Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list 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 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.
Most recent good one was a July 4th race. My time was good, but the race had DCRainmaker-like giveaways. Everybody left due to the heat, increasing our odds of winning the drawings. My daughter won $125 Fleet feet gift card and we bought her first pair of quality adult size running shoes this summer.
Cold chocolate milk after a long run
Running my 2nd 50 miler.
Keith
dalabgator.blogspot.com
my best run will be in a few days in my first half marathon in Lisbon, Portugal.
Finishing the hot and humid “Tackle the Trail” 5K 2nd in my age group! (55-60) What a blast!
I’d love to win the FR 610. Did too many rock concerts as a –can’t hear the alarms with my other devices.
There I was training in Madison, WI, preparing for IMMOO. Although the race is less than two weeks away, I will not forget the hills, the heat, or the excitement of training on the course.
I completed my second OLY this summer in record time! Looking forward to fall and the cooler weather.
-Chad
I competed in my first triathlon this summer: a short sprint. It’s great to be a part of this sport and I’m looking forward to next season!
Paul Johnson
http://firsttimertriathlete.blogspot.com
Doing a 60k ride with my father for the first time in 2 years since his heartdisease made my summer. Which made reading your report on the century ride very nice.Being able to participate in funsport event with your dad is really priceless.
Running back home at my parents house with my brother. Neither of us have lived there in a while, so it was nice to remember and relive some of the good old days.
completing a century ride with my 68 year old dad. Thanks for the giveaway!
Breaking 18:00 for 5k for the first time since high school!
My first midnight training run. I wore a reflective (construction worker) t-shirt and my nipples chaffed and were sore for a week…. but I also set a new personal best km split time for that distance !!
Completing Timberman 70.3 in 2011, after having a bike crash in the same event in 2010, when I lost consciousness, and broke 3 teeth. It was my 2nd try, and 1st 1/2 completed.
Coming across a dozen cows on the road during a long bike ride. I was afraid they would knock me over if I tried to pass between them (cows are big!!). It took 10 minutes for the gap to get big enough for me to work up the courage to bike through. My farm-raised parents had a good laugh at me for being afraid of cows!
My best race this summer was the Damon Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium at the beginning of August. It was my best because of two reasons. The first one it was for a good cause, 100% of all donations went to cancer research. The second being that I’m a die hard Yankees fan to be able to run on the field it was pretty cool to say the least. My timing was very bad, all the stairs killed me, but it was worth the experience.
Here I am :-) Nice blog!
Completing Timberman 70.3 in 2011, after having a bike accident in 2010’s event, loosing consciousness and breaking 3 teeth !!!
My best race this summer was the Damon Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium at the beginning of August. It was my best because of two reasons. The first one it was for a good cause, 100% of all donations went to cancer research. The second being that I’m a die hard Yankees fan to be able to run on the field it was pretty cool to say the least. My timing was very bad, all the stairs killed me, but it was worth the experience.
Crossing the line at the Speed Skating Rink in Lake Placid with my wife and kids cheering from the hilltop. Unexplainable (except to other Iron-nuts).
I want one!
It could have been the inaugural Rock and Sole 10K over the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee, or it could have been last weekend’s 20 miler getting ready for another Lakefront Marathon October 2 from Grafton to Milwaukee. At 54 years of age I consider every starting line as a gift and every training run an affirmation. I am so blessed to have the health and opportunity to be out there!
Mr. Cone soft served ice cream at the half way point on one of my favorite rides up near West Point. It doesn’t matter if it is only 10:30am. I always get one.
[sarcasm] My most awesome memory is being unable to walk for two days after my first road run in new Merrill Trail Glove shoes. [/sarcasm]
Hooked up with an awesome tri team that has been helping me with swim technique. I have always been a runner and picked up cycling pretty easily a year ago. This swimming is a whole new beast! Enjoying being able to complete distance swims for the first time.
