Heads up! The big Garmin annual spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8 (first sale to date!), $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, the Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products including inReach Mini 2. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium is on sale, and some Suunto & Wahoo product deals too. Full list & thoughts here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
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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.
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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!
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.
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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
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.
Mostly indoor training in Chicagoland this winter. Downhill skiing in Michigan around 0F with windchill about -20F.
This tuesdays track practice was 8 degrees at 7:30pm just north of baltimore. cold as hell but 8 of us showed up anyways.
Had so many this year it’s getting hard to remember. On January 5th I got a late start and did 13-ish miles after dark in the snow, with a starting temperature of 7 degrees F. Not fun.
As you know here in France the temperature this winter was really nice! I remember going for a ride this december with -1.5°Celsius (30°F). It was a short 40km ride and thanks God it was not windy
Six mile run at 14 degrees. I wore my top of the line Cestelli Estremo cycling gloves. Hands were still frozen.
January 19, did 14 miles while an “Arctic Vortex” was coming through. -31F, thought my fingers were going to fall off by the end.
Well a nightrun, started raining, i thougt all was amazing you know, like those days when we were kids when it doest even matter the rain. Then the wind started blowing, so cold, and the raindrops like needles in my face, i got the cold. But it was worth it.
hi ray,
thank you and clever training for me and uour contest. although i like amazon a lot, clever training is the place to shop for many sporting good items! their free shipping and your discount makes it a no brainer: buy your ger from cleer training folks!!
ok so my coldest run this winter season was away from my girlfriend. thi is a true story, i talked her into hiking an extra mile at fountainhead park….huffing and puffing she agreed only to her dismay, she figured out that it was an additional mile on top of yhe one i talked her in too. so she chased me for punishment and it was about 10*
the only way i was able to escape her grasps and anger, i had to promise her a garmin 620!
heeelp me ray and clever training!!!
This winter it got down to the low 40’sF in LA.
Last Saturday, 10 mile run at -15F. I’ll never be properly warm again.
Wow! I will never complain again. LoL!
38 deg on the bike with 20 mph winds. Not sure what the wind chill was but I was definitely not dressed warm enough. Fingers were white when I got done.
10k run in -15F (with windchill). I still can’t feel my toes.
I can’t complain too much. I live in Las Vegas and it doesn’t get too cold here. I think the coldest I have been in is a 6 mile run with the temp around 25F.
I’m Portuguese (you know… sun, beach and codfish), therefore I never ran in temperatures below 10/15*C (50/60*F). Having moved to Belgium, I made my first-ever run at 0*C (32*F), which was a big lowdown for me! (my friends thought it was one more sign of my midlife crisis…)
Moreover, coming from a knee injury, I was afraid my knee couldn’t handle the cold, but no – it was fine! I was very happy. Thanks Ray for the winter clothing tips. There is no excuse not to run!
Here in Torino it just snowed, first time this winter.. kinda strange.
7.5 km at 2°C
Coldest run here I’ve had in Boise was an 18* day nothing too terrible but certainly not shorts weather.
Commute ride into work. 28F, didn’t feel too cold. Must have gotten some extra insulation (layer of fat) this winter.
Coldest would be a run… I wimp out and bike on the trainer under 50F or so, and since all lakes are frozen swimming isn’t much of an option :)
The coldest run was an 8 mile jaunt with some fresh snow covered paths at around 5F with a 15mph wind. Given the direction of the wind, it was only bad for a short portion. I’ve skipped out on the -20F days and resorted to a treadmill.
Nashville,Tennessee after 8 years off the bike bought a new one and the first Saturday group ride back was 25 miles with hills in windy 30-38 degree weather, coming from Florida (flat and warm) the descents were quite interesting to say the least so was the 20% grade climb they failed to mention,my JouleGPS let me see that one after the fact.
Gotta Love Group Therapy, but my trainer and sufferfests will fix that this spring
Love the reviews keep up the great work
In DC two weeks ago. 10F with howling wind after ~2″ of snow. Numb hands, numb face.
I went to do a normal run from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial, but the sidewalks on the mall were completely drifted over. Worse, they showed no signs that any other runner was dumb enough to run there recently.
