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.
Ran 15 miles this morning – my longest run to date.
Tweaked my ITB last weekend at the MCM 17.75k, so am taking it easier – which is pretty disappointing, but I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Hoping for an hour on Trainer Road to get my blood bumping and burn off some chocolate eggs.
3hour bike ride ought to do it
3 hour bike ride ought to do it.
4.5 mile long run (for 5k race next week) through Fern Ridge Wildlife park.
an 8.5k run in 40min in prep for an 8K race next Saturday
3 hour trainer ride ought to doit
Just did 4.7 mi trying to get away from that space alien cleverly disguised as a chocolate bunny. The solar protective suit gave it away. That should take care of one small brownie.
5k jogging for an easy Sunday!
Long mellow mountain bike ride with my wife on the first perfect day of spring…
sadly the intervals i did were probably cancelled out by chocolate and some delicious barbeque
In the pool: 2 sets of 1500 each.
Hill climb repeats on the biggest hill around town until I bonk. Carrot cake did this to me.
2 hours on the bike trainer to offset the Peeps. Many, many Peeps.
Eight mile easy run.
10 km medium run, TE=3.2.
Friday: 21 mile run
Sunday: 30 min recovery jog & See’s chocolate bunny
No treats or workouts today, but I gave 3 bikes a nice bath today. And I’m riding bikes to the National’s Opening Day tomorrow! Baseball season!
No chocolate for me today. I only ran 2 miles as I ease into my new Newton’s. Killing me not going further with 75 degrees and sunshine here in Seattle.
I rode my bike to Easter dinner, 16 miles total. Then went for an hour walk with family.
Quick hour with a 2×20 in there. Far too many jelly beans consumed alongside peanut butter filled eggs, Reeses bunnies and some wonderful berry pie. It’s going to take a few days to burn that load off.
30 min swim, followed by 15 mile bike commute to work. 4 mi run at lunch, and 15 mile commute home! Yep. Working on Easter.
2 hour run, in the sun, in Seattle!
Nothing on Sunday. Having gotten back from the honeymoon this morning, I am trying to summon the courage to go for a Melbourne Kew Boulevard spin in the next hour or two.
RUN 1:45
20:00 easy jog, bringing your HR up to 70% by the end
3 x 20:00 steady tempo run @75% w/5:00 @60-70% after each
Continue jogging @60% or below through to the end
BIKE 1:00
Total recovery spin holding your intensity below 65% & @90-95rpm
Followed by 2:30 hours of tennis – taking the older brother down 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
Just getting over a cold after my first race of the year (1/2 marathon), so just a 5k.
Thanks.
digesting chocolate bunny was enough work, but I added a Trainer Road .82 work out as well.
binge on mini eggs= 1 hour commute to work
I lost count of how many Rollos I ate. I am going to run 3 miles!!!!!!!
I made ribs for Easter dinner. I recently started biking after resding some bike blogs and yours as well. I mainly started biking to lose weight but found that I actually enjoy it as well. I started out doing 10 miles a day and am now up to 30 miles a day. Today I biked 30 miles down the west coast if Florida in Sarasota.
70km bike ride! After all the white chocolate I have eaten in the past few days…
5K run after nearly 24 hours of traveling, coming back from Japan to the US
Double. 40 min Morning ride with lifting legs after, sets of 50 reps. 2 hour afternoon endurance ride.
Need to start back to swimming in the morning and trainer ride in the evening.
I worked out for an hour…just finished my thesis and used this weekend to take it easy;)
2 hr Tempo Ride
60min easy run.
Long, easy run to work out the kinks. And a couple hockey games.
Bacon did this. Yup. Bacon.
Attempted aero on my first tri bike. Terrifying. Trying again tomorrow. Nope, doing again tomorrow. Bacon too.
Thanks, Mr Generosity.
Ah, I had a nice cyclocross ride up rocky park road, but since it drizzled last night it was spongier than usual and took me :52 instead of the typical :45 to climb to the end of the road. Saw lots of butterflies, a lizard, and two wild turkeys running like velociraptors. After bouncing down I ended up with a pinch flat on the the way home (darn) and changed that tube in my usual 5 min pitstop, and total riding time was 1:35.
