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.
Might head out for a spin if the weather holds.
I will try to squeeze a two hour ride after work tomorrow and for Sunday a very special route of 120 km with over 2ks of total ascent.
I am getting my Endomondo training plan all scrambled up this week by having done my long run yesterday, and planning on my interval run Saturday morning. Sunday’s plan is “airport juggling” where I try to navigate security lines and crowds while traveling internationally, and then “jet lag endurance” when I skip forward several hours and try to acclimate to the local time.
Sadly, I won’t even be able to do an Easter workout on my Greek Orthodox schedule next weekend, since that’s when I’m traveling back!
Last days of a cycling training camp in Spain, going for some mountains.
chasing the kids around the Easter egg hunt (and if I’m lucky a quick round of golf! An easy Easter weekend).
I’ll be hitting the trails and recovering with plenty of Easter eggs
I plan to complete a huge workload for the week (14hours and 700 TSS) with two rides of 3 hour(+) with lots of hills (+1500m).
Already ran 18,5k today as I need to be well prepared for a half marathon in April, also I will do a bit of swimming on Sunday.
Easter holiday rock.
Cheers
Tim
Just chasing a bunny over the local hills here in Kyiv.
Just going out for some nice riding in the (hopefully) sunny spring weather.
Lots of dog walking and then hopefully some cycling.
I’m going for a run on Saturday or Sunday. It wil include at 1k, spam, spam, spam, spam, 4k, spam, spam, 5k, spam, spam, spam, 5k, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam and I will eat loads of Belgian chocolate while running and will hopefully not have to stop for a mid run emergency stop because of the ridiculous amount of chocolate.
planning to ride on saturday early morning and sunday morning! Hope the rain stays away!
Saterday and Monday some easy runs because i’m tapering for the marathon of Rotterdam in 2 weeks
Still cold and snowy in Ottawa so bike trainer followed by run off the bike. Looking forward to spring proper.
Trainer ride, short run before my son’s soccer game. Skiing Sunday.
Treadmill and trainer on Saturday! Eating ham on Sunday!
Enjoying a hilly 15miles through the heart of rural England before a hearty Easter roast!
Planning a 10k along the river tomorrow and another one Monday!
Saturday morning ride with future father-in-law by the beach since he’s in town from Alaska. If time permits, I’ll also run on Sunday.
Easter-Egg-searching with the squad ?
I started a runkeeper half marathon plan this week! Runs will be 5km parkrun on Saturday, 8km on Sunday.
7k Fri and 10k Sun trail runs and maybe a pool session. Fair bit of chocolate as well!
Started it off with a 3500m swim today, and will be doing a fun 10k tomorrow. But Sunday’s activities will just be chasing around the twin 2.5 yo toddlers at the Easter egg hunt. So in other words, that’ll probably tire me out the most.
Riding the bike up and down the mountain until my legs stop responding.
Dog walk Sat am, run pm, decorating vigorously. Sunday more decorating, evening treadmill run.
Saturday run then Easter feast.
Easy pre-marathon taper run then a shed load of Choco eggs!!
Mmmmmmh… I’m not sure that this WE will see a lot of sports activity beyond eating chocolate… but I’ll run and swim next week… I promise! ;-)
Since I have a race coming up next saturday for the Dona Ana’ Senior games where I run a two loop 10K and get credit for two races…..a 5K and 10K, I plan to do a longish hour and twenty minutes tomorrow, and a short session of alternating minute intervals on sunday, and then just taper into my race on April 2nd!
Outdoor road ride !!!! A Zwift break, yes !!
I am running a 5k Saturday with my daughter on her 16th birthday!
I’m doing nothing but I will let my husband go out for a ride on Sunday :-)
My goal is to get a couple of miles (3-4) without pain. I’m still recovering from a calf tear.
And definitely getting on the bike to cross-train and get some cardio done.
My goal for this weekend will be to make it through 6 eating marathons (or ‘hanging out’ as it is inaccurately described) without having to roll myself to work on tuesday.
I have a 90min long run planned for Sunday. Hopefully it won’t be raining as much as it is doing right now.
My last 20+ mile run before Boston Marathon.
Tapering!
hum…
foam rolling and stretching before…
going to work !
Since I’m abroad, just some running in the morning and some exercise in the room before going out. For various reasons, one of them being not wanting to even think about it myself, I won’t talk about nutrition. What happens on holidays…
Race 10.5 k at ASICS CITY RELAY link to facebook.com and Long ride on Sunday
A 12 mile trail run on Saturday and a 25 mile bike ride on Sunday.
I Will do a 15k tomorrow
Running and swimming in Saturday. Biking on Zwift on Sunday!
I’m racing my bike both days this weeeknd! Road race on saturday and crit on sunday, so you bet I’ll be eating a lot of chocolate eggs.
It is supposed to rain all weekend so I’ll be on the treadmill.
Plan to clock in some long zone 2 mileage. Looking for at least 6 hours on the trainer.
Hiking in the Smoky Mountains Friday and Saturday.
chocolate eggs and a daily session on Zwift, though if the weather channel is to be believed then maybe my first outdoor ride of 2016!
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 2×20 FTP intervals
Sunday: Easter brunch!
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Continuing with my rehab – 60 second slow jogs every second day.
Riding to Cabrillo Point on Point Loma, then to downtown/little Italy for a coffee and a warm white chocolate brownie. About 20 miles round trip. Sunday is TBD
Did 6K trail RUN yesterday. And I’m looking for Sunday run – will be spring weather soon :-)
Long run on Saturday, recovery/egg eating on Sunday.
