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I’m DC RAINMAKER…
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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.
Personally I spend more time on the trainer and treadmill. The other thing is a lack open water swims, I like cold water but frozen water is a bit to much for me.
I run all winter, down to zero degrees. I love winter running! I wear icebug studded shoes, wool hat and socks, UA compression underlayers and I’m good to go. Great on the joints, beautiful, quiet. Ps: would love this watch ;)
I continue to run outside unless it’s really too cold !
My training regime doesn’t change much, except for my diet :). I train indoors mostly, pool and treadmill at the gym, and bike on the trainer at home. If the weather gets to high 50s I’ll go run outside.
Question: How do you adapt your training schedule for winter? Do you change sports altogether, or do you happen to be one of those lucky ducks living in Hawaii?
Answer:
Onfurtunatly I live in the cold and wet Netherlands. So no TT-biking for me in winter.
First of all: I grow a beard (I name it my ‘off-season beard’). It makes me feel heroic because of the epic adventures (ahum) I did in the summer. IAnd a beard is nice and warm in the winter. The bike stays home, but I keep on running and hiking. I also might visiting the pool from time to time. Between endurance adventuring I also do some climbing and free-falling, to keep the thrills alive.
Running shoes and road bike give way to snowshoes ,skis, and Mtn bike. Outdoor salt gives way to indoor chlorine.
In winter I run as much outdoors as I can provided it’s not crazy windy or icy. But when weather conditions don’t allow me outside I’m indoors on the trainer
Adapting my winter schedule consists of finding an indoor pool with swim classes for our two year old son. He’s training for an Ironman. My part is purely for motivational support.
Climate and city goverment’s policy in Moscow aren’t particularly friendly to outdoor activity in winter, streets are covered with liquid mud, even at -15C, so swimming pool and gym are the most rationale choice at this period
I do a combination of indoor running/swimming and commuting to work in the dark. Weather in Seattle is rarely extreme enough to eliminate all riding.
When winter hits in Northern Alberta, we don’t stop training outside until -20C or so, any colder and it gets harder to breathe. Supplement with some offseason strength training. I’m a runner so I don’t have to worry about pools or bike trainers or anything so fancy.
I’m lucky enough to live in sunny San Diego! I can ride all year round! Cheers!
I switch from riding on the roads to riding my mtn bike on the trails. I hope I win !!!
Winter in Sydney? Brrrrr a freezing 15-25 degrees c (59 – 77 f). I only need to put on a long sleeve top for a few weeks a year and year-round shorts! No change in sport at all!
Cold weather gear and try to stick with current training.
Late fall: CX
Winter: InsideRide rollers + get out on drier days (for Seattle), add some strength training
I take my training indoors with Trainer Road and Sufferfest videos.
Winter in the mid-Atlantic region of the US is not terribly cold. The problem is fewer daylight hours. So no early morning or evening runs for me!
I increase my red wine intake to build a thicker layer of insulating fat for those long, cold early morning Sunday rides!
Switch to indoor biking with running between the Irish showers.
I just go to the gym and do my regular runs in there. Not the best option, but pretty comfortable.
I live in SC, so although it is not Hawaii weather, it remains bearable to be able to ride almost all year round, as well as run. On days of rain or if it does get too cold I ride my trainer and run on the treadmill at the YMCA in our community. As far as swimming goes, I swim at our community’s outdoor pool, and when it gets cold I use the YMCA’s indoor pool. I pretty much do as much as I can outside now that I live in SC, after moving here from Upstate NY!
How do you adapt your training schedule for winter? Do you change sports altogether, or do you happen to be one of those lucky ducks living in Hawaii?
i live in San Antonio, TX, so I can train most of the year. I decrease my miles but try to keep the intensity up by doing a few races as time and motivation permit!!
Very nice! I think now a day ist the best sport watch
I am not living in Hawaii but I did retire to Goodyear Arizona. Did a 52 miler this AM and had to wear long pants and arm warmers. How awful! Beats the heck out of the temps where I came from in Illinois ?
Dress warmer and enjoy the winter mornings.
I live in Canada so it gets pretty cold and snowy.
I have a trainer in the basement and I also do biathlon as cross training. I swim a lot as I do water polo and I take an occasional run
Living in a tropical country in Asia. Don’t get to experience winter here but weather is nice for running and biking.
I’ll be running in the snow and taking picture of the beautiful frozen lakes nearby. I’m looking forward to falling down and getting a soar bum everyday. Would love to have a garmin with me on the runs:)
Living in Brisbane, QLD, Australia means Winter is prime MTB/CX racing season, so lots of semi brisk mornings out on the MTB trails which are dry and powdery due to our lack of winter rains. Races every week/fortnight means training is not so much a build up to an event, but more a constant top up without over doing it.
Just move it indoors.
I´m from Mexico right now the weather is mild here (75 F), in the following weeks the temperature will be lower about 50 F or less, but I will continue exercising, with some layers on!
