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
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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.
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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!
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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.
Tag Archives: Training
Xert Training Platform In-Depth Review
It’s been about a year since Xert plopped onto the training platform scene, and in that time it’s grown both considerably in functionality, as well as users. So what is Xert? Well, it’s part training platform, part training app ecosystem, … Read More Here
A precise interval workout in the forest
I’m often asked how I find my training routes while travelling. I’ve discussed that a bit in the past in terms of how I research places to run/bike/swim. But sometimes it’s not so much finding a place, as it is … Read More Here
Off to Alcatraz…or rather, off to Escape from Alcatraz!
I’m just about ready to head out to San Francisco, I’ve got my bike all packed up in its case and have the rest of my gear (mostly) packed. As you may remember, here’s my long-form packing list for triathlons, … Read More Here
My favorite workouts in each sport
Yesterday while reviewing my schedule for the week ahead, I realized I’ve been on a run of workouts I really enjoy (or plan to enjoy). Saturday I’ve got my first trail long-run, and Sunday I’m back in the mountains for … Read More Here
Observations on training over the last month
I was going to talk about my excitement filled 8-mile treadmill run this evening and all the logic behind doing it indoors versus outdoors, but I wanted to first go through some random observational bullet points around training and fitness … Read More Here
80 Miles of warm cycling and farming fun
You know what’s nice about not doing an Ironman race this year? Not having to bike 112+ miles during training. Yup, with my longest race this year being a Half-Iron with ‘only’ 56 miles as the bike leg, my training … Read More Here
The build: Looking at my mileage progression
When I was writing Tuesday’s post on how to train and plan for an extended race season (where triathlons go into November), I got to thinking a little bit about how my mileage builds each week. I was pondering the … Read More Here
A weekend at home and in the pool with the Polar RCX5
This weekend was a bit of a whirlwind – despite being one that in theory shouldn’t have been. With getting stuck working rather late downtown on Friday night, before I knew it, it was Saturday morning and time to head … Read More Here
An Eggtastic Training Weekend!
This weekend was a mix of hard training on one day, and relaxation on the other (though yes, still with a swim workout scheduled even on the relaxing days). Saturday morning we had planned to head down south towards Prince … Read More Here
Other peoples workouts
The Internet’s a funny thing. It offers vast amounts of data, opinions and educational reference points. While at the same time that vastness in information can be overwhelming. It can lead you to change your mind a multitude of times … Read More Here
A Weekend Peaking in Transition
This weekend was the last push before the first triathlon race of the year occurring next weekend. Since next weekend’s race isn’t an ‘A’ race, the goal is focused more on a steady build to Boise 70.3, exactly 8 weeks … Read More Here
Swimming through the registry
This weekend was a pretty big hodgepodge of activities. I covered all the usual sports, and a few other activities that with careful regulation – could probably be categorized as sport. First up was a Friday evening swim. I’ve been … Read More Here
Friday Training and Travelling Tidbits
Wow – the end of my first week at home! Awesome! With a full week of training I’ve been able to get some really good solid workouts in. Take for example my Tuesday run. This workout starts off with an … Read More Here
Finally…a weekend at home: Pumpkins and Training
After more weeks of travel than I can realistically count, I landed into Washington National Airport late Thursday night, and finally got a complete and full weekend at home. Woohoo! And there’s no better way to kick-off a Friday night … Read More Here
Tuesday Training, Trainers, and Trimming
It’s been a busy summer with travel of all kinds. I haven’t spent a full week home since late May – so the next two weeks are my only opportunity to get in two solid – complete – and well … Read More Here
A weekend at home (finally)
I’m gonna keep this post short…mostly because I’ve spent the last few hours putting the final touches on the Timex Global Trainer review (to be posted at 12:01AM EST Tuesday), and thus, my keyboard and mouse are basically asking for … Read More Here
Training at 7,500 feet
As I talked about yesterday, I’ve spent the previous week in Mexico City, Mexico – which has an elevation of 7,500 feet above sea level. That’s roughly 2,000 feet higher than Boulder, Colorado…or, for those Floridians, that’s about 7,498 feet … Read More Here
Beating the heat in Connecticut
Monday midday we (The Girl, my Mom, my Dad, and I) packed up the car and headed up to nearby BWI airport to catch a flight to Hartford, CT – just a short 45 minute hop away. This is where … Read More Here
A very hot 4th of July…and lots of BBQ.
