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.
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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.
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.
Thanks for the opportunity. I did two 4 mile runs. Wanted to do more but didn’t make the time. :( Next week end perhaps? :)
Easy one ….SKI in the Alps
10k & then work all day sunday
Walks with the dog!
Recovery run around Portland in the rain.
recovery weekend.
My training log either seems to have been erased or written in invisible ink ;-)
There’s always next week, or maybe the new gear will motivate me more…
Rock climbing (not on training log) and 2h trail running on Saturday, and some more trail and stretching on Sunday.
I spent time on my Nordic Track…
25 miles in Honolulu and an hour trainer ride in Atlanta.
Friday morning : 1h swinmming ; night : 1h biking
Saturday : rest
Sunday : 20 km run
Well, I planned to do a long-run, but eventually ended up with just 10k due to family illness. My little daughter had been jabbed and got sick.
I had a steady 16k run on Saturday and on Sunday a 55k mtb + 6k tempo run.
The rest of the time I was doing nothing at all
Ran 20k for the first time since a short stint in the hospital a few months ago (which paradoxically destroyed my fitness).
Well reserved rest…
Running and pool running in prep for a late spring marathon! And a little riding to stay loose for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike race!!
120min on the trainer Z1-Z2
Strength training and stretching for recovery from an injury.
A sick toddler cancelled my running schedule, but it would have been an 8 mile run.
It was -30 in Boston with the wind chill this weekend so I was stuck inside on my trainer and treadmill.
I played some basketball and lifted. Pretty lazy weekend, all-in.
Snowshoeing in -20F windchills. Schoche Rhythm+ worked fine
Threshold pyramids.
Saturday 1.25 hour indoor trainer interval session. Sunday outdoor endurance ride with temps about 40F, mostly flat with two approximately 2k climbs.
Training for the new cycling season, did 200k in between rain and work
Originally it was a scheduled long ride on Saturday and Soccer on Sunday. Near zero degree temps on Saturday made me reconsider.
I raced a half marathon!
A nice 20km on the Zwift cycle app, followed by a 3km suuuuuppper slow jog on the treadmill as a conditioning run ?
It was a rainy 23 trail run in the Vincennes’s woods on Sunday morning and a short road bike workout on the Sunday morning before it rains again !
10Mile Road race
Last weekend was a rest week so recovery 8km on Saturday and 16km long run on Sunday.
skiing, skiing and more skiing.
Zwift, Zwift and more Zwift. I decided to earn those achievements, so I cycled each day (for the seven day and the 14 day achievement), and did a 100 mile in one setting (The Century) – during which I got 21 “Ride on’s” (I am Popular!). Now I only have to get the 80 km/hr achievement. Which is going to be a problem, viewing my 50/12 bike gearing….
(Yes, I am a sucker for achievements like that. I blame kindergarten).
Saturday- BRICK
Sunday- Rest…ahhhh, finally.
Saturday – 10 mile muddy mountain bike ride near moel famau, North Wales.
Sunday – Easy 9 mile Wirral walk with family.
Antelope on Trainer Road!
A 3 mile parkrun on the Saturday followed by a 10k race around the London Olympic park on the Sunday!
I put in a handful of miles on the Fat Bike riding laps around the frozen Lake Minnetonka in Minneapolis, MN.
I did an hour indoor cycling on saturday and 3.6k swimming on sunday.
I did some running intervals on Saturday, then a 90 min long run on Sunday the 14th. It was bitterly cold on Sunday here in NJ, but it felt good to get my mileage up.
On Valentines day I ran my fastest half marathon. PR’d by more than 15 minutes and had a blast at the Kaiser Half Marathon in SF.
Nashville for the weekend so a recovery pace exploratory bike ride on Friday and a seven mile tempo run Saturday. Aside from that too cold and still recovering from a slip on the ice so took it easy.
My wife could use a new triathlon watch
5k race on Saturday + bodyweight workout (one-leg squats, military presses, etc.) on Sunday.
5 x 5 min FTP intervals on the trainer
a short run and recovery
107 miles of group riding and 1 Ambulance ride for a friend (he’s ok)
I did prep work for an upcoming Feb 20) 50k, my first 50k! including a half marathon followed by a 10k the following day. My weekly workout plan also (always) includes some weight training, I’m currently following Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program
Ride on Saturday and short run on Sunday. Short break in the winter weather helped.
Sat – Strength training for legs, lower back and abs w/ two 5 min rowing sessions in between. 1 hr Spin class w/wife to cap off the workout.
Sun – Yoga class w/wife and Strength training – upper body and abs.
A 20k long run and a 2km swim!
Swim and run on Saturday. Hill simulation trainer ride on Sunday.
A recovery week long run of 8 miles.
Was limited on time this weekend, so used a short run to focus on form and cadence.
Saturday: Weights + 1:00 Tempo Run
Sunday: 1500m Swim @ Threshold Pace + 25mi Bike Easy
No structured workout this weekend. But I did go skiing in Switzerland, so the hours I spent on the slope on Saturday totally count.
3 days of Crossfit and 2- 40min+ runs to work more on my power and recovery.
Spring skiing in February with a bit of nordic on Sunday!
I spent most of my saturday morning cycling in the rain by the north-east paris soaked completely, sunday morning was the odlo 10k run in Paris center and I think it was passing just right by your area, didn’t do a PB but I guess there was no rain (but fake snow tho ;))
Rode the trainer while watching TV, also did some yoga with the dog!
