Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, 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.
I’ll run 20k just for run as I do on a regular day..
In Spain we have the “flowers” which are fried sweets (flower shaped) with sugar, ummmh, the problem is that it takes ages to remove them from your body, so I think that I am going to do some fell running in Madrid or maybe kayacking because it has been raining for the last 4 weeks.
Recovery run with my 21 month old in the jogging stroller. Best exercise partner/motivator ever!
60km bike and pm strength training
60km bike
I will be helping my 13 yr old daughter with her track workout. That should just about kill me!
“Let me know which workout you’ll be doing in an attempt to override any Easter-associated candy that may be consumed. If for some completely unexplainable reason you aren’t biting the head off of a chocolate bunny, feel free to just pick your Sunday workout (or nearest completed workout). Extra points for listing the Easter candy that put you in this predicament.”
So – it’s is very much winter where I live: Snickers for Easter snack=12K skate on the ski trail
45k steady ride along the coast whilst on holiday in Southern Spain.
Seeing that I have to work off about a half million malted milk eggs, I should try a 100 mile ultra tomorrow, but I’ll settle for my weekly long run of 17 miles.
Since I’ve been eating triple coated milk chocolate malt balls I’m running 13 miles. I’d go more put I’m tapering for Boston.
Snow’s finally retreating, so I’m taking the road bike for a spin, and hitting the first hill repeats of the year!
A mix of elliptical and swimming should do the trick!
10 * 50 meter hill sprints
4 mile easy run fueled with chocolate Easter eggs.
Bad weather off and on all day. Slipped in a short jog with my son when the rain broke. He is 5 and I am starting his training to race some
Tomorrow will be the real workout. Hill intervals on the bike before work.
Woke up bright and early Easter morning and hammered out a nice 12 mile run at an average 8:20 pace. Ran from the upper back bay in Newport Beach, CA, up the San Diego Creek Trail deep into the master-planned City of Irvine, and back. That mileage’s 1,143 calorie burn oughta mitigate approximately 6.75 bunnies, at an average 5 ounce chocolate bunny at 170 calories each, according to Livestrong. :-D
I wonder how many of Bertie’s cupcakes I woulda burned off …. :)
12 mile bike + 3 mile run at olympic distance pace!
A long walk. Having a baby tomorrow!
This easter (just as last easter) I am yet again sidelined with a stress fracture! That has not stopped me from treating myself to a milk chocolate rabbit (solid, I may add). I’m assuming there’s added calcium in the milk chocolate? Yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. At least until I can get this lousy boot off my leg!
a 4 mile run and thne a ride around the neighborhood with the kids.
No run for me. A soccer game instead.
Im planning on running 1 hour, trying to start a series on runs that could prepare me for the beach summer bikini ;)
This morning a 2:30 run in preparation for Marathon of Rotterdam.
Easter Sunday was a 22km run with a mix of trails and road.
4 mile recovery run from crescent city classic 10 k in New Orleans (pr’d!) and Reese’s peanut butter eggs.
10 jelly beans = a 5 mile run this morning at a 10:00 pace
Did a quiet 40km ride before taking my daughters to a strawberry farm for a combined berry/egg hunt.
5x1k w/3min easy in between
45 trail run at inlaws. In nc.
I am from Brazil,and here the easter is a big party here.i want use the prize to buy a good gps watch and a good pair of running sneakers,because i run every day 6 km,and my sneakers give me a big pain on my feet.
My favorite watch is the Nike + sportwatch,if anyone wants to me give a blue with black, accepted in good.
6 hours of downhill skiing, 3 of them with my 3.5 year old. This will burn some calories.
Getting ready to walk out the door for 5 quick miles of running!
8+ miles running in the bank today……I’m a peep-aholic. (hangs head in shame)
10k run today, kayaking tomorrow, 30 mile ride the next day… Duathlon on Sunday
10km early morning tempo run to indulge in biting off the head of my son’s Lindt Chocolate Easter Bunny ( after asking for permission of course :)
40km easy bike ride
The signature Austin ride: The Dam Loop. 55 miles of Hill Country plus city…
Saturday was a 15km run and Monday will be a 50 minute run.
A 2 hour TrainerRoad bike ride to offset the calories in the chocolate Easter bunny.
6 hours of downhill skiing, 3 of them with my 3.5 year old. Guess this will burn at least some of the calories.
Two hours of tennis Tuesday morning
Gonna need to bump up my mileage after the See’s candy!
7 mi easy run to get the hard work out of my legs from yesterday.
in honor of fabian cancellara’s win at the tour of flanders a 15km time trail with a ridiculously steep climb just before hand. Of course to burn off the easter bunny(literally).
I’m doing a test run of the “Göteborgsgirot”* course tomorrow.
The calorie culprit would have to be all the cake I had yesterday.
*Göteborgsgirot is a road bike sportive taking place here May 11th.
Daily hour of turbo trainer funfunfun-time to counter the effects of the hot cross buns.
EZ 9.5 recovery run. Total miles run 77,166 (logged since 4/2276) 5K race yesterday(24:21), oh, will be 70 in a few months. No finish line!
10 mile run
10 mile run.
60 km cycle is the best way to burn off those chocolate bunnies!
3 miles Tues
3 miles Wed
3 miles Thurs
8 miles Sat
1500m + ski mountaneering in the Pyrenees
Gelato for Easter in Modena… guess i’ll be hitting the pavement (bike is currently in transit)
Not so much a training, but I finished a 40 mile recovery ride from yesterdays 80 mile ride. Didn’t even let the threat of rain stop me!
Not sure. Short run in the park, or maybe over to the St. John bakery.