I do kettlebells in the winter when the snow is around, then run and kettlebell when the weather’s nicer.
Just ignoring the cold, grabbing another layer and digging a bit deeper. There’s no bad weather, just poor clothing…:-)
I don’t live in a temperate place. I live in a place that can be kinda a shithole for most of winter. I just keep cycling outside (I’m the crazy one bike commuting in a foot of snow) although I occasionally do add in some longer indoor sessions.
Some QT with the trainer and add in some snowshoeing.
I’m going to switch from bike rides to turbo trainer.
Winter is not coming…I train all year.
As I live in the northeast of Brazil, it doesn’t have winter at all!
So, I ust keep training the usual way.
I try to stay on schedule. Just dress warmer!
I switch to an indoor bike and treadmill when the weather becomes unbearable.
I move to the treadmill
A whole lot of night running, XC skiing on weekends, and some trainer thrown in.
Living in Brisbane training in winter is awesome – it’s the summer I need to worry about meaning very early starts to avoid the heat!
I keep on running all winter, only putting on more clothes and a headlight. We can get a very cold winter in the south of Sweden but most of the time it will be around zero and some rain.
In winter I increase the food intake, cut back swimming and riding and try and do a run here and there and wait for summer to arrive.
I live in Japan so winter is similar temperature to France with less rain. I end up varying my sport in summer when high temp and humidity stops me running.
Other great benefit in Japan is that it is light in the mornings even throughout winter.
So normally training is easier from now and I plan most of my long term training to start at this time of year.
Just get used to running in the dark in London, failing that spin alot more or invest (or win) some new tech to play with.
In the SF Bay Area, usually an extra layer does it.
Typically move most all bike sessions indoors to a trainer or spin class. Still run outdoors, have collected a good amount of winter running gear over the past few years. Also start back swimming a couple times a week, indoors of course.
Hello out there,
I live in New Caledonia (not sure if you can ship out here, good challenge for clever training !). We’re just getting out of winter, but that’s actually not good news for runners as summers can get very hot and humid down here. I’ll probably just be swimming more, and running more in the forrests and not on the summits: ).
I came here a while ago, and your website helped me choose the 920xt which is great for all sports,but something classier would be just perferct for the night out. And I came back and back again because it’s always a good read (even the rosé wine tech rants).
Keep up the great work.
Thank you
I live in Florida. The winter isn’t too bad. I move swimming from the Gulf of Mexico to a heated pool. I am able to bike and run outside year round. I just have to change the times because I do not like to bike outside in the dark.
Switching from triathlon training to ice canoeing on the St-Lawrence river, à unique wintet sport !
I’m from sunny Singaoore in the tropics, so winter is never an issue. But I usually take a break from running in December to head North to pursue my other passion on snow – downhill skiing!!! Wooosh!
More clothes and and sometimes treadmill.
Fenix 3 would be nice.
Phoenix for 3 months in winter would be nicer.
Fortunately where I live here in Malaysia, its summer all year round. Which also means training can be had all year round albeit hot and humid. But good conditions to train in to better myself for Kona!
With winter comes the cross country season. I take a break from road races and concentrate on either training our racing on Saturdays. I also shift the distance and increase the length of my interval sessions from 5-6 miles to 8-9 miles. This winter I have added a 10 mile tempo run on every Monday, hoping to build my strength for a Spring marathon (London)
Hi,
Greece is not too cold in the winter, most of the time. I swim in the sea March to late November, or mid-December in better years. One can always ride a bike at worst wearing a jacket but most of the time a jersey+baselayer is enough. More often it is about finding the time and the willpower!
Big Zwift fan and also a structured Trainer Road training plan to get me through the winter.
I’m lucky as I live in Australia, so for winter (which only last a couple of months and shall be known as the less hotter months) my training doesn’t change that much, for the handful of cooler days I’ll run with compression 3/4 tights
More training and racing in winter. On come the skins and gloves.
I step up the running, slow down on everything else.
I live in Texas, and I swim outside in January because the pool is spring fed and remains in the high 60s. Cold doesn’t stop a ride outside, but rain puts me on the trainer. Nothing stops a run.
I’m one of the ones that changes sports. I’m eagerly -and daily – watching the webcams from Whistler Blackcomb, as they are opening one mountain (Whistler) early on the 19th, and another on the 26th. I can’t wait.
The Fenix would be an excellent complement to my skiing, and it would be interesting to see if it could pull me from the Suunto Ambit 2S that I wear. I’m happy with the Ambit but disappointed in their apparent lack of continued support for Facebook and other big-name APIs that are changing regularly.
Pick me! Let me see what Garmin is all about!
Winter for me is Adventure Racing Season. Swim, Bike Run and Paddle. Though it doesn’t get very cold in my corner of Australia
Hi Ray,
Living in small Portugal has some perks, part of them related to the weather we get here.
Even though I do have to addapt a bit to winter, such as wearing some running pants, wind blocker and regular running gloves.