After high-stepping a few snow drifts, I ended up just doing laps around the White House campus. They had the only clear sidewalks in sight, and I joined a line of runners using the area like a track.
Nothing too radical, it was a -5 degrees Celsius 30-min slow run.
30 degrees so far this year for a run. Next week, Miami/Key West Ragnar will be high 70’s to low 80’s so big change from the current TN weather.
The cold weather hit the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN) with great force sustaining temperatures well below 0. My coldest run was during the pre-polar vortex. I ran at -9F with windchill values at -18F. The secret is layers, just like an onion or an ogre named Shrek. No body part was left to the elements.
Few weeks ago went on an afternoon 50 mile ride in temps around 32 degrees. It was cold!!! :)
When for a 6 mile run one morning when the temperature was -20C. It was so cold that by the end of the run, my Garmin shutoff. Hence afterwards I went out and bought wrist bands to keep my watch covered and warm when running in very cold conditions.
Coldest run was a -10 in Chicago along the lakefront, it was beautiful.
Went out running last winter in shorts and discovered (when I got back) that it was 12 F. Dang, my privates ached!
Ran 7 miles last week up in Westchester county (north of NYC) and it was a balmy 13 F. I promptly caught an intestinal virus and have not run since. I blame the run. So much for cold weather running!
9 degrees – loops back and forth under the Whitehurst Freeway in DC.
This January during a cold snap. It was -15 celsuis (5F) when I stepped out at 6 AM for my run. Brrr it was cold. Too cold. Almost wanted to close the door and go back to bed.
In early January, did a Sunday morning run as the first major snow storm of the year was starting. Ran in 6-8 inches of fresh snow and temps dropping as the ran went finally into the single digits.
I’ve avoided the worst of the cold with the Dreaded Dreadmill and Trainer (thank goodness for Trainerroad.com!), but the coldest was probably a thanksgiving run at my parents house. 7 degF actual temp, probably below zero windchill.
it started out pretty good, temp was about 38°f then the clouds rolled in covering the sun, followed by a brisk north wind. By the time I got home my toes were numb, my fingers were past feeling, and my face felt like a frozen popsicle! It was the longest 13 miles of my life. . . Fortunately I did manage to make it home before the blizzard hit full force.
A balmy 18f with 25mph winds run is probably my worst. And I always under-dress my legs so they’re sad stumps of ice when I get back.
-40 wind chill…on a treadmill
No cold snap here in the UK, just rain, rain, rain……..
Much prefer clear frosty cold mornings to run in.
My coldest ever run caused me to drop out of a marathon at the halfway point. It ws 20 degrees with a 7 degree windchill.
13.1 mile run at 30 degrees (wind chill near 20)
Haven’t felt the need to wear more than shorts and a T-shirt at -3°C. A very mild winter here so far! ;)
We have no cold in California. So we flew to Jackson Hole, WY to find some, and found it well with a 2.5 hour skate ski underneath the shadow of the Tetons. I guess that probably takes me out of the running for the giveaway, since I effectively already got my prize.
Run around downtown DC, with windchill down to 5 degrees at beginning, and a full 35 L backpack on my back. On my way to airport, but decided it was a good idea. You can hit all the monuments pretty fast on a run! Not a good idea – trying to eat take out Ethiopian in wind chill. Hello frostbite.
Albany NY, 3 Deg F, but a windchill under -20F
Hasn’t been too terribly cold in the Pacific NW this winter. . . my coldest run was probably in December and it was in the low to mid 30’s.
Not sure on temp but cold enough so that my breath reflecting back the light from my head torch made it hard to see where I was running
coldest run this winter was only 3C, not that cold really and just used compression top and short sleeved running top with running tights
It hasn’t been that cold a winter here in Victoria (west coast of Canada). I missed running in our only cold snap due to an injury, so the coldest run was last week’s 10k race in Cobble Hill: 4C. I did get a personal best time, though.
My coldest workout….A gorgeous ride in Southern Arizona in 50 degree weather. I know!! I love it here! Hey, we do brave the 118 F in the summer if that makes people feel better :). Ray, thanks for your hard work and dedication. I can’t imagine your time commitment to this blog. You are awesome!