One thing i won’t do for sure will be: eat chocolate. I don’t like it. :-) Besides that, i’m planning surfing both days of the weekend, make two trainings of 15km and rest a lot after that.
Hi! This weekend i will be walking and exploring with out of town guests.
Thanks for offering the giveaway!
i will ride a 50 mile easy pace on Saturday and a do nice little 5k run on Sunday
I am planning on going hiking in Bozeman, MT on the drinking horse trail! 3 miler but I’ll also have a baby in a baby carrier to add to the workout!
I will be doing sone cross country skiing with the wife, and some jogging.
This weekend training involves Good Friday using Trainer Road and Sufferfest to get my FTP (already done at this time of this writing) for the next 6 weeks with my New Pioneer Power meter (Left arm only), then on Saturday I plan to go out with my friends and we should put in 90-100+ kms in 2-5°C weather, brr.. but it will be sunny!
Isel Cross 5.5mile cross country race for the 4th year in a row!
My goals this weekend are to participate in Alaska’s Democratic Caucus Saturday morning then get outside and do a 15 mile loop on trails surrounding Fairbanks. Sunday, I’m trying to do back-to-back long runs, so I’ll be attempting a 10 mile loop in and around my neighborhood!
Supposed to be great weather all weekend!
A slow 15k run and probably an hour of two on the trainer
30 minutes Revocery on Saturday, 45 minutes Hill Run on Sunday
Heavy showers, thunderstorms and hail stones forecast this weekend,so it will be an indoor workout on the turbo trainer for me!
No training plan, just test and prepare our timing equipment for the upcoming track season.
32K Easter Long Run – preparing for an ultra in 3 weeks
I plan to run LSD- 11 miles on Saturday and a recovery 2 miler on Sunday as I train for an upcoming half marathon
I’ll run 10k after the bunny
World Half Marathon Champs cycle marshal tomorrow
42km easy run Sunday!
100km Audax monday!
I will be running a half marathon with my local running club on Saturday which will be followed by our annual Easter picnic and an Easter egg hunt for the little ones. Strategy is to start off slow and back off to enjoy the long run with my running buddies.
Going to be going to Tucson in AZ and climbing Mt. Lemmon.
Following your tracks to Mallorca for some proper spring cycling. And bulking on Easter candy of course.
I’m off on my first century ride of the year tomorrow and then might throw in a pre-easter egg run on Sunday…. yummy
I’m on a rest weekend this weekend after crit seasson. Back to it on Monday
Training involves making up for an unexpected day off today (nap) and keeping my fingers crossed for a warm morning!
20km run on Saturday, followed by 60k bike ride on Sunday along Tamagawa river. If I am lucky, might be able to see the sakura along the way!
bleeding my disc brakes so that I can go MTB’ing this weekend…
Easter weekend = long weekend = long trainings
Saturday 2,5 hours on the bike (lots of wind expected) + 1 hour in the pool
Sunday 3 hours on the bike (lots of wind and rain expected) + 2 hours running
Monday 2,5 hours running
Tuesday back to work
I am planning a nice run over 30k or if the weather is fine enough to ride short, then I replace this run with a >100k ride. One of these activities I will do before I leave Germany on Monday off to Rome for a late honeymoon, 10 years and 3 kids after my marriage to my wonderful wife.
Plans for this weekend are a mountainous road race in the Appalachians. My team captain told me that, given my strengths and the course profile, this will be a training race for me. I think that means I should stay away from the chocolate bunnies.
5k along the river and stairs exercises for my knees…
I plan to do the CrossFit 2016 16.5 Open WOD of 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of Thrusters, 95# and Burpees … hopefully in 15:00 or less. The winning male time will be 7:30 or less. But under 15:00 will be a PR (by 2:00) from the last time I did this workout in 2014.
I plan to start back training for an upcoming tour for a charity! Need to get back those miles I have been missing out on since having pneumonia…
Long run and core Friday, bike drills on the trainer Saturday and a long bike on Sunday.
I’m going to do some crosstraining on the bike and hope that my knee recovers fast so I can get back to running.
I’m just going to do a couple long runs this weekend. Probably a 10mile at goal marathon pace then an easy 18 miler the next.
Friday: Easy Ride : Done
Sunday: Short Run : Start of Marathon Training Plan
Monday: Swim : Hopefully
A nice 8 mile run on Saturday and a TrainerRoad ride on Sunday followed by an hour in the pool!
Forty miles on the bike tomorrow, group ride on Sunday.
Heavy weekend in my second build week towards the IM Nice. Starting off with sprints on the trainer on friday, followed by a 26k run. Saturdaymorning in the pool and a 180k bike ride with intervals in the afternoon. And finishing off with a block of 2,5 hours bike and 50min tempo run on Easter Sunday. And then some well deserved easter eggs :)
110k bike + 10k run Friday
15k run Saturday
Day-off Sunday
4-5 mile runs both days as they are just work days for me. Hospitals don’t take holidays
I hiked 5km today, and will be doing another 5-7km snowshoe in the Canadian Rockies before all the snow melts!
Longer run on Saturday. Easy run and longer bike Sunday.
Will be working out my high school baseball team getting ready for the upcoming season.
This weekend I plan on continuing laying down a “beginner’s base”. I was once an avid cross country runner, but that was 22 years ago. Now 38, I’m starting slow and building a good base to try and do some 5k and 10k races this fall. Cheers!
Long run in the warm (hopefully) rain
Cycling, running, clay pigeon shooting, sleeping. Perfect weekend