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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.
Living in the UK not horrendous but I can’t be doing with the cleaning and risk of crashing on mud strewn roads (thanks farmers!) So I dust off the turbo for some dedicated pain time and have decided to take to the boards this winter to see how that helps with TT season 2016 :)
Winter for me means doing most of my training indoors and focusing on strength training, whereas during summer it’s mostly running and cycling outside :)
I recently moved to the (near) the Italian alps, so my winter training will be “learn to ski”. And of course my trusty Tacx will work some hours every week.
trainerseason.. Tracx Neo this year :o)
Hi! When winter and snow comes I use winter running shoes and do also some my trainings with skiis. And in mid winter I used to go somewhere where is warm. For example Spain or some other central european country.
No changes, keep running :)
Mixing Insanity and P90x workouts
Poland, I am Zwifting;)
Where I live we get lots of snow, which means skiing, snowshoeing and ZWIFT!
Sadly, I am weak so I retreat in-doors for the hamster wheel once the temps drop below 40
Free watch…yes please
I run indoors on the treadmill
Computrainer and Trainer Road for the rides, warm clothes for the run.
I do not like indoor training that much …
Lucky duck most of the time, though this year I will end up in Sweden. So I need to make do with bodyweight training.
Here in Texas, winter can be anything from 70*F and sunny to 25*F and snowing. I just add layers as needed when it starts getting colder. If it’s in the 40’s, I’ll still run in shorts, maybe a long sleeve dry-wick shirt and lightweight gloves and a hat or ear warmers.
If it’s really bad, I’ll put the bike on the trainer and ride indoors while watching a movie.
Love to have one.
I live in FL so I don’t have to adjust.
Used to put studded tires on a bike and go on the river :) This winter will probably go to gym though…
More trainer rides and fewer outdoor rides due to fewer hours of daylight and work requirements. Try to offset with more weekend rides.
Here in Sao Paulo, Brazil the winter is not that cold, but when is possible I just change the time I’ll do the exercises instead doing during morning and night that is normally colder, I do at afternoon that is warmer.
I just switch to inside training, trainer and treadmill + track with the local club and switch the open water for the pool.
I do most of my training indoor with my Kurt Kinetic and mountain biking over the weekends on my fat bike!
Winter? Who cares, play in the snow I do.. Mtn bike and run in it. Swimming is in a pool though…haha
I don’t do any!!!
When I lived up in the mid-Atlantic as a runner no changes in training schedule in the winter. Up at a very early hour to train in the dark. Now living in SW Florida for 3 years and a triathlete no worries about changing training for the winter months!
Only negative temps deter me :)
Not changing much as I’ve changed to mostly doing trailtriathlon (XTerra, Cross-duathlons etc.), so I just grab my mountainbike and my trailshoes and have a good time as always.
More dreadmill and trainer out here.
Brave the cold weather here in Kansas City – at least to 0 C. Anything below freezing calls for the treadmill.
Start of cross country running season, so the races get far more interesting!
Ride Outside, no matter what the weather. If it’s way too bad (winter), shovel snow or take a hike in the nearest park.
Get out more layers and the headtorch and mix it up with more MTB sessions and trail running so I can still get outside. Lots of intervals when I am stuck inside to keep me sane.
Would love one to explore measurements in activities other than cycling
Indoors… sigh….
basically activities remain the same
I wear layers and warmer clothes for running outside, and run on the treadmill if it’s raining heavily.
Swimming I switch from Sea to Pool.
Running I add more layers.
Bike from Road to Turbo and out on the mtb at weekends.
:-)
I keep the same schedule but add lots of layers.
During winter months, I move inside and run on the treadmill. This will be my first winter where temperature will be an issue. I just moved from Florida to North Carolina.
In London, I just put on my wooly hat, leggings and gloves and get out there. If you are working hard enough you soon get warm..!
The adaption to the winter for me is to add layers of clothing and keep running!
Hello,
this winter
* more swimming, with more drills and less distance.
* more cycling to get ready for the Ronde Van Vlaanderen 2016
* more gym
* less running to restore my bones and tendons (and toe nails !!)
thanks Ray !
I put on my headlight. Get out my cross country skis and go enjoy winter when its white at night.
Winter time is trainerroad time. Indoor cycling still sucks but TR and sufferfest just make it bearable.
I’ll switch from road to CX bike and ride in the mud – it’s fun! Really!
I adapt by running on he DREADMILL or I wear 10lb of outer gear to run in the snow.
We set up a full on pain-cave in the basement, with a Kickr and a Tacx. We also look for winter sports that will keep us fit, skiing and snowboarding. Finally, the personal training session stay constant.
I’ll take one of those.
I still plan to bike to work 15km in Toronto, but I slapped my winter tires on my bike + all my winter gear combined with indoor bike training for the off days.
more swimming, and then, more swimming
I put more clothes on & run. :-) OK, and I use the treadmill when I don’t feel like facing the Chicago winter.