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Running through a dog park because the road is under construction. Imagine being “cheered” by 20+ dogs, fun time :)
I love free stuff and how great will be the memories when I complete in the Big ACORN this October and the Richmond Half-Marathon in November!!
Since it is monsoon season here in the Philippines and roads are not safe for training, got myself a mag trainer. :)
Highlight of the summer was completing the Escape for the Rock (San Francisco). It was a great race, a surreal experience walking down the nearly deserted Embarcadero with a couple hundred people wearing wetsuits. The swim was great, lucked out with a clam day on the bay.
My best summer race memory was finishing the Garrett County Gran Fondo Masochistic Metric. Although not a ‘race’ this was one hard ride with ~8,000ft of climbing over 62 miles. And I raised $1000 for melanoma research and as a thank you for raising so much money I got a Garmin 500! Not too bad for a ‘race’.
i like your blog and your giveaways
Highlight of the summer was finishing my first 70.3 (Timberman). Great venue and awesome race!
Lowlight was during a small olympic earlier in the season. Long story short, movie theater popcorn and soft pretzels are not good to eat the night before a race……
Keep up the great work Ray!
I ran my first 50k this year, the North Face Endurance Challenge, DC. While it wasn’t fast, it was the most fun I’ve ever had during a race and has opened my eyes to a whole new world of running!
Pulling out a 5:30 mile in a cross country track practice. Such a contrast to 4 years earlier when I could barely do an 8 minute mile. Its scary how out of shape I was then.
Surviving the heat and hills of the AZ State Champs road race!
I did some hill repeats in the POURING rain one night, drove home, got up the next day and drove to work only to arrive looking like I wet myself. It was a good day of laughs for all, and I keep a plastic bag under my seat now. :D
Thanks for doing this fabulous give away!
Nice long ride on the PCH in Cali. Breath taking views and very little hills compared to Pittsburgh.
Completing my first half marathon despite a double knee injury. My time wasn’t pretty, but I hobbled all the way to the finish!
A foil blanket and pizza after IM CDA….. best tasting pizza ever!
My wife has a new Nike+ Sportswatch, my son a Garmin 410. I have two now broken Nike+ Sportbands. A Forerunner would be ideal for me.
Finish my first international competition: a half marathon in Paraguay. Simply Sensacional!
Please allow me to be the humble keeper of this garmin for u….
Love ur blog
My wife has a Nike+ Sportswatch GPS. My son has a Garmin 410. I would love a 610
My first run after the recovery of a L5 disk injury in June. It felt great to be able to run again even if it was only 3 miles.
Favorite memory – Finishing Silverman 2008 – proving I can do anything I put my mind to.
Most rewarding thing this summer – throwing down an angry 5mi run to prove “the man” can’t keep me down.
AWARE
My favorite summer memory so far has to be crossing the finish line at my first half-Ironman (Providence 2010). Hopefully this will be ecliped next year in Mont Tremblant!
Definitely the first run after knee surgery, with no pain even though the doctor said I could never run again…
I’d very much like to win this one. Like always i like your blog and follow your adventures. Keep it up.
Getting 2nd in my age group at a Sprint Tri this year. First time I won anything in a Tri… But, the real highlight is still to come. I’m doing my first 70.3 in three weeks!
My best run was in the Swiss mountains. There was an orienteering event on about 8200feet. Very hard but map, weather…everything was perfect!
During a race, coming into T2 right before dismount, a person in front stopped suddenly and I slid down onto the ground with my bike. One would think this would be a horrible memory, but the road rash was minimal and it pumped me up for the run. I ended up P.R.’ing the race. Good times.
Most memorable experience this summer was putting together a running competition at work involving running 1.5 miles to Bub’s (Big Ugly Burger), consuming 1.5 lb burger, and then running back. Got 6 other co-workers to join me and no one puked! It was awesome!
Other than that training to go sub 18:00 for 5K in September.
During a race, coming into T2 right before dismount, a person in front stopped suddenly and I slid down onto the ground with my bike. One would think this would be a horrible memory, but the road rash was minimal and it pumped me up for the run. I ended up P.R.’ing the race. Good times.