This past weekend the only workouts I did were some hill interval runs. Walk up the hill, sled down… repeat multiple times.
On Saturday I did 7x500m uphill runs and on Sunday I did a 14 km long run :)
Due to the cold in DC, I did two indoor group rides, both were challenging, but fun!
Went for a nice 43km mountain bike ride at our local forest ;)
Downhill skiing Saturday and Sunday with my family!
I got a 5mi in on Friday, but wasn’t able to get anything Sat/Sun due to fixing plumbing issues and spending time with the family.
Last weekend I did a seven mile tempo run around Shelburne Farms on the shore of Lake Champlain in -4 degree weather. It was brisk!
Just one frigid run with a borrowed dog.
One short session on the Mountainbike and one Run with medium intensity.
Cross-Country Skiing for 3 hours
Zilch – Suffering motivation problems; may be tanking there whole summer. Hope not
A century in the mountains around Ojai. Hot, but beautiful
11 miles easy run on Saturday morning (4 degrees F!) and a 5 miler Sunday.
Last weekend I ran a 15K in Nashville, and my goal was to keep an 8:00 pace. I kept a 7:56 pace, so I was happy! Then I ate fast food on Sunday…
changed to barefoot running technique…. Just 3 short runs for about 30-40mins… Damn do those calfes hurt….. :(
Saturday. 18K long distance session with 2 x 1500m FTP pieces
Sunday. 12K session including 8 x 250m.
A “fun” sunday evening with The Sufferfest – Blender (with Grunter von Agony and his fellow minions)
Netflix and treadmill
A little open water swimming on Sat (okay, it was a Polar Plunge with air temp of 15°F & wind chill of 5°F; water was a relatively balmy 35°F). Since Sat was warmer than Sun it was an off day as it was just too cold out. Doubled up yesterday to make up for it though.
A walk with the dog and a 10 mile run!
It was a long weekend here so… Saturday a nice 1H ride on ZWIFT, Sunday swimming with the kids, then some weights at the gym in the evening. Monday a nice 14km run around my home area early morning, followed up with explosive stomach flu for the rest of the weekend.
I dir 2 hours of recovery HR cycling on Sat and Sun each. On a trainer though, having Zwift helped a lot.
5k run in -23c temps….
50km long run with a 3hr12 marathon for 2 Oceans Ultra training.
Too cold outside so I spent time on the trainer. 4 x 8′ intervals on Saturday and 90′ tempo ride on Sunday.
A good weekend for me – 90 minutes on the turbo trainer at 6:30am doing the TrainerRoad Session – Clark which comprised 6x 8 minute sweet spot efforts. Then a 90 minute drive to Talybont further up the coast so that I could catch the train back to Llwyngwril for a 15 mile run along the Wales Coast Path back to my car. This is part of my current mission to run around the perimeter of Wales. (link to alananna.co.uk)
That was followed by the obligatory shopping stop for flowers, chocolates and sparkling wine ready for a ‘romantic’ Valentines day dinner (complete with onesie clad 10 year old son – so not ‘that’ romantic really).
Sunday was a nice long easy paced group bike ride in the hills of Wales with a coffee and cake stop.
Al.
I spent last week catching up on my quest to be able to get back to running a 5K. Did 2 mile and 2.75 mile runs and some walking. But the week after (this week) I ran my butt off after a snow storm.
I just did a 15 km easy run under the Parisian rain. Trying to figure out the best route near the river was tricky, not used to running there even though I’ve been living in Paris for years now!
Saturday: Hangover recovery ride
Sunday: Morning Swim & flat longrun with some acceleration at the end
Negative temps kept me in the basement riding the hamster wheel.
back to back runs on the treadmill
Walk with the dog and kid. Still nursing a broken rib so off the bike fur another week.
I ran 7 miles @ 6:45 per mile on Saturday and 5 miles @ 6:00 per mile on Sunday. As it was Valentines weekend I didn’t have time to swim, bike or go for a long run!
8 miles on the treadmill on Saturday while my daughter was still asleep. 18 very hilly miles long run on Sunday with the last 2 at marathon pace.
Well I was in Nashville for work and was hoping for a long run from the Opryland area to downtown and back. Unfortunately, my route was thwarted by a locked gate and a highway so it ended up being a less than scenic run around a mall. Womp womp.
Rolled Mags in Boulder for some high elevation base training on Saturday. Sunday 30mi bike ride, tailwind all the way
Saturday: swim 300 warm up + 200 breaststroke + 100 backstroke legs only+ 10 x 25 tech r 10” + 6 x 300 (1 pull buoy, 1 normal) r 20” + 100 backstroke.
Sunday: bike 80 km at 180 W + run 3 km at 4’30″/Km
I did a personal training session on Saturday that almost made me throw up. In the best possible way of course. Then a light run on Sunday in place of a longer run because I wimped out over windchill.
Sidelined with chest infection. Cried into my cornflakes but back on it as of Monday Morning.
As it is raining for the last two weeks I more or less hike around our local forest and hills. Usually a little over an hour of intense hiking up and down.
A lovely and peaceful 20 mile cycle ride around the Northumberland beaches and countryside.
Not much for the weekend since I had a fever but got in a 20 minute ride to try to clear my head. It was good to be out but was feeling tired :(