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.
60 minutes on the trainer at FTP!
I am planing to try cross country skiing becasue my country is covered in snow and running is only for the tough.
Training for the Dam tot Damloop (16km Netherlands).
1/ 3 x 11 km during the weekday (with increasing pace)
2/ 1 x 16 km during the weekend
Repeat 1 and 2 until September 22nd 2013, with the goal of doing the Dam tot Damloop in 01:10.
1 hour at a medium pace, goal of 6-6.5 miles.
10 min w/u
6 x 1 mile @ hm race pace w/ recovery down to 120 bpm
10 min c/d
3-4 beers
Swim:
SETS DISTANCE ROUTINE
2 200 EASY
1 700 steady
1 200 kick
1 200 25b /25e /25h /25e
1 200 PULL
1 100 EASY
20 mile run to train for the marathon I’ve got coming up in 2 weeks. Beech Drive + Capital Crescent Trail.
Run 7miles in the snow and slush while doing 6 x 3 minute repeats at 6:30 pace. The faster I go the more and higher the splatters of mud are on my backside!
Run a half marathon next to the beach all along !
Running on the treadmill tonight and an hour long bootcamp class tomorrow morning. Awesome giveaway! Thanks!
1h 30min easy xc-skiing on saturday! Yay!
Warm up with some barbell presses, deadlifts, and squats – easy/deload week.
Quick 7 min AMRAP of 7 burpees, 10 KB Swings.
Finish with a Tabata run on the treadmill – 20 sec ‘on’, 10 sec ‘off’ for 8 rounds with incline at 10%.
This sunday I’ll do a long run along the seaside. Interval training 1km fast 1km slow and so on.
Race Escape from Alcatraz and don’t die.
I want to go for a long slow run on sunday, somewhere around the 2 hour mark.
Got a 9 mile training run Saturday. Trying to keep pace under 9:00min/mi. Hopefully it’s not too cold!
25k trail running. Mud, Ice and +500 alti. meters. Great fun
Well, I’ve been having underfoot pain lately. I run more than usual and I played volleyball. Based on my web researches, I would have a Plantar fasciitis. Until it’s confirmed by the doctor, I’ll take the running easy. Maybe a few 5Kms on the treadmill… ;-((
Workout: Crutch up and down three flights of stairs. I’m injured :/
1h 30min easy xc-skiing on saturday!
Hockey on Friday and Sunday and a spin in there somewhere too!
15 mile long run at moderate pace.
1.5 h ride at 35-36 km/h on a cycle trek followed by 50 min run at 155-160 bpm this Saturday.
Bike:
Warm up 30min…
Long and Big hill in hardest gear possible 4-6 min long, remain seated…
Coast spin down, Repeat for 1 hr…
cool down easy spin 15 min @ 90rpm.
BRICK!!
Ride 2.5 hours on the trainer followed by 1.5 hour run.
Looking forward to it!
Back in the pool to see if I can swim a mile without dying.
battling a bad knee, so no running in the next 7 days. However, riding’s still good. So I’m of to abuse my quads on some hills for the next 2 hours.
I am training again for a 10k. So each week I work on my time up and just workout on a good day! I also work on my abs after each run which is 5days a week! My goal is 9 minute mile!
After nearly two months of different illnesses, just a case of getting on my mountain bike and doing a few miles without collapsing and then falling off!!
Warm up (15mins ish)
Reverse pyramid run (all at 5:30min pace):
750m
250m rest
500m
250m rest
250m
250m rest
100m sprint
250m rest
250m
250m rest
500m
250m rest
750m
Warm down
Adding weight training 3X week to round out my training properly.
Intervals!!!! 5,7,5,7,5 x 5 minutes @ 4:30pace (km!) with a 90 second rest period (easy-run) + warm up and a cool down! After that, chocolate milke! :))))
Easy 30 min swim tomorrow; back in the pool post-illness.
This is awesome!! I would just about die for a Garmin 910XT. Focus on the “nearly.” It’s not much use to me dead.
Since I just finished a marathon, I’ve let the run workouts slip around and slack a bit while I recover. I’m back on the bike, however, and it’s time for hill training!
WU: 10 minute free spin (just work the legs out and stretch)
3x 8 minute RAMP (2 min. at an easy push, 2′ at medium push, 2′ at a hard push, and 2′ free spin)
2x 5′ medium spin and 2′ free spin
20x 30″ hill climb (as high resistance as I can manage) with 30″ rest in-between
2x 10′ medium spin and 2′ free spin
5′ free spin to cool down
Bike Session
10-15 minute warm up
2 x 16 minutes as 2 minutes at z4/2 minutes @z5
with 4 minutes recovery in between then 2 x 10 minute “hills” @FTP at sub 75 rpm
Cool Down for 30 seconds probably!