My favorite training this summer has been running in the early morning with my Husky.
Too hot in Ga for him to run in the afternoon.
Thanks for the giveaway.
First yr after i started running i was training in the summer, not used to running in the lovely southern heat/humidity. I was running a saturday long run in a local park and passed out from overheating. I have no idea how long i was out, but a passerby found me………worst memory ever
starting to run again after some calf strain and ITB. nothing like running in DC during the end of summer/fall.
My first ever race – the Indy Mini Marathon in May a couple years ago. I finished that day and decided to train for a marathon that fall.
Bryan J.
bjackson@jackson4insuarnce.com
I completed my first Triathalon on August 14th in Columbus IN. I loved it and now in the market for a new bike:)
Living in the southern US I don’t do any summer races, but I do try to keep running in the summer. I still get out the same number of times but my total miles sure take a hit due to the heat and humidity.
Completed my first Triathalon in August in Columbus IN. I loved it and now in the market for a new bike :)
When i run 20k for first time, 1st of August. When i started running 5 months ago, 5k was a challenge, now is just a warmup..!!
Great blog..!! Keep posting..!!
Doing my first recreational century ride of the year and getting to see buffalo by the road.
High-five to Elvis at Bay To Breakers
Crossing my first half iron distant finish line and seeing my brother holding my finish banner!! I knew his smooth talking will come in handy some day… He talked his way into a volunteer shirt just in time to hold my banner!! The finish video shows how close he was to making it just in time. Talk about celebrating a journey with those you love.
link to hires.brightroom.com
I ran my first marathon this summer. Start time a little after 7:30 AM. It started raining about 9:30 PM ish the night before. It continued raining until about 7:20 AM or so. It started raining again when we were in the car on the way to the hotel. Rain kept up until Monday morning. Couldn’t have timed the rain better – kept everything cool. Between that and overcast skies, couldn’t have asked for a better setup for a sweaty kid.
Completing my first triathlon a few years ago, the Tulsa Tri
Finishing RAAM in Atlantic City
A very early summer morning training ride around the river in Perth, Australia is always memorable.
Complaining about running in the rain just to have my wife (then girlfriend) throw a cup of water on me asking me how I feel now.
Waking up the unnatural hour of 2:45 AM just to officiate the DC Triathlon…oh wait, you said best summer memory…oops. How about watching to pros race while officiating from the back seat of a motorcycle during that race. Pretty amazing thing to see all the action the entire bike course.
Taking my 10 year old nephew on a training run around the lake in Douthat State Park in Milboro, VA. He was training for a 8K race.
A very early summer morning training ride around the river in Perth, Australia is always memorable.
Riding around the West Maui Loop in Hawaii. Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, the scenery is amazing. It was hard keeping my eyes on the road.
PS: It’s not flat, there be hills on the north side…
My favorite race memory? Probably doing a sprint in Maryland with a friend. It was his first one and he was (and still is) a terrible swimmer. So to make him feel comfortable and safe I made sure to stay right next to him the whole time. After 30 minutes of essentially treading water next to him we made it to the end. He proceeded to drop me on the bike.
PR’d at IMTX 5 days after my 3rd son was born
I finished 3rd and won money at the last triathlon I was in! As I’m not a pro, this was really exciting for me!
mountainbiking in whistler/canada was my best training experience. the trails there are just awesome :D
miriam 820104
Waking up to run a 5K last July and discovering that it was 65º out instead of the 105º it had been for the previous 6 weeks….instant PR!
A beautiful 3+ hour run in the Swiss Alps with 1200m height difference, over two mountain passes, in preparation for a trek.
This summer was not the right time for training and competition, because my wife and I renovated the house. But next week the renovating will end and my training plan will start and I believe that the nice races and practice sessions come in the early future…
Big Kahuna Triathlon on in CA for best post race food ever, two words: Chicken Burrito. Screw post race pizza, I’ll take a burrito any/every day!