Ate a good mix of choco-treats today — starting with York PMPs with coffee watching the Ronde at 5am PT, then breakfast pancakes with choco-chips, Kisses from the kid’s egghunt loot at church, and finishing off dinner with some Reese’s PB eggs. Hm, now those Lindors are looking good — yup, yum.
8 mile dreadmill run. I deserve the punishment after all those Whoppers robin eggs.
Bacon did this. Yup. Bacon.
Attempted aero on my first tri bike. Terrifying. Trying again tomorrow. Nope, doing again tomorrow. Bacon too.
65km bike ride. Too much choccy!!
Early morning 5k at zone 1 pace.
Lunchtime swim – 200 warmup, 10×100 @ 1:50, 5×50 w/ 10sec reset, 5×25 w/ 5sec rest
Evening spin class with wife for fun.
I wish it would make a dent into the chocolate calories but I ate more than my share of bunny ears this year.
Those damned little Nerds-shelled jelly beans are my bane. In between Easter brunch with my side of the family, and Easter dinner with my wife’s side, I was able to squeeze in a quick 20-mile bike ride while the kids were down for a mid-celebration nap. Flat lollipop route on my local bike trail system, dodging all the other mid-day do-gooders all over the trail!
long slow easy 1 hour long in my 147-155 bpm zone to get rid of the chocolate eggs and ears I chowed on
4km run as I come back from injury, 1.5k swim
0.5 mile open water swim followed by a 33 mile bike ride
800 meter intervals on treadmill at 3% incline. 10 reps at 2:50 per with 3:00 rest in between. Then some planks and stuff.
Does chasing my 3 year old around the house count? :) Otherwise warmup on the treadmill for a mile or so then some full body free weight exercises.
A 10 mile run, tempo pace, will be my penance for overindulging in carrot cake. Sure it was “healthy” because it contained carrots…but I think the sugar, butter, coconut, and cream cheese dismiss any “health” claims that could have been made by the carrots :)
Normally Sundays are indoor soccer days, but today no games so I’m eating twix guilt free.
I am Japanese and since Easter is not popular in Japan, unfortunately, I didn’t have any chocolate bunnies. But I ate two beef bowls, which happens to be very popular in Japan! So, I had to make 50km run. I am not sure this distance is enough or not…
I reckon I’ve dusted off more chocolate hot cross buns than most bakeries sell in a day. Going to pump out a 200km ride to try and burn off the easter pudding.
The one advantage to passover, not as much candy to work off. Did do a 36 mile bike ride this weekend
I did a 53 mile bike ride with 4100 feet of climbing (mostly into a headwind.) Mile after mile in your most granny gear at 95% of FTP gets monotonous.
An early morning 5 mile run, fueled by much chocolate covered matza.
In an attempt to rid my body of the easter jellybeans AND my sister’s birthday cake (turning 10 – double digits!!!) I went down to Xtreme Athletics and churned out two and a half hours of Pole Vaulting… oh, and a 2 mile run.
A 12.2 mile long run with lots of hills.
A 50k LSD in part because of preparation for an 50miler ultra at end of the month.
Sunday: 2 hours on the bike, including 4×10 zone 3 intervals.
Monday: Yoga to stretch out
For the Lindt bunnies : 45 min run with interval, because I’ll eat only one.
For Rocher Suchard, half marathon with lots of hills, because the whole box will not last 10 minutes :-p
I will be doing a 90 minute (ish) run tomorrow to work off all the M&Ms, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and jelly beans!
8 mile run at an 8 min pace in preparation for upcoming half.
Didn’t so much indulge in the Easter candy-treat-ery this year, but my daughter’s birthday happened to fall on this day as well, which was a Thanksgiving theme (go figure), so my Sunday workout was a solid 3.5 mi run this evening.
Metric century next weekend should clean up the residue from the pastitso and lamb curry today. Oh yeah and the Sees candy.
Quick 7 mile run through the streets of Singapore while on vacation here for the weekend. Great way to sightsee!
2 hours bike ride. umm chocolate
My workout is a brick: TrainerRoad Powell (1:30 hs 12x3min intervals above FTP) + 50 min run in Pace Zone 3.
Someone else has a perverse pleasure at decapitating chocolate bunnies or is it just me…?
