Heads up! The big Garmin spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8, $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965, Forerunner 265, and countless other Garmin products. 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.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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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.
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.
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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.
Getting some yardage and laps in the YMCA pool on Monday and getting myself back to 3500y+. Thanks for this opportunity
Next workout will be the Half Marathon in Lisbon this Sunday, December 7th, a “B” event long scheduled for this season and to be run as such.
Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore – 10km. My virgin attempt of this annual race!
Just a few easy runs around the city this weekend. Also some Kickr / Zwift workouts.
Intervals on the trainer.
1.5 hr turbo session next Tues (well every Tues!)
Tonight about 35 minutes of nice, chilling jog :)
We are going to swim 10k in scm on New Year’s eve :)
10Km Practice run with the girl on Monday (my birthday) whoop
10k local pre Xmas
13 Dec. my 2nd. real trailrun ”RunForestRun” 20K… looking very much towards a great run!
Saturday is the Muncie 10! Costs a whole $2 and time on your own, two water stations (one at the start, one at the end), 48 year for the race and awards are old school little ribbons.
An hour of interval training with a cycling trainer.
30km bike ride this Saterday and maybe another ~7km run this Sunday. thx!
I will be doing the Christmas day swim from Fenit Lighthouse in Co. Kerry, Ireland.
The last 130+ km ride of the year.
The longer runs which keep getting longer and more painful prepping for the Disney Dopey challenge in January
I have an hour of Zwift planned for Saturday morning.
Broken toe yesterday heavily strapped for Saturday swim session can’t miss weakness training
The Percy Pud 10k and the Christmas Cracker 20k
10K on the beach on sunday
A 32km trail running race this sunday in Chiva ( valencia) last one of the year!
4k swim challenge in the pool next friday
Santa Clause Halfmarathon run in Toruń that Sunday (link to biegmikolajow.pl)
60 min run around town in 30 degree temps.
10km race wearing Santa Hat :D
Pass the FBI ptt test
I am looking forward to my run that finally gets me to my yearly mileage goal of 1400 miles. 66 more miles to go :)
Combined road and trail run in next two weeks – as soon as my plantar fasciitis gets a little better.
Fifth Third Bank 45th Annual Belle Isle New Year’s Eve Family Fun Run/Walk. My last 5K race of year, and usually one of coldest.
i’m running a 5k trail run Saturday to benefit a local animal sanctuary.
I’m pretty psyched to check out the farm critters and barn cats!
Having ran roads for the past year, it’s time for my first trail run!
Best thing is that it’ll be held at night (headlamps in the race pack whoohoo!) so it’ll be a new kind of fun.
Going in after having done only one trail run, wish me luck!
Doing a 21 km trail this sunday as part of training for the Groet uit Schoorl run this february.
St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice 10k – this Sunday at Outlon Park (Cheshire,UK). Try to finish the year with a PB!
X-Mas finals on Dec, 14th – 9,76km full of rock, mud, hopefully a bit of snow and no boars.
Location: Augsburg/Germany
Nikolauslauf tomorrow. Not a full-costume thing, I’ll limit myself to a fitting hat. And with any luck … my new 920xt which might arrive today or tomorrow (or monday of course …).
Tentatively pushing for the first gentle run next weekend after royally screwing up my knee in the London Marathon and undergoing surgery on a hernia in October!
Hopefully my Garmin 920xt will already have arrived by then too!
6 x 800m on the track
Plan to complete a 10 mile trail run in the mountains. Hopefully with a new Suunto Ambit 3!
80km LSD training on bike with girlfriend!
December 13tg I will be running The USATF Club National XC Championships. I am running for Greater aphildelohua Track Club and could not be more excited! To win here would make this the best holiday season ever!
20k run on december 14th
15 miles on New Year’s Eve
First Tri of the season, lake swim, undulating 2 lap bike and very hilly 2 lap run. Bring it on.
Annual boxing day ride would a group of friends in Sheffield, always a lovely ride!
I am going too be doing a 20 mile fell run next week in training for the Mont Blanc 80km next year.
10k recovery run on weekend.
Victoria Bryant State Park trail race, 10km. Last race of the Dirty spoke Serie!
On this Sunday, 10k Santa Claus race in Ilfeld, Germany! Be the fastest Santa :-)
Third run of Week 8 of the Couch to 5k program tomorrow. Last one was 4.99K, so hoping to finally get to 5K on this one :-)
I run 2 10 mile runs over bridges downtown and one 5 k per week to celebrate the holidays and get ready for the 10k January 3.
