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.
A 2,000 yard swim followed by a 15 mile bike ride.
Weight lifting – running – weigh lifting – running
A slow jog around my neighborhood – and after that some sleep.
Running, lots of it.
LSD zone 1 HR training run for upcoming marathon
Finally lots of outdoors riding and finishing off on Monday with a brick session.
forecast 80km Ride : completed 120km
forecast Rest : swimmed for 1 hour
I’m planning on doing an 8-10 mile run on Saturday and resting on Sunday!
Go for a nice long run…
Nice 25 mile ride on Easter after 9 holes of golf with my wife and daughter.
Swimrunning in Brittany!
This past weekend was an easy 10 mile run, still recovering from a sprained ankle a few weeks ago. Next weekend will hopefully be at least a 13-15 miler.
I achieved my weekend goals with a much needed iron session at the gym Saturday morning, and nice 20 mile bike ride in the evening. Then, Sunday was a relaxing rest day with lots of delicious food!
My goal is to complete 1.5 hours of intervals on my trainer, and a 3 hour endurance ride on Sunday.
Final runs before my first trail half marathon.
Thrashing away on TrainerRoad.
A back to work post spring-break: 5 mile tempo run, (2) days of speed, (4) days of soccer practice- coaching….Yeah and we might get to do it all in snow, sun, wind, sleet and rain here in Colorado
My goal this week is to re-take my marathon training after a month without any exercise because of a radial head fracture on my right arm :(
À Nice three hoor bikeride, hopefully in the sun!
I have to admit I ate a lot of chocolate yesterday (and today too) therefore I have to go out for looooong run !
Run a trail 10k this weekend, hopefully. Or sleep.
What I did this weekend was The Last X-Country skiing of 2016 season! Great 50k of slow and sunny skiing!
I biked 55 miles on Sat and ran 14 miles on Sunday. Sunday night was painful to say the least!
Plans are (now were) for an easy long run on Saturday followed by an easier, but less long, run on Sunday. And a few miles this morning. Plan accomplished.
I tried to avoid the rain. I was mostly unsuccessful I might add.
Get at least one good run in and otherwise carbo-load to get back to it next week.
A long run. As the spring half-marathon in Bonn (Germany) is coming closer.
I have done trail running, up and down hills.
Had a casual stroller run with baby and dog
Since I’m a little late on this, I went on a long bike ride, a short run, and took care of my weekly meal prep this past weekend!
Plans are to rest and finish recovering from a nasty respiratory infection.
A coastal run of 10 miles down in Cornwall, south west of England.
I’m planning to increase my running distance; since I ran less than 10K last weekend I would like to go for 12K at least
I did a short run on Friday and Saturday plus functional training in weekend
Carb loading on chocoloate on sunday. (I worked all weekend =\ )
Recovering from an illness. No training.
I went for a very nice bike ride, pre-burning Easter meal calories!
An easy run sunday and 3 10 min efforts on the bike.
Just 3 days of ski to shut down (literally) the resort for the 2015-16 season. Now into cycling for a while…
Swam for an hour; Skipped Sunday long ride. Trainer session and some strength workout on Monday night.
Regular Saturday morning social run from the coffee shop, followed by house cleaning and a Sufferfest workout on the trainer. Sunday saw oodles of kid stuff and other family-related adventures, capped off by 30 minutes on the row machine and Daredevil on Netflix.
Maybe the first bike ride of the season…
10k run only. Coming back from injuries?
MOUNTAIN BIKING! YAY SPRING!
absolutely nothing, apart from lots of chocolate…
40km of mud on a bike, with a sugar shack stop in the middle!
Finished the yearly local easter half marathon!
Lots of family time mean that my training will consist of some trainer road sessions, including the two new Sufferfest videos I bought in place of an egg :)
Had 2 not too hard sessions of cycling. It felt like a real spring for the first time this year. :)
I just finished a 21mi long run in preparation of my marathon on May 1st
Starting to rest up for a 100km hike in two weeks. Need to be rested and full of chocolate energy.
Recovering from injury (so, lying on the couch drinking beer)
I plan to swim, eat chocolate, and scavenge for Easter eggs.
After coming back from an injury I’ll be attempting a 10 miler. Just in time for a half marathon 2 weeks after that.