Wow…where to start! It’s been a full summer. After getting a rude awakeningfrom the first physical in years, I found the motivation to make some changes. In the last 6game months and throughout the summer, I have completely changed my lifestyle. Instead of grabbing whatever to eat at work or on my way home, I have adopted a clean way of eating as well as found a new love of exercise and endurance sports. I started with and Olympic distance triathlon on fathers day weekend. Then to push myself I entered another Olympic distance tri in August. In that 2 month time, I beat my own time (on the same course) by nearly 17 minutes!! I had permagrin all day! I have my firstback 1/2 marathon coming up in 4 weeks, and I am looking at a 70.3 next year!…oh, and I have lost over 40 pounds and brought my cholesterol under 200my for the first time in over 15 years!
I finished my second full Ironman, in the blazing sun and heat of Penticton, BC Canada.
Last Sunnday i prepared for a easy 10k race just 5 min from home. As i was getting ready my son insistet to come along and do the race with me. He is 3 jears old.
After a quick thougt i took ihm in our pram. It was really amazing. Everyone was so exitet and i got comments and cheers all the way.
This was our first run together and cirtainly not the last.
simple comment ;) – keep moving forward
Drinking a COLD beer after my last season 10k race this summer in June 26th (more than 30ºC here).
My first century ride in the Colorado Mountains!
I just did Timberman 70.3–smiling the entire time and got to get a hug and my finishers medal from Chrissie Wellington.
AWESOME BEYOND AWESOME!
Running in Summer Track races in the deep south – it would get so hot the race organizers would set up sprinklers alongside the track!
Best training memory in this summer, was running in Lapland and enjoying the beautiful scenery of northern Finland.
Taking 2nd place in a 5K last week! Only about 150 runners, but still…
Sweet giveaway!
Great memories of early morning (jet lagged) runs in Central Park, NYC while beeing over there from Sweden working! Running intobthe park at 5 in them morning expecting it to be empty but finding hordes of runners and pelotons doing laps!
Cheers / Carl
When my doctor told me I could start riding my back again after not being able to run or bike since May. That was yesterday.
Beating my boss in this summers kilkee bay swim.
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Completing a triathlon with Laurent Jalabert this summer.
A nice day.
Daniel
Finishing my first Tri
First marathon in Madrid 3 years ago. Standing in the line to get into expo the day before, sun shining, way too warm, scared about the weather on the next day. Finish on Sunday in agony, missing 3:30 target by two tiny (and huge) minutes. Finally stopping to run and sinking my teeth into fresh and cool watermelon. Never tasted so good…
5 marathons later I am down to 2:49… After recovery from arthroscopy the chase for 2:45 will continue!
Thanks for another great giveaway. Memphis in May is a great race/festival, but was a terrible race for me. It was 110ish and I flatted 2x on the bike, and bonked on the run after bucking both water bottles on the bike course. Not a great walk to the finish line…. brutal race, BUT, Memphis also was hosting the world championships of BBQ at the time, which made it all worth while.
Ben
Biking around the twisty hilly racetrack at Watkins Glenn at the Fly by Night Du.
I PR’d the Grouse Grind this summer in North Vancouver. A 1.8 mile long 2800 foot climb in 50:45 minutes. Not lightning fast but great for me.
Long, hard run ending in a warm summer shower.
Fall 1972- Beating our team captain for the first time and setting the school cross-country course record, 13:53.6 for 2.5 hilly miles.
I guess I’m comment 707 – wow! ;)
Would love having this.
I’m not the best runner, but I just set a personal record for a 2 mile run a couple of weeks ago!
— Jon
Finishing my first half marathon!!!
Running up the Bolivian Andes a month ago and realizing that 5 minutes of mountain running at 4500m was much tougher then an hour back home at sea level!
7 hour “nap” after a Saturday AM brick.
