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!
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.
just signed for a couple 10k races in Madrid, but I guess that I will burn my torrijas’ calories sooner :)
3.5 mile trail run to burn off too many rice crispy treats.
gardening killed me this weekend– worse than any run i’ve done in the last 6 months!
2 hour bike ride with a few race pace 6-10 minute efforts mixed in.
Did an 8 mile hilly run, which I’m not sure will cover the damage that I surreptiously did to my kids’ now earless chocolate bunnies. Plus, I’ll fess up to laying a piece and half do apple pie on top of the ears.
I did 1 hour trail run on Sunday. I also signed up for several 5K races for the next couple of months. I ate so many chocolate eggs this weekend that one workout won’t be enough to override any candy I consumed. :)
10 miles in 70:00, long tempo run.
I don’t actually eat candy (much)… but my Sunday workout is an 11 mile run as part of my half marathon training plan.
A half marathon followed by an hour on the trainer should do the trick.
One hour running LSD
I chased bunny rabbits around the yard for 45 mins. Man those little guys are quick! Never did catch one.
10×1′ at faster than race pace. I don’t need Easter candy, we’ve got plenty of dark chocolate from our local chocolatier…
Sadly, or luckily, no Easter candy was consumed but, I’ll be swimming 4k today.
I did a pre-emptive workout with a 2 hour run prior to Easter dinner with a bunch of hills. I only felt a little bit guilty with 4 different pieces of pie.
Tried shake the candy-coma and make it up the respectable 1000 ft CAT 3 near my house to no avail this time around. Candy = 1, Good Intentions = 0. Hoping today is a better day!
No Easter training… But a 30mi bike ride planned for today.
Running on the Battery, at Sunset!
Had been eating candies all Easter.
Had a 45 min run + some stretching. Will have a run today as well. :)
Running 4 miles to train for half marathon….all due to a bunch of yummy Cadbury Eggs
Easter dinner motivated me to get up and run like forrest gump today!
Those damn peeps got me out on the bike Saturday into a 20 mph headwind. Power numbers looked great, speed not so much
8m+ of trail running early AM, before Church but after the kids got their Easter baskets. Then 15m of cycling later that afternoon.
An easy 3 mile run followed with 60 minutes of strength training to get rid of the Cadbury eggs and peeps
1h30 biking + 10k run!
Hit the weights this morning.
Half-Marathon Easy run!!!
Had far too many startburst jelly beans and ended up going for a 12 mile run
luckily I stayed away from too much sugar. It’s the ham and deviled eggs that need to get burned off. Maybe a 30 mile ride and a couple miles on foot will help.
Enjoyed family in Sunday, but gearing up for new challenges in April. Keeping with HIT and adding spin.
88 mile group ride.
One hour of sweet-spot intervals in the trainer, thirty minute run immediately afterwards, and then my first swim since last season.
I think i need more chocolate mini-eggs.
3 hour ride, endurance pace so I won’t feel so bad about all the chocolate
2 1/2 hour ride, endurance pace after chowing down on a cadberry egg, some peeps and a Reese’s egg.
7 mile tempo run + 4000m swim
Definitely not enough to burn off the brunch buffet with oustanding coffee cake and chocolate-covered Oreos!
Just started getting the weight off with a 2k swim this morning followed by a 5k run this afternoon. No chocolate that did me in, but lots and lots of salted, cured meats and wine :(
A 10K run tonight, just before returning to the office tomorrow after a nice 10 days spring break.
The chocolate raspberry eggs from Godiva were a delicious free treat at the mall. Who can resist some free chocolate. I blamed Texas rain for being a lazy indoor person so did a 30 minute core routine instead.
A 10k run right after early morning Church. Then you don’t feel so bad eating everything :D
yesterday 2h easy run
today 1h easy run and 2h bike
25 mile bike ride around Pittsburgh’s river trails, as well as one big climb at the end. No Easter candy, but plenty of Easter beer…
Actually ate the exact same Lindt bunny in your picture that my fiance had just brought back from Germany. To burn off those calories I promptly ate another bunny, thus engaging creating a new form of intervals. Although I did not go do my swim workout, I thought real hard about it, and after all, it’s the thought that counts, right?
Unfortunately just getting off an injury so unless you count pushing a stroller (at a walking pace) through central park, then no workout…starting back up Wednesday since I think the pain is finally gone!
36.2 miles at PW Forest Park…
Crossfit workout all week, and ready for 20 K run on Saturday plus a 31k MTB on Sunday,
:) #NOEXCUSES
easy pace 75 mins at the pool + sauna
I’m jumping in the pond today to see if I can start swim training. The local public pool changed how they handle cold weather so I can’t swim there anymore and I’m too rural to have any other pool options. Two years ago I was in the pond by March 13 and last year was warm enough early enough to do the same. This year it’s been too long of a winter to even consider it. I may be jumping in and jumping right back out.
The good news is that the pond is plenty deep this year. Last year it was completely dry from the drought so I only had the option of the pool.
Rode my bike into work, going for an easy 35 minute run at lunch.
11 mile long run before brunch.
Time to hit the track for some 400m speed drills to fight off the bulge left by Peter Cottontail’s yummy ears.
just ran 10K yesterday. still cold in Toronto, Canada.
good luck next week.
