(Note From Ray – Quick Last Minute Heads Up: Today, Friday at 1PM the Washington Post will be doing a live Q&A chat with Columbia Triathlon Winner Lindsey Jerdonek. You can quickly and easily submit questions now, so let’s show support for both triathlon and our local athletes and get lots of good questioned added to the queue! Go!) It’s well publicized that the first 15 minutes after a workout are key to getting some initial form of recovery nutrition into your body – to enable the fastest recovery. Beyond that, roughly the next hour is ideal for the larger pile of nutrition, to again, speed recovery. Sometimes though, I find that after I workout I’m incredibly lazy. Or rather, just easily distracted. I glance at my phone to see if any work emergencies have gone ablaze, and then maybe I’ll check Twitter, perhaps some e-mail (ok, always some e-mail), and before I know it I’m sitting down replying to things and it’s 30 minutes later…without any recovery food/drinks. Not to mention still usually drenched from that tough workout. And while in most cases my body just ‘deals with it’ (and I do realize, not in a good way), the same can’t be said for The Girl. After a long hard workout we’ve discovered she has a very finite time period before she basically crashes. It seems like that’s roughly in the 30-45 minute range, even including a quick recovery drink. She just needs food. Real food. Substantive food. But despite all our best attempts, sometimes the whole cleaning up/distraction process just takes longer than it should, and soon we’re 45-60 minutes later and she’s on the verge of fainting. So, I instituted The Pear rule (capitalized, because I can). The Pear is simply a little egg timer that I bought her earlier this year for some of her baking endeavors. The problem is…it turns out that she pretty much hates The Pear. Mostly because it makes noise – both while it’s tick-tocking away, but also when it finally rings. So she really never uses it for baking. Thus it’s the perfect instrument to annoy her into getting to food faster – be it out the door to grab something to eat, or just simply eating whatever’s coming out of the oven. So now when we finish up a tough workout, the first thing I do is grab The Pear, turn it once a full revolution and then set it back to 25 minutes. The rule of the game (there’s only one rule) is that when the buzzer goes off, we must either be minutes away from eating what’s coming out of the oven/stove, or on the way to grab something quick (of substance) to eat. Thus far, it’s working just great. I picked up The Pear at the local World Market earlier this year, I think about $4US. Though, you can grab it on online as well. But in looking, I actually found some far more interesting egg timers. Like, a Cheeseburger, a Fat Italian Chef, a Cupcake, a Rubber Ducky looking thing, and even a Cheese and Mouse. Oh, she’s so going to hate me once I’m done shopping tonight… Have a great weekend all! (Oh, PS, for those curious, yes, the Polar RCX5 Review is soon! The minor beta bug preventing me from uploading my workouts has been solved, and I’m back in business. Look for the In Depth Review mid-next week. Thanks for your patience!)
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? Use Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
And both Backcountry & Competitive Cyclist offer free 2-day shipping!In the UK/EU/Australia/New Zealand? Then hit up Wiggle at the link below!
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.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with GPLAMA, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
My Photography Gear: The Cameras and Equipment 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! It’s a nice break from the day to day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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 2021 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.
I think I’m going to get the “cupcake”. Dizzy spells are no fun for no one.
I’m with The Girl; ticking timers are a nuisance. I had the previous version of this West Bend timer and it lasted me for years. This new version not only has 3 timers like the old one but now it has a clock as well. I love it. link to goo.gl
GREAT IDEA. I do the same thing. Usually sit down (dripping with sweat) and check email and FB. Not sure why I do it…it is kind of gross but I do it (apparently I am not alone in this activity) Makes me feel better. I will have to look into getting a timer too. Thanks and have a GREAT WEEKEND!
I have the robust Italian chef…I will need to implement this idea!
ha, i love this! as soon as i finish my workout, i want to eat as soon as humanly possible.
I think you need to get The Girl the cupcake time. Perfect for Bertie’s Bakery! Now I want a cute timer! I just have a basic boring old white one…
Cool idea. I find that if I mix up a recovery drink BEFORE I go out, I’m pretty much 100% going to be drinking it right after the workout.
Where’s the review on that beautiful instrument around the pear on your picture?
If I have a rough running day, I can barely eat anything afterward and I pay for it the rest of the day. When I have a good run, I can’t wait to eat the entire contents of my house afterward.