Family time, with a short run to finish things off.
I had a 5-mile run on the schedule, and I wanted to do a bike workout. Did the run, skipped the bike in favor of mowing the lawn (lots of rain means lots of grass).
Bike ride 100km and 10K run, thanks
Saturday – 4:15 on bike trainer. Sunday – 2:15 run … oops, didn’t make it. Knocked it out on Monday AM.
I had a great afternoon of mountain biking on Sunday and a 5km trail on Monday with other half and very energetic dog (and managed to fit in a little bit of chocolate eating in between :) )
Run through the beautiful landscape of La Provence.
I’m going for 15 k run this sunday.
I was supposed to do a lot more than I did. Ended up riding from London to Brighton (82km), a short run and 6km spread over 2 swims.
Still recovering from a half marathon in which I was woefully undercooked training wise. Just a few strolls around the park this weekend!
training for Ironman Brazil, 200k bike + 10k run on saturday and 30k run on sunday
Since the weekend has already passed, this coming up weekend, I will be exercising my legs chasing around my children. Hopefully I’ll be able to get around to a nice long bike ride soon.
I’m definitely in the need of upping my running days. So I’m aiming for a couple of miles at least 5/6 days out of the week. And continuing taking yoga classes 3 times a week :)
Hmmmm ….. not much regarding training plans, mostly recovering from jetlag and post-vacation blues.
Riding a TrainerRoad training and a short, sunny run
I did my last long run before I taper for my first 50k Saturday. Sunday was a quick recovery run to make room for more awesome Easter food.
20K flat + 8K mountain tomorrow, then chocolates for the rest of the week.
Doing a 19 miler in preparation for the Flying Pig marathon.
70 miler and a hot tub party!!
5k tune up race plus some TT bike work
6 hour trail race Saturday!
A lot of toddler wrangling and some running here and there
Well, eating lots of chocolate & spinning it out :-)
A lovely 1 hour run along the river in Austin.
Was supposed to run 14 miles in the hills, called it a day after 10.
Clearly eating eggs & Hot Cross Buns would be the priority, but I am also out for a 10km run, 40km bike and am hoping to slip in a swim!
Just eating easter eggs, tomorrow’s another day!
Weekends plan was a couple of hours Saturday then 60-80 miles today.
Reality:
Sat – windy and rainy but did an hour hills reps.
Sun – 5 miles on the MTB with my 5 year old. Best ride ever send her furthest distance.
Today – gardening, re-sealing bathtub, walk dog then 1 hour hills again.
At least it partly offsets the chocolate!!!
Short run, long bike and ultra eating of Leg of Lamb, all the trimmings and mch chocolate. It is a scientific impossibility for to to burn more calories than I consume at my mother’s on Easter Sunday.
Long Bike (90miles) on Easter Friday.
Rest day Saturday (by rest I mean move the kids rooms around – tough day)
2 hours on the turbo trainer Sunday then 8 mile run off the bike.
Long swim on Monday followed by sorting out the things the kids don’t like about their rooms.
My plan was to go on a strenuous backyard Easter egg hunt followed by some ham-induced stomach stretching.
Training Plan for weekend: Dark Chocolate Easter Eggs. lots of them.
Some super sweaty hot yoga and and “run”, yes it requires quotes when you’re coming off an injury.
My training consisted of eating every single thing in sight, and 20,000 steps around an amusement park!
Run, run, run. Its nearly spring marathon season
The weekend involved going back to my home town, putting in 90km ride and 2kms run off it. A nice casual 14km along the beach on Sunday. I also got to test out my new DHB wetsuit in the open water!!
two 5 mile training runs
Training to chase after a very curious 2yr old.
Recovering from a trail running injury, so a lot of cross training on the bike and at the gym
30km trail run with enough elevation change and a rewarding chocolate milk at the end.
My goal was a ride on Sat and a run on Sun. Did both. Yay
Just moved to a new city…figuring out a new long run route!
It’s raining back in PDX, so I’ll be posting up on the trainer and Zwift.
Run a fast 10k on Saturday and then enjoy Easter Sunday with my wife.
I rode up the mountain on Zwift on Saturday and 8 mile trail run Sunday!
My plans were some zwift cycling and some Monday swimming
Open water swim practice and eating chocolate…