After leaving San Diego on Thursday, I arrived back into relatively cool mid-70’s weather late Thursday night. However, my acclimatization period would be decidedly short, as by Friday it was well on it’s way to the 90’s. Luckily, my easy … Read More Here
Trying not to get skunked on a 3AM training ride
I’ve crisscrossed the country hundreds of times, though today’s flight home is a bit of a different experience. Because of a mechanical issue, my little Airbus 320 is being kept below 28,000 feet – thus providing a slightly different view … Read More Here
A log cabin, and following strangers in pickup trucks
Way back at the Rumpass in Bumpass Triathlon, our friends Lindsey and Carl had planned to join us for the weekend (and race) down at Lake Anna in the RV adventure. The lake is about 90 minutes south of DC … Read More Here
Training in the middle of nowhere
My travel for work goes in spurts – sometimes there are dry spells, and sometimes it gets…umm…undry. I’m currently in the midst of a rather busy work travel set. While sometimes my travels take me to interesting places at home … Read More Here
The right stuff–equipment I use
Back about a month ago I got an e-mail from a reader regarding what equipment I use day to day in training and racing. I ended up putting together a quick hit-list at the time, but didn’t really do it … Read More Here
Many many loops….transition practice!
With a race just over 24 hours away, it was time to get in some much needed transition practice. Why practice transitions you ask? Well, it’s easy free time. Sure, people always say ‘free time’, but that’s not exactly true … Read More Here
Finally, a calm weekend.
It doesn’t seem to happen often around these parts, but this weekend was actually pretty calm. There was no race, no getting hit by a car, no space shuttles, nor any skydiving. As such, this post will be relatively short. … Read More Here
New positions early in the morning
The weekend’s training schedule ended up getting swapped around quite a bit at the last minute, which, afforded me the time to spend some quality time at Coach Alan’s place re-working my bike fit. After the Bumpass in Rumpass Olympic … Read More Here
Averting disaster in the Dark Hills
Anytime you have 2-3 hours of workouts to do on a weeknight, you have to plan a bit. Most of that planning for me falls into two buckets – scheduling of the actual workout itself, and scheduling my caloric intake … Read More Here
A meaty weekend
This weekend was full of all assortment of activities – from the usual swim/bike/run to cooking up a storm on Saturday night. We start with a 10 mile run on Saturday morning along the Potomac river on the Mt. Vernon … Read More Here
Troubleshooting your heart rate monitor/strap HR spikes
For those who train with heart rate monitors often, you probably know all too well know the tell-tale sign that your little device is lying to you about your heart rate. It starts off fairly innocently with a gentle rise … Read More Here
Little Washington
The weekend started Friday after a nice flight back from the West Coast. Upon arriving home I found all sorts of packages had arrived. While some weren’t terribly exciting (new seat post for an older bike), I did get one … Read More Here
A week of training in Seattle
After a pretty darn successful Sunday race in the Rainman Triathlon, I got back to work – and training on Monday. That included a relatively straightforward swim of a tad over 3,000 yards. One interesting thing is there are far … Read More Here
Corned Beef, Pools, and Cupcakes (though, not all together)
The weekend started like any good weekend should – with cupcakes being made. The Girl was back at it after her adventures to the NYC’s Magnolia bakery, making loads of cupcakes. Though, the Girl’s were far better – plus, they … Read More Here
Pool and Parking lot bricks
With my first race of the year this weekend and my first triathlon of the year next week, things have kicked into short and fast mode for the next two weeks. As races approach my workouts tend to drift more … Read More Here
Time Trialing with the subway
Sunday night after I got home from New York City around 5PM I still had one minor item left to knock out…a 2hr and 45 minute ride. Now, I could do this indoor on the trainer – but I’m sick … Read More Here
Welcome back to reality
Upon landing at Dulles International Airport on Sunday afternoon my very first message that showed up on my phone was from my coach, it read: Gee…thanks. And reality soon set in. I knocked out a rather enjoyable trainer ride on … Read More Here