Hi,
Best memory this summer was a very wet 1/4 marathon (10548m). The rain started 5 min before the start and escaleted to the worst rain this summer. Anyhow it was memorable since I beat an olympic champion in the race.
Not a runner though but a high jumper but it still felt good!
Best regards from Sweden and thanx for a good site and blog.
Running the half-marathon at the end of my first Half-Ironman. I’ve never under estimated the difficulty of running so greatly.
I finished the swim and bike in blazing fast times (for me) and thought I was feeling great…. and then the first mile of the run came and I hated life more than anything in the world. I was on the verge of tears when I finished because of the pain. Less than a week later, I had deluded myself into thinking it wasn’t that bad and I’m getting excited for next season!
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A nice morning training run with a sunrise.
I ran a full loop around my home town.
It was so hot this day in Italy. During my training, I had just a single thought in my mind : having a fresh beer !
Finally, I have finished my race … just to see the grocery was out of stock ! Then I have been to a local café where I stayed for the whole evenning to drink with new italian friends, always dressed with my short. Good souvenir
Marc from France
I had a triple whammy experience at my year’s 1st Oly race on the bike leg, consisting of bees, flats and dogs. and now the race report bike leg:
I had issues right off the bat on the bike. I experienced minor foot and calf cramps as soon as I mounted. It wasn’t too bad but I noticed them. I later found that I could not push above 18mph! I pedaled harder and my HR would really increase. I thought, WTF…my brakes were not scrubbing, wheels looked good ..I just had no energy- this annoyed me. Then things snowballed.
At around mile 11 I got some speed back and was able to push 22mph. I was content. Soon after I felt a *~whack~* on the front of my helmet- then the all too familiar scrambling *ZZzzZZZzZZZZZZZZ!!!* A bee had made it into my helmet!! I began to try to rip off my helmet, but it was too late ##whammo## I let out a girlish shriek and threw my helmet off to the shoulder and slammed on my brakes. Other riders looked at me like I was some sort of crackhead. I hopped off and found the venom sac in my hairline. Damn that hurt…I got my helmet and shook it out and hopped back on. Yep I was in top gear…ugh! I got back up to speed and my forehead began throbbing. great! I made it to the water exchange and asked the guy if he saw a stinger in my hair- obviously that was asking to find a needle in a haystack. I pedaled on. Pissed off I got my speed back.
I began to see Sprint traffic coming the opposite way on the road and knew a left hand turn was ahead. WTF…I had to stop in the road to wait for a pack of sprinters to pass before I could make my turn. Piss Poor there. I hammered on. Around mile 17, I got spongy in the rear as I pedaled…I thought to myself, great I bet I have a flat now…yahtzee!!! Flat my disk was. I pulled over and was sunk. I stood there with my bike on the ground and blurted out a ‘you have GOT to be kidding me!’ as I ripped off my can of PitStop (which I’ve never used before. i stuck it on the nipple and gave it a push…*PSHHHHHHHOOOOOOSHHHHHHHSHHHH!!! White foam EVERYWHERE. Apparently, it wasn’t in straight enough…good grief. Jennifer road by at this moment as I started going insane and laughing to myself. She yelled out at me and I told her to GO GO GO!! I got some foam in my tire and still had to use C02 to get the pressure right. I stuffed my tri top with my mess of cartridge and can. and hopped on my bike and began to hammer off… I heard jingling off in the distance and wouldnt you know it…dogs. A boxer and some mutt came tearing around the house and coming directly at me. And nope they didn’t look like they were stopping. Hello sprint interval. I turned it on and obviously the dogs did too… the boxer was about a foot off my ankle as he snarled and rawred. I just about grabbed my water bottle to chuck when he turned off…hey at least I was up to speed and fast!
I had a good 24mph pace back into T and as I made my way to the dismount, I popped off my shoes and swung my leg over and rode out the stretch. I had to slow to a crawl as a MTB’er sprinter blocked my way…I eventually just put my bike on my shoulder and took off running past him and into T.
Night orienteering, mass start with clubmates.