Cadburry Creme Eggs are my weakness, lead to a 4 hour trainer ride, sighhh, soooo worth it though
Thank you for putting on this giveaway
two and a half hours bike ride on indoor trainer…
i rode my bike for 90 minutes and tried not to get hit by any of the easter picnickers at the park.
40 min of intervals on the trainer – not so bad, but following a tough 9 mile run on Saturday…
Yesterday 2 hours cycling during snowfall over the entire term (-2°C). Same today but really sunny (+3°C).
Nice 60 min threshold run thanks the Cadbury Cream Egg.
Ray,
I have been eating lots of sweets over this weekend here in India (apparently for no reason), and I guess I will have to go back to the exercise that I did as part of my mid-week strength training. Which consists of Planks, Mountain Climbers, Walking Lunges and what not :)
Have a look at it : link to youtube.com
Raced a 5k on the Saturday before Easter Sunday.
11.5 mile run followed by a .75 miles openwater swim.
Workout yesterday should have been an 18mi long run, but that ended up getting scrapped as it was also our 6 year wedding anniversary. Back on track tomorrow with a ten mile run!
Gym was closed for the Easter holiday on Sunday and I had to do a 2hr Z2 ride, so I went ahead and rode in a balmy 35F to burn off all the ham and chocolate bunnies. Good stuff!
For me, it will be back into my bike commute to work –
15 mile at marathon pace
50 minute Z1 run.
75 km de VTC autour de la ville à vitesse soutenue (impossible de courrir depuis 1 mois et demi à cause d’une blessure au tibia).
Did a 2 hour 30 minute ride with hills. prior to big Easter dinner, no chocolate but strawberry shortcake.
Thanks for the contest.
Sprint in a Day (out of order):
Sunday Night – Easy 5k run
Monday Morning – 1K lap swim
Monday Afternoon – 20 mi bike
I rode 43 miles and burned 1700 calories which worked out good because I ate 10 Resses Peanut Butter Eggs at 170 calories a pop.
2 hour 45 minute run (27,6 km)
10K TEMPO – first after the recovery week I had since completing the Israman marathon.
I just did a Fartlek, only 45 minutes and probably not nearly enough.
Sinne I’m very much stuck in the Riga airport it seems no training today. Tomorrow morning starts with a easy 10k run to the pool and 2k swim though…
25 mile road ride with a 30 minute run. It should be enough to burn off one of those chocolate bunnies.
6 mile run..4 hard, 2 easy with a Reese’s peanut butter cup at the end!
I used a far amount of discipline on Easter so now I don’t have to go as far. Maybe just an ez run.
I’m hoping to burn off the 10,000+ calories I’ve spent indulging by a simple 8+ mile tempo run. I’m in the reverse taper mode, so I can only take a small dent off the damage. Little by little….
Even though our team is off this week i’m gonna rock some sprints and be even faster next week!
today is my off day but I’m right back in it tomorrow with 3k swim and 8 mile run.
1 hour run, easy pace
Too many sweets to count yesterday after giving them up entirely for lent. Plan is to run as many miles as the legs and waistline will allow
I am starting training specific towards ny first iron man starting with a long run.
Run twice on Monday – 4miles at 5:30AM and 6 miles at 6:00 PM followed by another 5:30 run on Tuesday.
just ran 3km (warm) + 4x (1500m + 500m) at the track + 3km (back to home). always very cold in Lille, France. I hope it would be enough to burn off all the chocolate I ate yesterday.
45 minutes nice and easy!
I’ll be doing 6x400m (+200m) at the track. One egg between each lap could help… or not !
Well, I’m glad to read that I’m not the only one doing “extra” by too much…I’m also glad to see I’m not the only one who still falls victim to the taste of Cadburry Creame Eggs! I’m finishing a basement laundry room and told my wife no long bike rides til it’s finished, so I’ll just run about 45 minutes at lunch…No ability to do zones until I win :) Then I can do them all day with the addition of a watch/monitor!
6 mile easy run, prepping for a 10 mile race this weekend!
Body Pump followed by 2 miles on the dreadmill!
10 km easy run to burn all extra calories :)
75 min. low intensity
Swim workout! 2600 yards including warm up of 500, drill of 4x50s, main set of 12x100s, speedwork of 8x50s, kick set of 4x50s and 100 cooldown.
2 hour ride in zone 2-3 with a couple of big hills…. It was basically a recovery ride after the 10 mile run on Saturday.
In preparation for all of the Reese’s eggs I planned to eat on Sunday, I ran 10.5 miles on Saturday.
i had a day without workout and will do some more kilometres in the next week …
with all the eggs i eat on Sunday , i run a cool 15km today. Last “big” one before Paris Marathon.
To Celebrate that one, any chance to get a couple of Berties Cupcakes just after the Run next Sunday ? :)
Still don’t know which training i’ll do
Sunday’s workout was 11.5 miles running in the morning followed by 45 minute swim that afternoon.
Sunday easy run, Monday Spartan strength workout + easy run! Half a bag of Cadbury mini eggs, a bunch of sugared almonds, and untold numbers of jelly beans!
60 min easy run yesterday, 1,5 km swim training today for all the chocolate and cake yesterday.
Deviled eggs and jelly beans! Jam sessions on the trainer and a half century by fri
Peeps and cadbury cream eggs
2.5 hour run in Zone 1-4 working in hills