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…
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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.
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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!
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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.
wasn’t me but in a group ride last week the president of our cycling club and very experienced rider fell at a stoplight when he forgot to unclip
I’m pretty boring I guess. I don’t have a super funny training story.
Falling off my rollers while trying to use the remote to change the channel on the TV.
i lost my 310 last year and a lot of people find that funny. :(
Realizing a biking partner had used something akin to Mad Alchemy product (if you dont know, look it up) instead of their chamois cream
Hi :-)
“hi”
hi
Hi.
Breaking my chain on a group ride and not being able to fix it with a multi-tool on the road side. I had to get “pushed” by my friends to the closest bike shop since my bike was reduced to a very expensive scooter at that point! The worst part was having to get pushed past the cafe that all the local cyclists stop at and get jeered unmercifully for my predicament!
Probably realizing I was wearing a few of my “snot rockets” from my morning ride while getting coffee after. It looked like I had lost a wrestling match with mutant slugs.
Blowing out a tube and realizing I didn’t have a spare, pushing my bike home.
While on a 80 mile ride with my brother and his friend around the Burlington area, the friend crashed and ended up with a busted wheel and bad road rash. My brother’s spoke broke and the derailer wasn’t working properly. They called a friend to come pick them up. I thought I finished the day unscathed, but with two miles to go, a car door took me out while passing through downtown Burlington. It just wasn’t our day!
Running on what I thought were trails until I came face to face with a rather large cow. We eyed each other for a few seconds and then I beat a hasty retreat.
Finding out after the end of a 5K race that the shirt they had given me and I had put on because I was freezing was on backwards for the whole race…
Hi!
My 305 is on it’s last leg. I could use a replacement.
Not during training, but still one of my favorite stories. Remember the viral video “Powerthirst” from a few years ago? (link to youtube.com) During a race, while running past the aid station, everyone was calling out what they were holding. I heard calls of “water, water, water!” and “gatorade!” until the last table, at which point a young man looks me square in the eye and shouts: “POWERTHIRST!” Needless to say, I took a drink from him, and went on to PR the run!
Clearly I need to start cycling because they have much funnier stories than the runners.
When noobs come ride with us,, my teammates put them at easy by pointing out all the street lights I’ve puked at waiting for the green light. My own personal map of the stars
Gave an old man a thumps up for his terrible driving skills. He thought my thumb was my middle finger, he then proceeds to pull off the road (attempting to door me) and yelling “I am gonna kick your lil ass”. I flew passed his truck, then decdided that a bike vs truck isn’t a good fight. I stopped on the side of the road and waited for him to drive back up to me. I calmly explained that I did not shoot him a bird and he should relax. I don’t think he understood that I would have had no problem knocking out a 70 year old man.
The sheer act of me being addicted to running again after a 25 year hiatus is itself hilarity on a cosmic scale.
However, I remain undeterred in my quest to compete in a marathon by year’s end, regardless of how many 70-something-year-old-ladies with hip problems power walk past me during my training sessions.
I yet endure the shame caused by curious youngsters who ask, “Mommy, what’s wrong with that man? Why is he limping, wheezing and whimpering ‘ouch’?”
And, I persevere with stoic resolve the parental reply, “Oh, it’s just the Couch Potato Comeback, dear,” as they stroll on by — blast them, the speed demons.
But, yes, Rainmaker, oh yes; I endure.
Hi!
I am currently trainig for Ironman Florida 2011. Two weekends ago I got sprayed by a skunk on Saturday’s 70 mile bike ride and was bitten by a dog on Sunday’s 12 mile run. Funny now, but at the time….not so much
“Hi”
As a sailor I have a pretty colorful vocabulary…except while mountain biking. You could have heard the laughing from my girlfriend the first time I fell over and shouted, “Dag Nabbit!”
When running in a group I like to fall to the back and then slap a stop sign with my hand, start screaming in “pain,” and rolling on the ground. Everyone else is so freaked out…I laugh every time!
Hi!
Running on a treadmill on a cruise ship during relatively high seas was a bad choice. Tried to wipe my face with a towel, but lost balance and shot off the back of the machine during a busy gym time on a sea day.