Got in many great runs with my little brother before he left for college this summer. Won’t soon be forgotten.
This summer I ran my first running event. It was a run for companies where you could take part with your fellow Co-workers. The running-virus got me infected. Now I train for a HM.
Cheers,
Daniel
Best summer training memory; throwing rocks at dogs while being chased down gravel roads in rural Ontario. I managed to see a fair amount of wildlife too while running: a black bear, beaver, coyote, and a couple porcupines.
Sub 3-hour marathon, happy days.
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I love the super early, pre-dawn training runs so that I can get my run in before it gets too hot. Then, it’s pool time with the family.
Best summer training memory? It’s from my learn to run 10K course in 2009, where the people who were left at the end of the course ran 10K on the last night. The route as laid out was about 11K, it was getting rather dark at the end, and a couple of people got lost part way through. But we all made it, and stayed running the whole time. And then we triumphantly went out for drinks!
last year and the local 5M race and just beating the pants off of the XC girls that ran when we were all back in high school. it was awesome.
Best summer memory? Waking up early to beat traffic to get to the race, only to find out that the race was on Sunday, not Saturday. I guess I really beat the traffic that time.
I’d love this little beauty. I recently finished my first half marathon so I’m really excited about improving my running skills.
One entrie, thanks. Jorge
One entrie. Patriciagarridolopez@yahoo.com
Finished my first olympic distance triathlon – XTERRA Canmore. It was the most painful fun I’ve ever had ;) the entire course was great, but the bike course was the most fun. Now gearing up for XTERRA Whistler.
Going to see U2 with standing room tickets the night before a half iron and then somehow pulling out a good race on 3 hours sleep and tired legs.
Last summer, training for Ironman Arizona in the peak of summer. We were always fully baked by the end of our long rides. Jumping straight into a pool from the bike feels better than anything.
When i for the first time hit a 300w ftp, that was a moment to remember :-)
Was 43 miles into a 44 mile ride on my 5-day-old Specialized carbon fiber road bike, and I hit something slimy on the bike trail and wiped out. Trashed the bar tape, scratched up the brake levers, dented by helmet, and messed up something in my shoulder. Bike’s okay, shoulder… not so great.
Of course, as I’m falling down on the trail, I’m thinking ‘SAVE THE BIKE!’ I had to bike the final mile with road rash, bleeding, and covered in ‘goo’.
Keep up the good work. Thanks for the giveaway.
Completing my first 100 mile century with 10,000+ ft of climbing….bonus….feeling great at the end.
Discovering the network of trails in the hills surrounding the town I’ve just moved to. It took just one such run to convert me to dirt.
Post delivery of our first baby, while relieved that mom and baby were both healthy and recovering, i took it back and cranked out the rocky soundtrack on repeat until I couldn’t go any further. That was a solid moment for me.
Running my first 10K in 95+ temperatures, stopping at every water stop (including the toilets), having to walk several times due to the heat/lack of fitness and forgetting to put on anti-chaf cream and paying the price the week afterwards.
I loved every minute of the race and have been racing for the past 3 years since :-)
biking 110 miles to a wedding in upstate NY on a beautiful day. Getting majorly lost on the way, barely making the festivities on time!
On August 27th, I set a new PR for a 100k at the Hotter ‘N Hell Endurance Ride in Wichita Falls, TX. Previous PR was 3:37…new PR – 3:06!!! One of my best rides ever!!!!
My first age group award at a very small (enough) trail race. A complete surprise!
Running at 10pm with a heat index of 112 degrees….Summer in the South!
Much different than the last decade of summers in Vermont…I keep telling myself the heat will make me strong, it is definitely making me sweat.
I’m hoping(more like dreaming) my best race memory will be this Friday or Sunday if I win my age category at Masters Nationals in Bend, OR!
Easily the best moment for me was the first IM I completed. Hearing my name called after such a long day and a year of hard training with my family cheering in the background was one of the happiest moments of my life!