I am not a fan of cold. I think I ran a few times in the hi-30s/ low-40s (in Houston) in preparation for the half marathon. It was cold and rainy in the prior year, but wonderful this year (in the 60s). I stressed about and suffered through the cold for no reason.
I live in Canada… but I live on the West coast where winter doesn’t really exist. Coldest run so far as a 7km jaunt around the neighbourhood. I had to wait for the little baby to go to sleep so I didn’t get out until ~9pm. It ended up being about -2*C with a light drizzle. The rest of Canada (and most of the US this year) is jealous.
We run a trail obstacle race in 7 degree celsius.
Coldest run this winter was not super cold, low 20s in Georgia, but was surprising in that 5 middle school-aged athletes from my youth running club joined me for the first part of my 15 miler. Our club is in the “off season”, was cold, was early in the morning (9:30a on a weekend), but they showed up and lifted my spirits immensely!
Interestingly enough mine was an evening outdoor swim during a good rain in Florida this week. Who would have thought?!
A wet 3 degree C morning run on Vancouver trails… life couldn’t get much better :)
Running 50KM in the rain, training for a ultra trail race this March. The coldness was not the issue here, the muddy and slippery trail is the real challenge. But hey, no pain no gain!
3ºC this monday. I guess it´s not very cold in spain. Mild winter this year
It’s not a swim/ride/run, but it was -20 at the base of Sunday River in Maine in early January for the coldest day of skiing I’ve ever experienced (had my Garmin tri watch on testing out the ski functionality from one of your reviews)
Five miles last week in -19F windchill has been my coldest so far.
Just this past Monday – a 1.5 hour bike/run brick. I believe it was just below 0 F outside.. plus some wind. so it was definitely cold.
While this may seem nothing to others, but during the Dallas Wintergeddon we had temps in the 20’s.
During the day the ice/snow would melt due to sunshine, just to freeze at night again and create a great ice surface.
I went for a 4 mile run, by running on grassy areas, punching through the ice with every step…
Very cold and windy 18 Mike run with frozen fingers! So much for winter gloves!!
-14C with a windchill of -27
Not a nice winter!
My coldest is not so cold. In San Diego, we had a heat wave and dry spell (finally rained on the 30th and 31st). I no longer run before work – last year we were going out at 5 AM to run, 30F (really cold for San Diego!). This year, I’m running and riding with the lunch crew at work. As such, many comfortable workouts this winter and a few hot ones — 85-90 F with less than 20% humidity for about two weeks.
My coldest was probably my christmas eve ride, cool enough for arm warmers and a wind vest. Full finger gloves would’ve been nice, as some of the shady areas on the way to the coast were cool (mid 30s). Once we were on the coast, headed north with the Pacific in view, totally comfortable.
Perhaps I’d use the store credit to get some full fingered road gloves…
Biking @ -10°C in lower Austria
My coldest run was this January in Colorado during a business trip. It was 19 F. It was probably the quickest 10k training run I have ever done since I am from sunny California.
I live in St. Louis and it was 3 degrees w/ -17 windchill on a run last week. I was just happy to make it back home without freezing to the pavement!
In the Bay Area it dropped below freezing a couple of times during December…
ran in the Fred Lebow Manhattan half marathon – 10-12 degrees at the start.
Spelling error in mail so here again: Biking @ -10°C in Lower Austria
Coldest so far was Tuesday. 13 mile ride with 3″ of snow on the path at 12F.
Started a ride in the upper 30’s a few weeks back. Not used to that here in CA., put my several layers of gear to the test!
My coldest ride was mountain biking the local trails. This was pre-Garmin 500 so I do not know the exact outside temperature. I do know it was well below freezing since I had to stop often to defrost the drink tube from my hydration pack.
Thanks for all you do!
Mark
Not complaining at all. It is only few days of the year that get this temperature, in January in Miami in the mid-50’s.
Went for an easy 4 miles during the last big snow we had in the Northeast. I think it was somewhere around 8 F with -5 f wind chill. Still had a blast though!
