The 25 Most Informative Posts I’ve Written

It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – some 476 posts (477 if you count this!).  And after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz.  Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have.

So I decided to shine that bike light deep into my blog caverns and see what scattered about.  I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that either I thought was useful (or funny) – or that continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.  So, without further ado – here we go:

Race Day:

When it comes to race day, there’s a lot of things to consider – and I’m not even talking about whether to wear the bring pink Speedo or the polka dot one.  Here’s some things to think about:

1) One big ice cube – swimming in cold water: How you warm up for the first 90 seconds of the swim will dictate how well your entire swim goes…

2) Swimming the line: Now that we’ve started the race, let’s look at strategy when it comes to the swim course.  I use race day photographs and satellite images to uncover the secrets – CSI style!

3) In Transition..T1..T1..T1: Assuming we manage to successfully get out of the water, it’s time to deal with the whole transition thing.  Here’s how to do it quickly.

4) Using CO2 for the first time: The little canister can be intimidating – but in a race, having a flat on the bike sucks – and CO2 will make it so much faster.

5) Racing the line – understanding how courses are measured: You ever wonder why your Garmin shows that you ran further than the actual race distance?  Well…click here to understand why – and to slim your time down while you’re at it.

The gamut – covering a wide range of topics:

I wasn’t really sure which bucket to put these into…so, they went into the ‘everything’ bucket.  It’s sorta like the ‘Easy’ button from Staples.

6) Travelling while training: If you travel a bunch – like I am this week and normally do – then check out my tips for how to still get your daily workouts in, even with a full flight schedule.

7) My requests to Race Directors: So this one is targeted at Race Directors – but here’s my list of things that I love – and hate.  And a ton of folks also chimed in with their comments too.

8) Coaching – choosing a coach: If you’re considering a coach for the year ahead – here’s a slew of things to consider when choosing your perfect mate.

9) Chocolate Milk vs. R4 Recovery Drink: It’s no secret I love chocolate milk – and here’s the low down on a big ole comparison between the two.

10) My little 10 seconds of fame on TrainingPeaks.com: Did you know I was featured on the front page of TrainingPeaks.com?  Well, now you can relive the moment.

Sports Technology:

I write a fair bit of technology-related stuff, and some of it gets lost in the shuffle.  Here are my most viewed pages related to sports technology and ‘How to’ type posts:

11) How to create and upload workouts to your Garmin device: You know how you write down your workouts on that scrap of paper and then go run with it?  Well, now have your Garmin simply tell you what to do next.

12) Bike Racks…and how not to have your bike fall off the back of the car: I call this Sports Technology.  You may simply call it hilarious.

13) How to train indoors with your Garmin device: This is relatively recent – but it’s pretty solid.  If the early March weather is still crappy (like it is for me), then this post is for you.

14) Sport Tracks Top 10 List: Assuming you don’t have a Mac, then Sport Tracks rocks.  Here’s all my tips for making pretty graphs and sparkly things from your data.

15) Training Logs: You love them, you hate them.  But…they help you remember everything you did.  Now if you could only decide which one to use.

Race Reports

If you read often, you know my race reports are almost as long as some of my product reviews.  Here are a few of my more favorite race reports:

16) The Boston Marathon 2009: I promise you nobody else has taken 150 photos during the race…while running…and then posted about it.  (P.S. – For all your growing cult of Rob fans, yes, tons of funny photos in there too)

17) GW Parkway 10-Miler: There’s a whole lotta reasons why this was entertaining.  Starting with self-taken pictures mid-race.

18) US Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon Race Report: Nothing beats a few solid mid-race puke.

19) Ironman Canada 2008: I’m sorry to the kid I ran over mid-race during the bike.  My bad.  Well…actually, your bad little kid.

20) Seafair Sprint Triathlon 2007: Given it was my first tri…it has to be on the list.

Funny (and perhaps informative) Posts:

I try and have my blog be a blend of useful informative stuff, funny stuff, stuff about me, and finally – everything else random that seems interesting to me on any give day.  I’m sorta like a ADHD firefly in that way.  Which may explain some of the below:

21) How I built the largest Rice Krispie Treat shoe ever: I think the title says it all here.

22) I’m no longer a girl – I’m a man!: I bet you didn’t know that I started out as a female…

23) Showering with my bike: Just click and read.  Trust me.  Nuff said.

24) My Giant Sac: You ever wonder what it’s like to unpack a giant bean bag?  No?  Really…never?  Well, read anyways.

25) Wearing a Skirt: There are some situations that the only appropriate solution is to dress up like a girl.  This would be one of them.

Thanks all for reading and stopping by – I appreciate it!

FOUND THIS POST USEFUL? SUPPORT THE SITE!

Hopefully, you found this post useful. The website is really a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This gets you an ad-free experience, and access to our (mostly) bi-monthly behind-the-scenes video series of “Shed Talkin’”.

Support DCRainMaker - Shop on Amazon

Otherwise, perhaps consider using the below link if shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. It could simply be buying toilet paper, or this pizza oven we use and love.