Besides that, I also change my training and do more swiming (indoors) hours than before (the water is warm and it’s a really nice way to start the day).
and I just hope to get hands on your Fenix3. :)
Less time to workout means shorter more intense sessions on the rollers/trainer also this is the time of the year where the mountain bike comes out.
It’s a mild Winter in Australia. And a hot Summer! So, more outdoor training in the cooler weather.
I reside in Charlotte, NC so luckily enough the weather remains Ok to get out for runs. I am a wuss when it comes to cold though, so cycle training moves into the group fitness realm – group cycle, spin, compu-trainer classes. Also…I step up my weight training and pick up classes like boxing to keep it interesting.
For winter one bike goes on the trainer (yes, the one you recommended) and I spend more time on the elliptical than roaming around outside at various speeds.
I’m from the north of Germany so from mid october the weather gets progressivly worse. My running schedule stays pretty much the same though, maybe starting a bit sooner after work to make up for the early sunset. However I stop cycling outdoors when the roads become to damp or littered with leafs, had a bad fall last year so I don’t want to take any risks. Instead I joined a spinning class in my local gym. They even let me change the pedals on the bike so I can use my normal road shoes.
I switch to biking or eating depending on the year :)
Same sports but I tell myself mentally to aim for building a strong foundation every winter.
Swimming hurts cause its cold but I spend more time in the hot tub! I hit up the bike in front of the iPad with bluetooth headphones. I do brick runs outdoor but actually enjoy tough sets on the treadmill.
With winter my runs shift more to base building and take place later in the day when it’s warmer. Biking shifts to the trainer with binge watching.
Living in Melbourne winters aren’t to bad so I don’t have to confine myself to the pain cave. But usually back of the riding, commuting isn’t as much fun in the wet, and focus on running aiming for an autumn marathon (if I don’t get to many cold from the kids). Plus a bit of CX or MTB if I can fit it in
Minnesota checking in. Trainers & treadmills when it’s truly ugly – but try to stay outside as much as possible.
Just wish people did a better job shoveling… :-)
I switch from racing crits to doing long long days in the hills.
I put more layers on :)
I’ve been good this year
Pause biking till spring but increasing running and swimming :)
Lots of hour on the trainer an thread mill and a occasional run outside when is not snowing or freezing.
Just keep on keeping on.
In SoCal, so usually only a couple weeks of non ride-able, non run-able weather (relatively socal speaking). This year I got a gym membership to make sure I dont let the cool weather hold me back, but mainly so I can swim and try triathlons. Otherwise, its the KICKR.
Winter? What winter? Looks like there won’t be one this year here in Austria.
I keep it simple – headtorch on head cause theres so little daylight around and Salomon trail shoes on feet to deal with all the muck – and just keep running!
Congratulations on going full time dcrainmaker.com!!
-Conor
I put on my Led Lenser stroboscope and run faster.
Hi! I live in Florianópolis, an island in the South of Brazil, and have changed sports from cycling/triathlon to competitive Stand Up Paddling. Since we (try to) stay out of the water most of the time, and we had a really light winter this year (which recently finished here in the Southern Hemisphere), no adaptation was needed; the major difference is that ‘you dont need to carry as much water for those long training days :-)
I wish you all the best in this new phase of your work, and this year decided to support you through Clever Training.
Just wear warmer clothes and nothing can stop me.
Some sufferfest with TrainerRoad inside
Hi DC,
Love the new Gamrin’s!
“How do you adapt your training schedule for winter?” Im in Australia (going into summer now) but for winter i commit to a marathon or ultra trail race just on the start of spring so im committed to stepping up the training throughout winter, also run with a sunday morning group of guys throughout, its been the best thing for my running.
regards
Brian
Down under
I run less, still some and do alot of crosscountry skiing. Always great detailed reviews from you. Keep em coming!
I live in Canada and I run outside no matter the temperature; layers, gators and a good balaclava! I also add in skating and cross country skiing. I will run on the treadmill only if we get an ice storm :)
Doesn’t get too cold in Texas. I maybe add a little bit of basketball.
No change needed in Perth. M
I would spend more time on my (very) weak sport which happens to be swimming. So lots of indoor pool sessions to build up endurance.
Winter means dry and cool weather here in Bangkok, so lots of races and events, like the 200km cycling sportive coming up, or the ultra-half-marathon run we just had.
When winter takes place in Montreal, I go out for quick runs when it is not so cold, and I jump on my I-Vortex Tacx trainer for a training with power. Still, I do not have any suitable gear for my running since I’m new in the running world ! so… this will be a nice watch on me…
I live in the Pacific Northwest. My summer activity is hiking/backpacking. My winter activity is running (to prepare me for my long summer hikes).
Start riding a crappy CLX bike so my nice one doesn’t get ruined by the rain. I try to so to the indoor velodromes AMAP. And sometimes I manage a week of XC skiiing in December.
However, mostly I hide from the rain on an indoor trainer (or rollers)