So far the winter is terrible here in North Holland – there wasn’t even one day with temp below freezing. But the windchill last Wednesday made it feel as if it were -50 or worse!
Coldest for me was a run in about 3 degrees and -15 wind chill in Louisville, KY. Stupid winter.
I was out of town and didn’t have any cold weather clothes, so I ran a thanksgiving day 5-miler in shorts and a singlet in single digit weather… Didn’t thaw out for a week.
Hey Ray!
-18F with -45F windchill x-c ski.
Used a few hand warmers on that one.
This winter hasn’t been very cold here, but I did head out during our one single digit week. My legs tingled a little bit underneath my tights, but it was bearable and wasn’t one of the coldest runs I’ve ever done. Thanks for the giveaway!
Nothing special,
Went to ride my MTB on the track along Baltic Sea when it was minus 15 centigrade.
I’m going with this one: link to strava.com
Pretty hard to get warmed up just riding ten times around a DC traffic circle on a bikeshare.
First run after a niggly knee injury. 0degrees pouring with rain – yet still blissful!
Warm winter here in BC! Coldest run of the year so far is +3oC! However, I did live in Alberta for 9 years, and the coldest run there was -25oC (-13F) with a windchill below -35oC (-31F)!
Trail run in the Columbia River Gorge, near Portland. Temperature of 32F and wind gusts reaching 100mph at a few spots. Fun! :)
15 degrees on Christmas morning, had an ice beard by the end.
4 miles on Christmas morning in 25F with my brother and dog. I normally wont run outside below 40F but we have a tradition of running on Christmas morning and New Years day. New Years day was slightly warmer at 35F, we did 9 miles :)
Massive heat wave ran through the midwest last weekend, got outside for an 8 mile run in the 40 degree sunshine.
It doesn’t really get “cold” here in Vancouver but it did go down to -8C, which is plenty cold enough for this tropical blooded wuss. Trail running in lightweight tights, a thin longsleeve shirt, a wind blocking vest, thin gloves and a hat (the gloves & hat came off after ~15min).
lots of -35C days in ottawa!
It has been a great mild winter in the Pacific Northwest this year.
Coldest workout was probably a MTB ride at about 32 degrees
Bike to Work day winter edition on January 22…started at 6am, 16 degrees as I started, nothing kept me warm but after 8-9 miles it felt awesome.
Ran 4.5 miles in Knoxville, Tennessee with temps of 1, one, uno…degree on January 7th. It was epically awful but my cold endurance has increased ever since then.
I went out for my Saturday long run a few weeks back and it was 24 out with a nice brisk wind to keep us alert. We normally don’t get too low down here in Austin, TX, but when we do, we #JFR.
14-mile run on a rail trail in about 20-degree weather. I live in Florida. Anything below freezing is considered unbearable! I’ll be glad when winter marathon training is over.
In Atlanta it never really gets too cold, probably a 10 mile run in 20 degree weather is the worst I’ll see.
I had 1 run near 0F this winter. Cold but better than the treadmill.
Not a very cold winter in Lyon, France. Coldest run was around 5-6°C.
On MLK day, I didn’t realize the bus schedule had switched to a holiday schedule. I had to run 1.5 mile in 10f weather so I wouldn’t miss the bus to get to work on time. I was in my work clothes/shoes and carrying a backpack. That must count!
The coldest Swim I have done was a 4500k Wet-suit illegal swim race. The race take place on Lake Cuicocha, Ecuador, where temperatures are around 45 to 50 degrees.
Coldest ride would have to be one of the regular sunday rides; we went to Piermont from Brooklyn; and while sipping on coffee, decided to go to Bear Mountain on a whim. After quad busting, lung zapping gradients, daylight vanished with the little heat on the ride back. Cold is typically fine, but cold and tired, and massively bonking is unbearable. Could barely feel my fingers . . .
I live in NY and it is damn cold this year. I will venture out in 30 degree and above.
Wanted to get out on the new bike – Picked it up right around the new year, and we headed into a burst of days at -25 f.. it warmed up to -10 so i figured i’d give it a go. that was a solid but cold ride….