Pacing my older brother in his first road race, the local 5 mile race. He ended up running at an average pace of 1.5 minutes faster than any of his training runs. I was really proud of him for pushing through the pain and being able to see what he can actually do!
Thanks for the giveaway! Best memory of the summer – completing a sprint tri at 4 months pregnant before taking the next 5 months of from any serious training!
MTB Epic stage ride with buddies on 2009 in Puerto Rico called Transcordillera…
Ray,
Another great giveaway! Taking the training wheels off my daughters bike. Now she is the best pacer for about 3 miles.
Clinton from North Carolina
My favorite memory of the summer was during the great river ragnar, my teammates met me with a home made sign saying” highest point of ragnar” after i ran a huge hilll. Made my day!
Last time I was just so happy to see the finish line because I made it in a good time and was speeding up as I was getting closer to the finish line
Having my 2 girls cross the finish line with me in my 1st triathlon! Getting to share it with them was well worth it.
Training for my first half in the Georgia heat!
Here in SF we haven’t seen Summer yet! Regardless, qualifying for Kona at IM Texas was my best memory. Running in 90 degrees and 70% humidity is not fun, but prevailed!
I kinda want the rake…NOT!
TN runner
Did my first triathlon (sprint distance)this summer at age 57 – it was awesome!
Did my first official Triathlon (Sprint ==> you have to start somewhere) on saterday 28/8/2011 :-)
A hot summer day trail running with light/cool rain!
My best summer training memory is stepping on that scale after 2 to 2.5 months and seeing that I lost 25 lbs!
completing the knysna half marathon for the first time. a cracking run that starts in the middle of a forest and works its way towards the lagoon. only in south africa!
a good friend of mine was supposed to run San Diego RnR half with me this year. But two weeks before, her cancer came back. Stage IV so they had to start treatment right away. She was far too sick to travel much less run so I ran the race for both of us and got her her medal!
Long live summer.
Finally getting Vineman Full distance race in the bag after blowing up a couple of years ago.
I started reading your blog recently and have enjoyed it. I’m going to enjoy it even more now that I’ve learned you give away cool stuff.
Running the 10k Charleston bridge run and seeing volunteers hand out donuts with 2 miles to go! Cmt268
While training for a 100-mile Tour de Cure ride in September, I increased my mileage until I was riding about 32 miles, jumped up from about 24 miles previously. It was a hilly route, and I took off a bit faster and harder than I usually ride so that my riding partner wasn’t slowed down TOO much! By the time we were getting to about the 26-mile point, I was feeling it! We had stopped once previously to rest a bit, drink some water, and refuel. Then we stopped again at a local store to get some Gatorade and the like. I ate a Snickers (packed with peanuts!), drank my Gatorade, and kept on riding. We stopped one more time, at an intersection where my riding partner left to go back to his place, and I kept going. It wasn’t until that stop that I started doing better. I finished the ride in about 3 hours, stops included, and while I felt tired, I also felt pretty good for having ridden such a hilly route at the pace we rode that I ended up finishing pretty strong, all things considered. We’ve since ridden that same route more times, and I’ve increased my pace and lowered my times on it each time. It’s a standard route, now.
Rainmaker:
Looking forward to put the new Timex Ironman GPS watch through its paces once its available in October.
Felix
any run or ride with my best friend and training partner…….. Iron Zippy.
My best summer training memory was on vacation in the Grand Tetons. My brother and I woke up before sunset. He drove around and took pictures and I did a sunrise run as the sun poked beautifully over the Tetons.
Finishing my first Ironman
it’s crazy how many comments you have for this giveaway!! Put me in for the rake! :)
Running Savage Race, a mud run in Clermont, FL. 20min after finishing a savage rain storm took out the vendors and the after party. Definitely will not forget that race! + it was totally fun.
Running the Chuckanut 50KM race in Bellingham and rebounding to feel good at mile 28 and finish strong instead of letting the course beat me that day.
