views. (As I recall, your beach photo is from the Tidewater Triathlon, in which part of the bike route entered Ft. Monroe.)
Anyway, last weeks temps were 20 degrees (-7C) with 30 mph (48 kph) wind gusts [see what I did there] coming off of the bay. It was too cold to stay on the sea-wall, but the views of ice waterfalls coming down off the battlements was very cool.
Just yesterday. Freezing cold minus 3 degrees Celsius, frozen ground, dark night, 10PM, 5cm snow and me trying to get my endurance bike session. My crotch was hurtin from cold (thicker pants needed) and when I retuned, my wife told me we are expecting a baby. What a coincicence );)