10 mile run along the Thames, followed by a whole box of Cadbury chocolate fingers. Oh wait, I should have done that the other way around…
20km easy bike ride, half in traffic, half in the park.
My first one after a knee surgery in February.
Just finished a 1200m swim in Malibu overcast then went to buy some chocolate & marshmallow easter eggs and bunnies!
7 mile run yesterday, and another 4 miler today to offset the easter goodies!
I will be doing a 13 mile run at 7:45 min/mil pace. My kids wanted donuts, Donuts will be the end of me!!!
Half marathon at marathon pace
3 miles around Mt. Trashmore in VA Beach. I’ve had two peanut butter chocolate bunnies today. So far.
32 miles in the Tucson foothills, to make way for more than one Cadbury’s Creme Egg.
Triple brick on monday (to prepare for Challenge Fuerteventura ½IM) – 60min swimming, 90min bike@racePace, 35min run@RacePace. Been loading with candy all day.
track workout – 4x1mile hard should do it
Nothing too exciting. Just a five mile easy run.
Relaxing 20km walk, finishing at the grocery store so I can buy some discount Easter candy (I know I know, doing it in reverse).
Skiing and cross-country skiing in Swiss today!
Two hour cycle with a couple of high cadence intervals, followed by a 5km brick run
10km cross-country skiing and 5km orienteering in snow :)
OK, so I don’t really celebrate Easter (being a descendent of one of the 12 tribes of Israel), but I honored the Resurection of Your Lord and Savior with a 87 km (that’s for you, Ray, and the fact that I just started tracking in metric on my Garmin 800) bike ride with 1,500 m of climbing. And I will be observing one religious observation: It’s Opening Day (technically Opening Night) for baseball. So I guess my workout was a preburn of the hot dogs and beer that I won’t actually be consuming as my beloved Texas Rangers take on the hated Houston Astros on ESPN at 6:00 p.m. MDT.
Joyeuses Pâques!
A long “ride on my tacx” and a little run with my 9 year old that is faster than me!!! I’m not that slow, it’s just that he’s fast!!!!
I fell down about 10,000 feet from an air plain today, luckily I had a parachute. My speed went up to 184 km/h and my HRMAX to 174
If I’m not in a sugar comma from eating Starburst jelly beans, I’ll be doing a 2k time trial on the rowing erg! 6 minutes of pain, woo!
Went for a 40km bike ride to make up for a breakfast of chocolate. Then ate more chocolate, so planning another 40km tomorrow followed by a 5k run.
Running only weekend: 14 mile long run yesterday, 7 mile run today with 20 minutes at tempo pace. Traveling for the holidays and no room in the car for bikes with 3 kids and carseats. Local fitness center and high school pools are closed for the holiday weekend.
150 calories per Cadbury Creme Egg, 4 eggs per box, ~80 calories every 10 minutes on the stationary bike… carry the one… 1 1/2 hours on the fitdesk while watching the Avengers should about cover it.
Regular sunday ride, 75km with 2 group sprints and 3 hill climbs.
Today´s run was a 28km at 4:30 tempo in a very sunny Stockholm!
Taking a spin class then hanging out with my 3 month old baby.
Ran 5 miles with a close friend of mine in Chicago. Trying to feel less guilty about the deep dish pizza we will have later tonight!
Thanks to two feet of snow at bike camp: 2 hours of XC skiing
love easter, only day you can get away with having a creme egg for breakfast
some hill sprints planned to burn off today’s extra calories, followed by a 5K easy run
Rode 500k last week in Spain to kick off the bike season.
Approx +2kg in the last two days :).
Sunday: 20s and 1m maximum effort runs on trainer (+warmup/cooldown).
Monday: One Tabata workout on trainer (+warmup/cooldown).
45 minute run before mass a my godsons baptism.
Haven’t had that much chocolate yet, but I’m sure I’ll do before the end of the day. Tomorrow I’ll be doing a TrainerRoad cycling workout named “Keeler Needle”, to kick off the 6th and last week of the Intermediate Base II training plan.
My easter challenge. 100m+200m+500m+1000m+2000m+3000m+2000m+1000m+500m+200m+100m.
Given that I have what is likely a calf strain, I’ve taken this weekend off. As much as I would love to get outdoors and get in the 40 mile bike ride that I had planned on in the BEAUTIFUL weather we’re having, the inner coach in me is restricting me to upper body work.
I’ll probably do as many rounds of 10 pushups & 10 crunches as I can every half hour for the rest of the day just to get my endorphin kick.
I managed to avoid all candy this weekend, but I did attend a brunch buffet today where I couldn’t resist two cupcakes and a donut.
“Let me know which workout you’ll be doing in an attempt to override any Easter-associated candy that may be consumed. If for some completely unexplainable reason you aren’t biting the head off of a chocolate bunny, feel free to just pick your Sunday workout (or nearest completed workout). Extra points for listing the Easter candy that put you in this predicament.”
Just had a greek yogurt is that close enough to candy to qualify?
:45 min run followed by some time on the KK trainer.
London Marathon reccy run! But only the first 14 miles..!
15km easy run + 1h bike on trainer
I had a 35′ easy run scheduled (which I did, of course). Not sure if that sets off the selfmade chocolate truffels I prepared yesterday (and consumed today in some high number).
A half marathon this morning to burn off the easter chocolates :P
My hip is a bit injured at the mo’ so it’s all splashing around this week. Sunday’s workout was a straight 1500m TT in the 50m pool (followed by a 10 minute, uh, cool down in the hot tub).
30 min bike ride. Hershey’s bar!
London Marathon reccy run.. but only the first 14 miles!
A 5 miler and a mile walk with the wife a daughter.
3×20 on the trainer AND eating candy at the same time…