Or
Doing my first sprint set in the dark and running full speed into a heavy gauge wire between two posts. I had a huge bruise across my stomach for about a month. I’m lucky I didn’t cut myself in half.
I wish I had a funny workout moment to share, but I can’t think of anything. I’d love to be entered into the giveaway anyway. Thanks!
Funny in retrospect, awful at the time: here in Texas you don’t get many cold days, so you don’t think much about the “below 32* and the pool is closed” rule. I hopped in at 6am, swam about 500m, and then was given the bad news by a very nice lifeguard. I argued that it surely felt like 33* but he wasn’t having it. Got out, went home, and slept…
Annual event, forgetting to clip out and remembering on the way down that it is time for my yearly zero-speed crash.
Great blog, keep it going.
Rgds K
In college when I rowed, I was put in a pair for the morning practice and it was my first time. I got in the boat with the other rower we were just pushing away from the dock and we both leaned the wrong direction and flipped. We weren’t even 5 feet from the dock. The coach sent us home after we stopped laughing and put the boat back…
Hi :)
Hello DC
Funniest moment was while on a training ride. I stopped to use a water fountain because I had forgotten my water bottle, and as I was pulling away from the water fountain, my foot hit my front tire, and I went down in a heap because I was still clipped in on one side. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t on the corner of a very busy intersection with tons of car around. Very embarrassing.
No funny stories, but sure could use the 310XT! :)
Knocking over the bike rack in my first practice tri.
This is kind of a recurring embarrassing moment, but if I am running on a treadmill and watching something like basketball or tennis, I find myself slowly moving side to side with the action until I’ve nearly run myself off the treadmill. Only once have I actually fallen off the side, though.
Back when I got my try bike I could not wait to get out and ride it. I was gonna fly. I rode a course that was taking me 51 minutes on my road bike so I was surely going to PR. I finish at the light in front of my neighborhood and see 55 minutes. I am dejected. Then I look down and see my front break rubbing the front wheel.
Heading out for a training ride, I noticed the front tire looked a little flat, so I unclogged my right foot and leaned left. Pretty embarrassing to dump the bike right there in the driveway while my wife died laughing in the garage.
Removing wheels to fit 3 bikes inside a car and, after 2 hrs drive, realising that we left one of the wheels in the garage :-)
Leaving T2 in a race with my aero helmet on backwards. Yep I was one of those guys. Luckily I figured it out in the first quarter mile and got it corrected before the race photographer snapped my pic.
I’m only a couple of weeks into group riding and am learning about riding from the Carpenter-Finney classic, “Training for Cycling.” (At least I’m smart enough to read when I’m NOT riding…)
I had just read the section on turning by Davis, who notes that you want to “push the the bike down” as it leans over, which helps with angulation, etc.
Anyway, last turn of the ride is a slightly-downhill ~100 degree right turn. We all spread out in a widely separated single file, and I shoot toward the front. I start the turn with a beautiful pre-turn, and start pushing the bike down. The bike responds by making a beautiful, high-speed arc. I’m thinking, “Wow, I must look great because it feels great. Oh, now it feels like my back wheel just started sliding sideways.” My back wheel “lost purchase” and I went down.
I had to write-up a ride report later to poke fun at my mishap. Still kind of embarrassing to crash in front of the ride group who had just welcomed me in a few weeks earlier.
-yucko@alum.mit.edu
“hi” ! :)
Let’s see……….rode 40km of an 80km ride with my shorts on backwards…we started in the dark early morning so I didn’t notice, just felt kind of funny.
Nothing like running on a busy road when “nature calls!” Had to (very) quickly find some cover for relief! After that I felt like a true runner!
Using a new brand of tri shorts after an hour ride I’m walking around and notice some looks towards my way at shorts level – I gander down and see that there is a fur patch poking through the material – two things learned from that day – don’t use a new piece of equipment in public and man-scape
Riding my bike in my tiny hometown last summer I came to a stop at a stoplight. After a full 30 seconds of sitting stopped with one foot clipped in, I lost my balance and fell over. It wouldn’t have been nearly as funny if there hadn’t been a 70 year old man at the light too. He gave me some advice for next time which I humbly took and moved on.
