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…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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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.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Planning a few of orienteering runs (up to 10k, around 1hr) in the local woods until New Year, otherwise keep it low, hope for micro-traumas to heal.
10K run with 200m elevation gain in 50 minutes.
Planning on a short run later today–first with my new GPS watch! Can’t wait to try it out & so glad to read your recommendations before I bought.
A very ambitious 50-60 minute run – ambitious as scheduled for 25th!
Tomorrow 5km run after a 13months break due to PF
Next workout is a 30k run monday morning
Tonight
30 mins easy jog, getting back into shape after a year of doing nothing :-(
2+ miles run with my girlfriend as we try to get back in shape during medical school. It’s a long way back to being fit.
10 K – Barcelona @ 31 December
2 hour trainer/treadmill (outdoor running if your in an area that you can) workout – alternating 10 minutes on trainer @ 100+ RPM, 1 min transition (great for working on T2 speed) followed by 10 min. run @ 80 – 85% effort.
Trying out some Yoga to balance the biking :-)
Most of my workouts till the end of the year will be on my new Kickr. A mix of Trainer Road, Sufferfest, and Veloreality. Next big workout will be the Veloreality Passo Gavia, a climb used in the Giro d’Italia. Was going to do that today, but got out of bed too late.
10km tempo run for half marathon training
The Garmin FR920XT
for running my first 5km (and many more after)
3,5k Santa run on the 13th with the 2 kids
11.7k run this morning – Hogs Back run, Guildford
A long bike ride with my wife and two boys somewhere in Sunny SoCal.
5K run this Tuesday 6 th run since i broke my leg last year
A 14K run session today.
10k today. Dublin, Ireland
Easy run for 40 mins , and intervals tomorrow, haifa , israel
Tomorrow I’m going to do some intervals on the treadmill to work on my 5k time.
Cross country skiing – if it will be enough snow. It will be – it must be :)
After a two months running hiatus, I ran 10.8 km yesterday. It was a slow run (according to Ray’s standard probably walking) but it felt good to be back on the road again. While running, a bird pooped on me. There’s a saying that it brings luck when you’re hit with bird poo, so maybe the bird brings me luck and Ray draws my comment. :-)
Thanks Ray for this great giveaway and happy running to all of you,
Jan
Rapha Festive 500
The Jingle All the Way 5k in DC on December 7th!
Christmas Day 5K
I’ll be doing a trainer ride Sunday while watching the MLS Cup final.
Invited my MTB for a 25k ride today in the Düsseldorf area :-)
Seven Sins cross country race, FOD
Silvesterlauf Nürnberg
12 KM running around Bonny Island Nigeria on Wednesday. Its for AIDS awareness run.
Masters swimming Monday morning!!
Tuesday will be my first attempt of my first run of my 1st schedule for my 1st Marathon ;).
40min easy Pace. Good luck all of you with your goals in 2015!
30 mile loop next weekend which includes Schluersburg hill.
A run on the beach in Costa Rica!
Just broke one of my toes recently… So hoping I’ll be able to go for some short run by the end of the year.
Track repeats, 10 min easy warm-up -> 4x1600m @ threshold pace -> 10min easy cool-down, this week @ Malmo Sweden.
Through the end if the year it’s all weight training and conditioning. Heavy lift days ending with Tabata finisher drills; battle ropes, kettlebells, sandbags, sprints, tire flips and sled drags.
I’ll do a 10 miler on Christmas Day
I’ll be running the 10km tradicional “San Silvestre Vallecana” in Madrid on new year’s eve
Easy one hour run
I dream I will run ERGO White Nights marathon. I am not sure yet I will be ready to run it in 2015, but definitely I will do my best to prepare.
Run from work to home. Thats 10km.
Hope to finish my 5km (in 22 mins) plan on Christmas day!
5th week workout of Pump Up The Base/Lee McCormack book = 4 x 8min threshold intervals with 5sec max sprint at the beginning of each, 4min rests at level1 inbetween. On trainer.
Spin class in Shanghai while I’m there for work!
15 km classic roller ski distance training with two up-hill drills on tuesday.
A 5k run in the French Alps (unless it snows heavily in the next 2 weeks)
Thanks
Chris
2 hours in the wahoo!!
13km trail race in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, next weekend. link to yumigo.com.au
Tonight – 6 mile run on treadmill, increasing the grade every half mile.
Not big just a 2mile with hills.8min/mi pace getting back into running consistently.
Easy one hour run next weekend.
I’ll finish my marathon training with 15 workouts being one a 3:30 long run on next Sunday the 14th of December
Starting a new running training plan next week, 1st: 10kms within 1h 10mins in Budapest.
I’ll be running three miles this afternoon, working up to a 1/2 marathon here in town next spring.
Big race for me in 2015. Whistler ironman 2015! July
Will enjoy running the 8km to my new job a few times more before year end
my run workout for next Tuesday: 9.4K, “low” HR <163
Over the bridges 10k race run on 31th december.
parkrun (Ashton Court) on Christmas day!
15x400m
Lap time 1min 26sec
Rest time 45 sec
Todays workout – 15km trail run. woop!
Louisiana half in January…..
Nothing too exciting – an FTP test, which is always fun, coming up this week.
Running on a work trip around Krakow.
10min warm up
5x1000m @5:00min/km with 500m rest in between
5min cool down
10km Canal Run in Perigueux France. It was actually today, the day after my birthday. 2000 people, great fun.
A 5km run later today!
Hope to win for my 5K!
Will try my new tacx vortex smart later this evening!
Training around ‘The Tan’ in Melbourne
After 20 months of being unable to run due to injury, I’ll be doing a run of 1-1.5 miles tomorrow and hopefully every 3 days after that. Baby steps so I don’t become injured again.
Planning to do a 4x 1mile this month as my first time getting back into speed work since a knee injury.
5k coming up next week
Training for hell & back in the new year!
Im doing some exercise bike workouts since I’m traveling for work each of the next two weeks.
6 mile run around the monuments in the national mall in DC after work.
Run the big Cambridge loop (23km) before x-mas :)
Flat 40mi TT to close out my first fitness program on the bike.
2k swim tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.
It’s cyclocross season Dude! 4 left this season for me… 50 min of fun (and pain of course) in the mud.
Easy 5 k with my wife on Sunday
Next coming weeks 3x 10k ice speed skating
Personal training on Wed. Then, once a week until Christmas
I will be doing the sufferfest rubber gloves power test on the trainer some time between now and Christmas. Slowly building warm up followed by 20 min threshold. Then 5 min of ducking down air while pretending to spin the pedals.
walk the dog this afternoon :)
Running twice this week. TRX workout
Personal training and TRX. Running once a week.
Thanks for the opportunity Ray!
I’m looking to complete my first park run, an end of year objective!
Cheers!
Pre-Christmas criterium racing at Sandown CCCC
2hour road bike ride – as long as my long warm pants arrive. HOpefully the coming week.
Celtic Solstice 5 miler in Baltimore next weekend!
Focusing on swimming this month: the dreadful, yet beneficial swimming drills…
Raced yesterday. Rest all this week!
Monday 12 km training run as a part of my first marathon race preparation
22 K cross county ski in Weston, WI.
Training for an Olympic Distance Thriathlon in San Andres Island.
I’m using Runcoach.com to get prepared for the Houston Marathon 1/18/15. I have 6 workouts a week scheduled until taper time. Next workout is a 7 mile speed workout 12-9-14.
Training for Gold Coast Half Marathon