Swim:
2 x 200 easy
400 pull buoy
3 x 100 hard (20 sec)
300 pull buoy
200 easy
Next Saturday I will go for a 10Km easy run to test a new route. It will be an exploratory run! :D
I have to do my once-every-second-month virtual sprint TT run and bike:
5k run (normally done within a 5k / 10k race since the adrenaline helps with speed) for a longer segment take the fastest 5k.
11 mile bike ride, normally done up and down Canada Rd here in the Bay Area.
Ride 4hrs Sat. Getting in shape for helicopter skiing…
Tomorrow I will do a flash session on my bike that stands on the balcony in 0 Celcius. At least I don’t sweat to much! And I’m close to my son when he is asleep in the bedroom next to the balcony. :)
I’d like to get 6 miles in the shoes. Rolled my ankel 2 weeks ago, so still a bit cautious.
An hour run with a couple intervals in the middle as follows: 2 x 1 miles @ TP, 1 mile @ EPas recovery between each. Remainder of time @ EP.
I am just off to a turbo session with my local triathlon club. Only been going for a few weeks so it will be endless suffering as I am simply not fit enough. An hour of hell trying to keep up with a spinerval DVD. maybe it gets easier.
Parkrun. 5 km time trial. Max effort. With 2 km jogged warm up and cool down either side.
traveling – so hoping to get a 6 mile run in a couple days. If I was home, I have been enjoying a one hour boot camp followed by a Z2 swim
1 x 400 free
4 x 600 free
7 km running @5:30 with warm up 5min @ 6:30
Cool down 5 minutes @7:00
Run 15 minutes on a soft surface. That’s it- rehabbing achilles.
Warm up 20′
4 x 4′ (90% MHR) with 3′ recovery recovery between repeats
finally 15′ cool down.
Swim:
200 choice stroke (kick every 4th length)
200 drills- catch up, 1 arm fingertip drag)
200 pull-
6×50 w/:15 rest (#1: 25 FAST/25ez, #2: 25ez/25FAST, #3 all ez, repeat)
2 x [50 RACE w/:10 rest
50 easy/recovery w/:30 rest
100 RACE w/:10 rest
200 easy pull w/2:00 rest]
3×150 w/:20 rest (free/non-free/free by 50)
200 cool down
18 mile run on sunday gearing up for April marathon
Trying to get into Spring mode. Increase daily run home from 3.5 miles to 9 milles then gradula drop in time from 1h 20m to 1h 08m.
The old standard 2×20′ @ FTP w/ 4′ recovery between.
Just 4h training on my bike in the cold (too cold) belgium! Fartklek training, burned my legs in some hills! :)
Brick in reverse: 8 mile bike followed by a 500 yard swim.
Swim AM
Warm up 300 yds
500 yds sw; 400 yds pull; 300 yds kick; 200 yds sw; 100 yds pull
cool down 200 yds – total 2,000 yds
Run PM
40 minutes at race pace.
Still rehabbing my pulled Achilles, so most of my workouts(?) are my lunchtime walks (6km/day – don’t laugh!), with the occasional round trip bike ride to/from work (11km each way). Taking it easy.
Oh geez, you had to ask now? :P
I’ll be racing Ironman New Zealand, 3rd iron-distance and first time I’ll be racing against the big girls in 25-29…
Going for the first 100km bike ride!
– 2km 5:30-5:40
– 2km 5:20
– 6km 5:10
– 4km 5:00
– 2km 5:30
At the moment i do a lot of Block training, like Biking(Trainer) /Running, Swimming/Biking
6×800 meters at 6:00/mile pace with 30 minutes rest between each rep.
Treadmill
5 min WU
Select the random workout
Select level 10
Run for 5 minutes at 6.5 mph
Run for 5 minutes at 7.3 mph
Run for 5 minutes at 6.5 mph
Run for 5 minutes at 8.0 mph
Run for 5 minutes at 6.5 mph
Run for 5 minutes at 8+ mph
5 more minutes at 6.5 mph
Cool down
Easy half hour run, rehab from torn meniscus.
3 hour long run at 65% goal marathon pace.
MTB Cycling Power Workout
Z1 15’ – Warmup
Z2/Z3 – 10 sprints 8-10’’ interval
Recover 5’ between sprints
Z2/Z3 – Time Trial
Z1 20′ – Cooldown
I plan to use the rowing machine and try to beat my last time for 500 meters. Then I want to see what time I will get for 1000m!!!
On Sunday I will be spinning instructor in the morning, and then I will make some LTHR intervals and maybe a little strength training.
4x1600m speed work without dropping pace followed by an awesome 8k tempo with hills. Weeeeeeee!
Sunday 20 mile long run, will aim for 8:15 pace. Its the first 20 miler of the training for my first marathon and itwill equal my longest run to date.
As a cycling weekend warrior:
Sunday kitchen sink workout.