My favorite summer memory is setting a new PR in an olympic distance triathlon. Thanks DC Rainmaker.
Finishing the Nautica NYC Tri- my first Oly, my 2nd tri w/ and OWS. Great motivation for next year.
My favorite training was when I was 10 and I streak across the neighborhood. woot woot!
My first run in the mountains of Park City Utah. Spectacular scenery, beautiful day, mild conditions, what more could you ask for.
After a long time off the bike I’m getting to see improvement after riding pretty steady but there was one hill I was afraid to take on but what the hell I’ll go anyway and much to my surprize I made the climb it was hard but I did it, I’m coming back, YEA!
Larry Brown
bromasi@email.com
My favorite running memory is racing at CCRI and making varsity 7 for the first time in the pouring rain :) we had so much fun!
I don’t have many summer training or race memories as I’ve just recently start running but I am looking forward to making some.
My son typically naps from 1-3pm, so my memory of summer training is starting from Iwo Jima when the day was SUPER hot and doing my long runs on either Saturday or Sunday. I’d get back to the cat, sweaty, would guzzle a G2, and head home.
I legitimately beat my training partner in first ever 5k race. That felt good!
My best memory this summer was my first podium finish. 3rd in my division. And it was an amazing race to boot.
Running near Guaiba lake in Porto Alegre – Brasil (my hometown)and watching the sunset then I`d go home and enjoy a nice swimming pool.
Hi Ray, I finished my first 1/2 IM distance triathlon 3 weeks ago and even though it was a tough one (up to 100 F heat), it felt great to finish!
riding uphill Passo Stelvio (Stilfser Joch) was my greatest highlight this season
I really only started running this year. My first “run” was with a friend of mine that has been running awhile. It was Memorial Day weekend, I told her sure I would run with her. So she said be ready at 7:30 am. I got up and went with her. I suspected we would just run around town. But she said we would hit this trail up first to get our heart rates up! This “trail” was half mile straight up hill( or it seemed that way). 3/4 of the way up i was looking for a place to lose my dinner from the night B4. We finally got close to the top and I said I was done!! She said ” If you can’t run you are at least going to do LUNGES”!! Needless to say I shaped up b4 I went with her again.
I really only started running this year. My first “run” was with a friend of mine that has been running awhile. It was Memorial Day weekend, I told her sure I would run with her. So she said be ready at 7:30 am. I got up and went with her. I suspected we would just run around town. But she said we would hit this trail up first to get our heart rates up! This “trail” was half mile straight up hill( or it seemed that way). 3/4 of the way up i was looking for a place to lose my dinner from the night B4. We finally got close to the top and I said I was done!! She said ” If you can’t run you are at least going to do LUNGES”!! Needless to say I shaped up b4 I went with her again.
gutterman103@hotmail.com
First open water triathlon, 6 foot swells and the swimming section almost got cancelled. Being one of the first to the buoy, and promptly getting tangled in it and almost drowning…
Best training this summer was a week mountain biking in Catalina.
Running the 1st annual barrel to keg relay in Oregon.
Well winter is just finishing here in Oz, but best part of winter was my baby daughter being born, now looking forward to a great summer.
My first triathlon with an open water swim. First I panicked, then I got through it.
My first tri with an open water swim. I panicked, but I got through it and had a great bike and run.
I think it was the summer (Aussie summer time)of 2008 and the Rip to River (link to riptoriver.oceangroveslsc.asn.au) run was held in the very high 30 degrees (celcius). It was memorable for the heat. And all the training we put in was pointless. But after the run the surf was just fantastic.
started running on huarache type sandals for my 10K training. got me a couple of big blisters on my left foot and one on my right foot. this sure tells a lot how my running form is.
Breaking 1:40 for the Gold Coast half marathon (6min quicker than my previous PB)
Running 35 minutes and Finishing 2nd in a 10km race last week after an awesome few months training was sweet!
Always warm over here in Singapore, recently completed the Port Dickson Tri, which was very enjoyable experience.