Just speeding up the pace a bit, running between the rain drops.
Life in California — only real change in the winter is to use the trainer on the rare occasion it actually rains!
Focus my training on turbo and enjoy a nice steady group ride at Z2 at the weekends, throw in some short runs for active recovery and some stretching not to seize up :) then come spring hope its all worked……
Nothing changes, only more layers of clothes :-)
I switch sports from trail running to telemark skiing. It is time to get the skis on. I go to small local resorts near Montreal and climb the hill on skis. No chairlift necessary. I also incorporate more gym time and change the exercise to get ready for ski season.
More time spent inside, no major changes otherways.
I love training out in colder weather as long as you get the right gear, and a treadmill for those rainy winter days!!
would love to win but guess I’d better start saving to buy one.
In the dolomites (IT) its dark and cold when i finish working. More indoor cycling in this period of the year. And as soon as it starts to snow i get out on the ski slopes! ?
Snow shoveling, snowshoeing and a more liberal use of the treadmill is how I adjust for cold winter days.
workout in the afternoon
I don’t change much other than more trainer work! I may swim a little more but run volume stays pretty steady
I layer up and run outside but make more use of the indoor pool in the winter than when it is warmer.
I live in Florida so not many adjustments needed.
I put the bike on the Kickr and add layers and Ice Spikes for runs.
The main difference is the dirt I have to clean from my mountain bike before I take it to bed between my girlfriend and I! :P
It doesn’t rain much here in Socal so it’s just more comfortable riding and running in a cooler weather. :)
North Easterner (US) here, I typically do not change my routine in the winter unless it’s a blizzard out there. I’ll layer up and wear spikes if it’s icy.
Hop on trainer and weight lifting in the basement during the week. Out snowboarding for weekend. I may try X country skiing and velodrome this winter.
Since I practice just running, I have no problems with winter. Dress warmly and here you go. Where there’s a will, there is a way.
Onions have layers, Ogres have layers, and yes by George, people in the Twin Cities train in layers, because the training doesn’t stop just because it is minus 0.
winter training means everything indoors – bike is already on the trainer and running is in the treadmill. Add weekends of downhill skiing to the mix (the Rockies are only a couple of hours away) and that is my winter adaptations.
Mostly I will just try to wear the appropriate clothing, socks, ear warmers, etc. I only started seriously running last spring and prior to that mainly did indoor cardio workouts so I haven’t really been tested yet ;-)
I change as little as possible as I find makes you strong for those spring races, but if the roads are icy the treadmill it is, being hurt makes a spring race not :-)
I run and swim instead of cycling.
longer pants, thermic shirt, and a buff – bring on those winter runs!
Unfortunately I live in rainy Belgium, so winter emphasis is on swimming.
More trainer and treadmill (depending on actual weather conditions) + gym.
No lucky enough to live in hawai, but luck enough to live in Mexico City. Here, winter is cold in the morning and night, but midday is really warm, so all I have to do for my running is add an extra layer (maybe gloves too) in case I’m running in the morning, or just run a little bit later.
I will continue to ride back and forth to work as long as the path is clear of snow and the temp is above 20 degrees F. When I can’t ride, i’ll do a longer treadmill run at lunch.
Trainer in the garage. And Netflix on the iPad.
“During winter, the treadmill becomes my best (and eventually worst) friend.” x2
I end up doing a lot more turbo work and riding a single speed for my 50 mile round-trip commute as there is little to go wrong given fewer parts!
I live pretty far south (in Texas), but mostly switch from biking to running to take advantage of the free speed at colder temps.
Winter training = indoor trainer!! I’m not a cold weather guy.
i hit the trainer every other mornings using Trainer Road and Zwift just to mix it up. I concentrate intervals training and longer indurance rides on the weekend.
I put on some extra layers and just go running
slightly more running and slightly less riding
more snowboarding, and more time on the trainer indoors!
Living in the midwest (US), I do a bit more running indoors on an indoor 1/4 mile track and travel a bit more to the South/Southwest in search of better running weather.
less biking and more running
Time for indoor bike trainer, dreadmill and somehow I forget about swimming ;-)
I live in Houston, TX so I don’t have the toughest weather conditions. I do have trouble getting up and working outside on the weekday mornings and often opt for gym workouts after work. On weekends I do my runs really late in the mornings/afternoon when it’s cooler so I can sleep in!
winter time = indoor trainer and treadmill time. I remodeled a basement bedroom into a “pain cave” and spend hours upon hours sweating it out. when Spring finally rolls around its like being let out of the dungeon!
Nice watch – nice winter runs!
When the snow flies the skis come out.
Time to start skinning and skimo racing
My only adaptation is more clothes and winning the mental game against my fear of cold.
Well, for now I have stopped doing two a days. The cold and lack of light is too depressing to do it twice in a day. I will have to pick it up when I start marathon training again. Other than that I have started my winter beard, every other change is just mental.