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I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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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.
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!
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.
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!
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 2023 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.
At your pace, you won’t see crowds like that in Boston after Framingham – or Natick at the latest.
I’ve run MCM and the Army 10-miler too and never thought it was that crowded after the first couple miles. Maybe the perspective is different when running? Either way, thanks for the peak at this race. A few women asked me if I wanted to do it next year and I gave them a definite maybe :-)
Cute owl but no idea on the antlers!
Enjoying the new layout!
Great pictures – sounds like some good riding, too…
From watching Marine Corps at various points this past year, I’d say it looked pretty close to that through at least Mile 10. Rebecca and I jogged around a total of about 6 miles hitting various spots of the course and only found it to really break apart (in the mid pack pace of runners) around Mile 20 or so. It helps to be faster and start ahead of the masses of people ;)
Love the new layout! It looks great. I really need to plan a race out in DC one of these days. It is so beautiful! All of those cherry trees look amazing.
Hey…I know you wrote a how to post on using a CO2 cartridge for inflating your tires but it isn’t in your how to links. It is a great guide if you wanted to make the post a part of the links.
oooh, i like the new blog look. i can’t believe you had to go through 418 pictures to find the ones you like!!
where did you go to get the quality long riding in?
Those pictures are great and the trees are really pretty. I was just telling my roommate that DC would be a great place to live for my next job (although, highly unlikely!).
Oooooh I love the Cherry Blossoms here in DC. I guess that’s the best part about being up here this time of year :)
I guess I didn’t realize that there were so many running the 10 miler on Sunday… prob could never run with any breathing room… looking at the pics you got!
Hey – your new layout is sweet! How far behind am I in noticing it?
Great race pics. As Calypso said, those big races are always much thinner towards the front where you’re running than in the middle of the pack.
Paddles the Beaver, huh? That sounds like a phrase that could end up in the urban dictionary someday.
Beautiful photos! The Cherry Blossom 10 miler looks like a lot of fun if pretty crowded… I missed the blossoms by a week last year when I visited DC– I was so bummed!
The cherry blossoms at hanes (haynes?) point were amazing, and it was the perfect day to run: Temperature (low 50s), sunny, and no wind. I loved it.
That being said, too many people. It felt really claustrophobic at times, and it never really went away. I ran the marine corps and I never felt as boxed in as I did during this race.
One more gripe, the port-o-potty situation was insane per usual. And they changed the starting location to the mall, so there were no places where I could relieve myself. Fail.
put the antlers in the herb garden and that will scare the sh*t!!! out of the varmits
hey let me know when the homestead farm have blue berries and if you find the website for ITU race
nice report
Beautiful photos! The new layout is nice as well. Those deer antlers are cool, but kind of creepy in the back of the mulch truck. Like the poor deer got mulched.
I love the photos!
Can I borrow the race wheels for the summer? ;)
those are some seriously spectacualr photos!
Gorgeous photos!
Mmmm, basil!
Love these pictures! I went to DC just a couple weeks ago, looks like I should’ve gone a little later! I also think that the new blog layout is great, as several people have already said.
Outstanding pics of the DC Cherry Blossoms. The 10-miler looks like fun a race!
I am pouting about herbs. I just put my house up for sale and there will be no plants on the brand new deck mucking things up.,,and my stash of frozen pesto is dwindling!