20 min Warmup
4*20 min Zone 3
60 min Zone 2
20 min FTP Finisher
10 Cooldown
My Thurs. Workout:
–Warm up 1 mile followed by some active stretching to loosen up.
–Hill Repeats: 2X10 mins. with 2 min recovery. (hill is a steep 1/4 mile, climbs done at the same pace as descents)
–Cool down 1 mile followed by core.
Saturday: first groupride of the year with a fast-paced group I usually ride with in the summer.
Actually I wanted to do that first group ride last Saturday, but due to the cold (-5℃) nobody showed up, and it turned into yet another solo ride for me.
Hope I’m ready! :-)
Good giveaway!
15 mile long run on Saturday, to specific pace, followed by a large breakfast. My first triathlon of the season is in 1.5 months and I said I would start swimming in March…so perhaps I will swim this weekend as well…
Hope all is well abroad!
I have a 25 km nordic ski workout planned at Eldora (west of Boulder). 3 laps of a loop that is a little over 8 km. A little over an hour and a half at just under threshold (and sometimes over because of the hills).
Coming back from a calf tear, so my goal workout for the week is to run 5mi without my calf seizing up into a ball of pain.
6 mile run, flat, 7:45 pace.
Offseason has stretched pretty long this winter… Sunday funday will consist of a baby brick to spark the fire again!
I’m planning on running about 8 miles of hills on Saturday and a short 3-4 mile flat run Sunday.
laps around Hains Point.
one donut rewarded for every two laps completed.
trying so desperately to commit to running after taking almost a year off.. going to do a few miles on the treadmill until i can’t feel my legs..
Swim on Wednesday after defeating a bad cold!
10 mile tempo run – every Tuesday.
My first time running 26.2 is planned this weekend: the Asheville Marathon. I know a lot of people see the events themselves as goals, I try to see it as part of a bigger journey. Cheesy, I know, but if I let myself think of such occasions too much as goals then I let myself rest contentedly for far too long after the event. But if I make myself think of even the events as part of a lifestyle, it’s easier to continue the lifestyle.
One kilometer at a time, run 100 kilometers before Sunday: some faster, some slower, trying to keep a big smile meantime! :)
Tonight – Boulder at the indoor Rock Gym
Tomorrow – workout with PT
Saturday:
I should swim; and/or bike on the trainer; Will also do Boot Camp; Might climb
Swim session:
12×25 Easy on 10s rest
6×50 Steady on 10s rest
4×75 25 Easy, 25 Mod-hard, 25 Steady on 10s rest
3×100 Steady on 10s rest
6x 400 on no more than 15s rest
ODD 400s are swim continuous with the 2nd and 4th 100 swum fast; EVEN 400s you take 5s rest after each 100 and swim the 1st and 3rd 100s Fast.
Saturday morning Intervals with double jogging stroller (35lb 3 y/o + 15lb 4 month/o; both growing which gradually increases effort)
there is a gravel road by my house with a slight incline (.5-1%), run down hill 0.4 miles slow, sprint back up, repeat 10 times.
I am working on adding length to my swimming workouts. Next week I’m up to 1200 yards:
400 yards rest, 200 yards rest, 4 x 100 yards, then 4 x 50 yards. Should be interesting. I can already see changes in my swimming since the beginning.
7 miles on snow packed snowmobile trails in the Arapahoe Forest wearing my Kahtoola microspikes to get some speed. Trying to keep my heart rate up above Zone 3 the whole time.
Swim:
W/U 1000
MS: 2000 at race pace
5 x 200 sprint
W/D 500
90 minute endurance trainer ride.
1 mile warmup; 5 x (400 @ 85% 100 easy jog, 400 @ 85% 100 easy jog, 100 walk); 1 mile warm down.
In preparing for my first half marathon in two weeks, my hope is that when I go out for my 11 mile long run this weekend that don’t get lost and end up doing over 13 like I did last weekend.
Run 53 minutes on the treadmill, alternating between 7% and 1% every 2 minutes.
Well, I plan to do 8 intervals 1000m @ 3:30/km with a rest of 400m @ 6:00/km. And the plan for this spring is to run 10km faster than 35 minutes :)
On the trainer:
Normal 20 minute warm-up
2 pieces of 15 minutes each at z4
10 minutes z1 rest in between
recover for 5 minutes
15 minutes z2
cool down for 5 minutes at z1
Bike Riding on tuesday 5 am
30 min warm up
3x
13 min subthreshold interval
6 min recovery
30 min cool down
Thanks to your excellent guidance, I am now a Trainer Road devotee. I plan to do Guyat tomorrow morning (5 am!)
link to trainerroad.com
Cheers,
Jeff
Trying to commute to work by bike all 5 days next week, 135 miles in the week. Slowly been building up since the new year but have always driven at least 1 day.
13 mile tempo run through Palos Verdes.