Ran a 20 miler today in the very windy north shore of Chicago, in preparation for an upcoming marathon on May 5th in WI. No chocolate bunny or other Easter candy because I’m training. Maybe a small bowl of soy ice cream for a little “cheating” today…
95k return road ride from Whiterock, BC to Everson, Washington. Kinder surprise and jelly beans!
A walk with my family…
2 x 12min at Tempo Pace + 90min at E pace. It ended up being 11.83mi. I then proceeded to eat lots of chocolate. I continue to do so.
45 min open water swim and 6 mile run
30 min core class + 5 mile tempo run.
Not really much of a candy eater, but I did have a few pints, a lot of pasta salad, and 5 key lime bars.
Ran 1:45 on single track to start my Zombie Jesus Day. It was glorious.
We ate “dirt pie” on Easter. It’s cream cheese mixed with chocolate pudding and ground up oreos. Yes, it looks like dirt! But it was delicious. It was served from a pot for a potted plant with fake flowers stuck in it. And it had some gummi worms crawling around for effect. As for a workout? I’ll plan a nice run with my nifty gadget if I win! It’s been a long time since I’ve run regularly, and I’d love to get back in the groove.
I’ll be doing about 30kms on the bike and 2km in the pool after eating far too many homemade hot cross buns. If the first batch aren’t perfect you need to make and eat a second batch right?
My workout 40 miles for the first time! After ridden 20+ miles for three days in a row this weekend! I’m doing this because I want to get healthy and because I withheld myself of Easter Candy! :)
First marathon on saturday!
I will be doing an 1 mile warm up followed by 5 miles at an 8:45 pace, which is fast for me, and cooling down with a .5 mile easy to the end. I will not only be trying to burn off a amazing amount of Easter food but also a couple months of laziness.
Probably an easy 10km. I would’nt want to see that chocolate bunny again.
I will be starting in on a beginner marathon program with my brother, tomorrow! I only have a few Godiva chocolates to burn off, though
Rum 6 miles easy flat, with stair repeats and core work at the 3 mile mark.
I am getting on a planeand going to Houston for work. We’ll see what e hotel gym has to offer.
Will be up @ 3:30am to catch a bus for a 21KM 2XU Compression run in Singapore during Easter Day. Will reward myself some easter chocolates after that!! ;)
After a very bountiful easter brunch I braved the cold and snow on my road bike around 6 miles sadly powertap died halfway through. Had to turn to strava for the rest. Tues & Thurs will be trying to hit the outside unless it snows again then I’ll be riding the rollers :( trying to get in shape for the Tour de Cure (100K)
resting
50min on trainer + 10min run = 1 bag Pretzel M&M’s
A handful of M&Ms eggs for breakfast, a smarties mini-egg for pre-run energy and then the 30km marathon pace tempo run that should undo the damage until the white chocolate bunny hits the spot on the way home.
A steady onslaught of mini-eggs with various fillings ranging from gooey stuff to popping bits has to be countered with a steady tempo effort. I managed to not give up while consuming the eggs, hopefully my resolve is as strong during the tempo session.
I continue my preparation for the spring marathon (2nd week of April). So I will run a slow 21km tomorrow.
I eat a 500g bar, I run 5 x 500m @ 5k pace. Sounds fair.
If I ran a mile for every cadbury mini-egg I would be hurting! Instead I will be doing some strength and core work monday, and planning a 5 mile run for tuesday.
I will take a rest day to let the energy source of M&M eggs take ultimate effect.
Stuck in Jordan w/o a pool or bike I will simply be doing a tempo run and trying not to ingest too much dirt.
The trip to the local wal-mart to get more Easter candy
Burning off Easter Eggs with an hour run through the dunes whilst grumbling at the weather here in the Netherlands (snow.. in April?!!)
Did a 13,5 km run on sunday morning, followed up by a 2 hour Tennis session in the afternoon with my 9 year old son.
Had no bad conscience going over to my parents-in-law in the afternoon for dinner and more easter sweets.
Ummm… didn’t really eat any chocolate this weekend. But I did do an easy 6.5k and a 75 min spin class. Maybe that means I can go double on the 50% off sale chocolate :)
16K run with last 2K at Marathon Pace. melted Chocolate bunny as recovery drink !