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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.
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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.
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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/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!
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 2023 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.
So, you take these pictures as you are strolling along at 5:52/mile pace? If so: 1. How? 2. With what? When I’m doing 800m repeats I’m wondering more when the damn interval will be over…. ;)
Amen!
2. with the Garmin VIRB
Thanks!
If around the water, then almost all were at full pace (I think one was during a rest interval). Otherwise, ones near White House/etc were at slower paces (mid-6’s or so).
As for how, I just point and shoot. I’ve been using the VIRB the last few minutes, and it seems to work well. I use burst mode, so I’m getting 5 shots per shot, which helps sometimes, though I almost always use the first shot. Beyond that, it’s mostly a case of I’ve been shooting while running for going on 7 years now, so it’s just a ‘practice makes perfect (or at least, practice makes for less suck)’.
I take a fair number of photos per run though. This time, I took 270 photos, but that’s really only 54 photos (or button presses). Above, there’s 10-20 photos. So many don’t make the cut. Most are simply borrowing or don’t add anything to the story. Also, this time I was taking significantly more photos because I was doing product shots mid-run (+ the ones post-run on a full DSLR camera). You’ll see those shots on Monday.
Enjoy!
I was running a Tour on a 100 ft. Vessel while you were running. Basically start at head of Washington Channel and up to 14th bridge. I always keep a look out for how many people are running/biking around Potomac Park and couldn’t believe how desolate it was. Was wondering what happened to everyone’s resolutions!
Looking forward to your CES reports. Thanks for the hard work!
Ray,
I saw on engadget that on 15th March will be available the Sensoria smart socks you had the chance to try last year:
link to engadget.com
You’ll have a chance to talk with them more deeply about it??
Funny enough, they sent me an e-mail this morning…
Welcome home! Stay Warm.
Wind = NW 22 G 33 mph at 23°F in Solomons Island today. I’ll be on the treadmill.
I hope you will have dome further news on the WearIT after the CES and when it will become available.
Amazed you can keep that pace and duck all the branches! I’m over 6′ (you’re about that tall too?) and I do A LOT of ducking down there. Especially on the Northwestern end. I can’t imagine doing intervals.
Maybe all that ducking makes for a better workout though?
Yup, 6’2″. Though, most of the ducking occurs near the docks, for the remainder there’s just a few swerving. Obviously, it’s much worse once the leaves come out, because you aren’t quite sure exactly where the branches are in some cases. With just the bare branches, you can be more precise. :)
I find the juxtaposition of the WW II Memorial and the Viet Nam War Memorial to be thought provoking.
Well done – for braving the cold. I find comfort in the warmth and the clean(ish) running surface of a treadmill. Good luck in 2014, and looking forward to all the stuff you’ll be sharing from the floor of CES.
Adidas Speed_Cell BLE
Have you had much success with this device? Just bought one and I’m having a headache trying to get much benefit from it. It will show cadence occasionally, but doesn’t seem to play well with Strava or MiCoach App. Would really like this to work so I can do some indoor speed training on a Woodway Curve. Thanks for any suggestions!!
Actually, yeah, it’s working well for me – but I haven’t been using those devices. I’m using the Wahoo App primarily, and I’m going to try the Polar Beat app with it tomorrow. Assuming they fully followed the spec (which, seems to be the case thus far), then it should work just fine with the Polar Beat App too. With the Wahoo App, I can push to Strava afterwars.
Nice to be able to run without having to dodge tourists!
I loved the photographic tour of the monuments. I felt like I was there! Thanks
Always good to see a Monty Python reference!
Great to run into you at IAD. Thanks again for all your great work. Look forward to your CES report!
Thanks for saying ‘Hi’! And thanks for reading!
FDR is one of my favorites as well! One of my favorite DC long runs is something I call the run for the Roosevelts. I start it at the intersection of Mt Vernon and 4 mile run trails, take Mt Vernon to Roosevelt Island, run around the trails there, back up the mt vernon to memorial bridge, then down to the FDR memorial, walking break through it, refill the water bottles at a fountain, then down to 14th st bridge and back to starting point…i miss dc runs, thanks for posting some great “nostalgia” shots for another American living in Europe…
I still owe you a cup of coffee! Guess it may have to be on your next visit to DC?!