Hi – Don’t really have any funny training moments…most funny things happen to me during races, etc. Like barrel rolling down a hill during a trail run b/c I tripped…
Hi there.
My funniest moment is watching me try to swim in a straight line. It never fails but I always end up adding a good 200 yds onto my swim. I’ve video of this moment too…sigh..
Once I went on a 40 mi bike ride right when it was getting colder up here in the Midwest. I didn’t have any proper riding pants so I just grabbed a pair of running pants I hadn’t worn in about two years and threw them on over my shorts. About 20 miles into the ride I realized that the pants were really tight and that the blood wasn’t circulating through my legs properly, thus causing some intense cramping. As it was really cold I couldn’t take the pants off so I just pulled them down halfway and finished the ride. Imagine the thoughts that went through peoples heads when they saw me riding with my pants pulled down!
Maybe less funny than gross, but feeling the uncontrollable urge to go #2 on a run… fortunately it was dark, there was a telephone pole backed by woods nearby, and at 6 in the morning in my neighborhood no one is out! Hope that’s worth a forerunner, ha ha
Didn’t happen to me but a friend of mine got bit by a squirrel on his run and had to get a rabies shot just in case … no joke :-)
Practicing peeing on the bike for an Ironman is pretty embarrassing even though I was alone.
“Funniest” moment: Going numb for two weeks after the first time I rode my TT bike…
I’m starting a triathlon blog and added your site as one of my favorites, and found the contest by clicking on my link to make sure it worked. Most of my funny moments involve forgetting clothing needed to train at work during lunch. Driving to the pool and no swimsuit. Getting all changed to run and realizing I had forgotten shoes.
I ran out of water and got dehydrated on a trail run. I started getting dizzy and light headed and my hands and feet started swelling. Luckily I found a short cut to a road. The road had almost no traffic, but after a while a car came. I flagged it down and the older couple inside took me to me car. Thankfully they had some water and cookies in the car. They were pretty worried about me driving, but the recovery was pretty quick for me after getting some water and sugar in my system.
I was on a speed run one morning in the dark, finished and looked at the avg pace to see how I did and I was extremely pleased with what I saw. Yelped in the dark and when I got inside my wife asked why I was making so much noise. Turns out the GPS on the Garmin was off, the footpod didn’t work right, and the avg pace was off by over 30sec per mile…I’ll never live it down around my house.
never wear white tights on a run after a wet poo. tyre marks were visible a mile behind.
-boru
Not necessarily funny, but a fond memory: For my first Tri I didn’t have a road bike so I borrowed one from my friend’s dad. The bike was probably twice as old as me. I felt pretty embarassed with all the shiny TT bikes around me. But during the bike split I met someone with a bike almost as old as mine and he said ‘Nice Bike Man. I thought I had the oldest bike here.’. So, everything was fine again…
Also: Hi.
while doing a run in, a very cute chick crossed the street, I kept looking and looking and not paying attention to where I am going and did not notice a wide canal in front of me. I fell into it. most embarrassing thing is that just across the street was a bus stop full of people waiting for their ride… tsk!. i just pretended as if nothing happened and went on my way. it was quite a while before i ran along that same road where the bus stop was as i was so embarrassed someone would recognize me. :P
Learning to ride a bike that turns the wrong way. You turn left and it goes right.
Hi Ray!
One chilly May afternoon we were on the river doing strainer training (Swiftwater Rescue Training) where you have to swim over a fake strainer/tree in the water. I went over the strainer but as I was under I hit a submerged rock with my ‘privates’ and ended up crawling out of the water holding my crotch because it hurt so bad. If you think it doesn’t hurt girls to get hit down there…you’re wrong! I was black and blue for a couple of weeks after that…
Many a funny moments training. Whether it be the invisible crack I have tripped over while running only to pop up quickly to see how many cars were driving by at the time, or trying to run on ice in the dead of winter and feeling pretty good until I try to round a corner too quickly… Too many to count!
Thanks for the awesome site and of course your generosity.
Hi! Love the blog and reviews.