2014 Mortimer Forest Trail Run, December 14th in Ludlow, Shropshire, UK. An 8 mile trail run through the winter scenery of Mortimer Forest.
im running the jingle bell run for fun tomorrow with one of our dogs. Will give me a race in each month for the whole calendar year
5K Reindeer Run tomorrow morning, complete with Santa at the finish line!
A 1/2 marathon tomorrow at max effort. Trying to PR under 1:30
Got a local off road half marathon just before christmas, hopefully not toooo muddy.
Coca Cola Running Fun 10k race at Ma On Shan, Hong Kong on 7 Dec. My husband and my sister in law will be running 10k too. And my sister and 2 friends will run 5k race. Highlight will be the post race free drinks, cotton candy and popcorn. Will be good fun!
12x100m intervals at flank speed in 4 hours
Portsmouth coastal marathon – December the 21st!
30 mile ride planned for Sunday if the weather cooperates.
Dusting off the cross bike and going for weekend long rides out in the cold in lieu of the trainer
race a 1/2 marathon.
London winter run 10k to support cancer research on February 1st!
Santa Lucia kayaking on the 13. December – would be nice with a waterproof training watch like the 920xt for kayaking
a 100 minute offroad trail run in the Dandenongs (Melbourne, Australia) this sunday morning
12 miles this Sunday – building back up for the next season :)
Lots of swim/bike/run every day and the christmas eve marathon (trail) on 24th decembre (link to baerenfelslauf.de)!!
Cheers from Germany!
Long Run 10 miles followed by spin down
I going to continue my training using the Maffetone Method and run a virtual half marathon on December 14, the Galloway 13.1.
first will put my MTB back together after some big maintenance required after last race.
Then a nice test drive on dirt road for 50 km.
Doing the Chester County Gravel Grand Fondo on Sunday
8x 2 km (3:20 min/km) with 500 m slow run between
Im gonna be starting base km’s up n down the east coast of Tasmania, in Australia. Will be summer time, so nice to get out in the sun for a few hours, and then go for a dip in the surf in the afternoon :)
9 mile training run tomorrow (Saturday). Hope it isn’t too rainy!
16 miles on the trails this Saturday. A lot for me this time of year.
Warm-up: 10′ easy running @ Z2
Main: 12 x 400m @ Z4 with 1 minute rest
Cool-down: 10′ easy running
Festive 500 challenge from Strava between Christmas and New Year. 500km.
Tonight – 1 hr on the treadmill followed by some core training.
Monikie Winter Duathlon next weekend. Run around the reserrvoir then bike out into the countryside. Could be interesting as Scotland is getting snowy now.
Happy Holidays Ray!
Next Saturday, I’ll be running the Ugly Sweater 5k my Run Club is hosting to benefit Toys for Tots & local families!
I’ll be running on a treadmill to keep my GF company as she does her physical therapy.
Not a single workout, but I’ll be trying to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and NYE for the Rapha Festive 500.
Trainer / run brick on Sunday, with 90mins bike, 30 mins hard treadmill run
10k resolution Run – XC season starting to ramp up so 2 training camps as well before the end of the year.
Rehoboth half marathon tomorrow!
NP Sprint Sets
15-20min warm up, followed by 5x8second Standing starts (53×17/16) 2mins rest between sprints, 15mins easy followed by 4×20 Standing starts (once wound up sit and drive it) 3mins between efforts, 15mins easy followed by 5x10secs on 30secs off, warm down.
Santa Claus 10K on dec 14!!
Basically just a lot of base building on the bike.
I’m planning on running my race pace for a 5K before the end of the year after having trained for the past 16 weeks.
a workout, either 1 hr run or 2 hrs cycling on the stationary today evening
No races left. Lame 90 minutes in erg mode on the trainer scheduled for tonight.
50-minute run on Sunday evening in Budapest, Hungary
120 min bike/30 min run. Getting back at it for the early season 70.3’s.
Knysna Marathon Club 10km Nite Race
Hoping to be cleared to start my half-iron training plan; its first workout is a 1:15 strength workout focused on anatomical adaptation.
after a few weeks do rest from along season of triathlons and 3 stage MTB race, kicking off Paris marathon training with a series of trail runs in South Carolina over Christmas
Waiting for snow to get a fun workout in on the mountain bike, on my usual gravel back roads
After a 20+ min warm up in Power Zone 1/2, complete 3×10 min ON, 5 min OFF. Maintain 40-60 cadence throughout the intervals.
On Sunday I’ll be riding a 94km loop from Gricignano di Aversa (Naples area) with 700+ m of climbing. Sure would love a GoPro Hero 4 Silver to record these beautiful rides!
The Hunted by Sufferfest on Christmas