Running past a group of older ladies and having them whistle as I passed by. LOL
Having what was one of the greatest runs I’ve had where I completed a 10k training run an a 7min mile pace, chatted with some runners on the way home as I passed, felt great about myself, sat on the toilet after the run and looking at the watch to review my splits, sweaty hands drop the watch on its face, crack the screen and there goes my old 310xt.
Hi! Hi… good job!!
Definitely falling over in front of a bunch of people because I was tired and didn’t unclip fast enough. I also posted on Facebook.
Swimming in bath tub-warm water at Lake Anna with the DC Rainmaker after being chased down by a random guy in his pick up truck!
when new to clipless pedals I fell over at a stop sign during a group ride. people were not please.
Nothing funny here, except how slow I can be!!
I don’t have any funny training stories. So I will just say, “Hi, Ray.”
Forgetting to unclip at an intersection and falling. I avoided eye contact with anyone until the light had changed.
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Many years ago I was running with my younger brother. He ran RIGHT into one of those wire support ropes (that help hold up poles) and crashed to the sidewalk…. because he was checking out a pretty girl on the other side of the street. (He was ok except for a scraped knee and feeling a bit sheepish.) Susan in Shoreview
Maybe not funny but definitely my most embarrassing moment. My swimsuit was fine when I put it on but when I got out of the water and started walking away I discovered about 4-5 inches of the seam in the crotch of my suit had given out.
On the annual Bob Cook Mt. Evans Memorial race in Colorado from Idaho Springs to the top of Mt Evans (14,200′) I forgot my bike shoes at home, a 2h drive. Finding shoes was a nightmare and I ended up with no warmup time! I was fortunate enough to have someone lend me his shoes and I had a PR for the race that day. Trying to find shoes distracted me from the usual race routine, it doesn’t hurt to change gear unexpectedly!
I came to a complete stop at a busy intersection and couldn’t unclip (and w/out anything to brace myself against) I tipped over onto the sidewalk.
It still took me almost a min. to unclip while on the ground. At least all the folks in their cars got a good laugh =)
Hello! That’s so kind & generous of u!
Howdy!
Hi there.
My funniest moment was at my first triathlon over the olympic distance.
Right before the race started i put the time-chip on my leg.
After the swim i noticed, that lost the chip.
So.. No regular time taken at my first competition.
Hi, from a very sunny UK.
Hi,
nice Garmin !!
Tks.
André
My funniest training moment was when I stumbled over my feet on a treadmill, literally sending teals head-over-heels .
funniest moment was first fall with clipless pedals. my riding buddy stopped to adjust something and i turned back for him. as i was turning around beside him i unclipped on the outside (typical side) and began falling over into the left u-turn, which happened to be the side i WASN’T unclipped. he got a good laugh.
Need it. Love the blog!
I’m not that funny, but I was running with a friend when a someone we knew yelled “Hi” from a car. The resulting thud was my friend running right into a stop sign. He ended up needing stitches for that.
Fingers crossed for a Garmin.
HI!
Yay, what an exciting giveaway!
I don’t really have any funny training stories, although one time I was out running with my cross country team through the inner city my college is located in. A school bus pulled up next to us and the kids inside opened all the windows and were yelling “run, white girls, run” at us! The worst part was the bus kept stopping so we kept catching back up to them :)
10 miles into a run I was supposed to be doing with a friend I ran into them on the far side of town. He was also doing his run..
I did an entire triathlon with earplugs still in my ear from the swim.
“Hi” :-)
Hi thanks for the opportunity.
Last spring, after not being able to run for two months due to ITB syndrome, I was walking a lot. When I was recovering I usually walked for a few km’s to warm up a little before running. One time doing so I was passed by a very slowrunning couple right before I had planned to start running. I’m sure they thought I was kind of strange when passing them right after, sort of like I couldn’t handle people passing me. Oh well. :)
Vermont is cold. Running in winter in Vermont is colder. Wear appropriate wind protection as the windchill can be FIERCE. Wear appropriate wind protection EVERYWHERE. Otherwise, your significant other will laugh at you and not “feel your pain” as you attempt to warm up below the belt.
Hi!