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…
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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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.
Run, Bike, and Swim until my heart explodes; then let my wife put the pieces back together.
Well, it was going to be a romantic rest day, but the fact that I missed a session yesterday means that it’ll be a sneaky trip to the gym before I get cooking a romantic meal.
Al.
Thanks for the give-away, Ray, and for the great site. I’m planning on a chilly 9-miler tomorrow morning, via 3 loops of a 3-mile course, hosted by our local running shop.
Walk the dog at a minimum
I have my first double digit training run of my training for my first full marathon. Can’t wait!
Training plan calls for a 17 miler on Saturday. Valentines Day calls for bagels from her favorite shop for breakfast. Early, early morning run means going out in 18 degrees F darkness. Guess I will be wearing every stitch of cold weather gear I own. Can’t not do the bagels.
I am planning a 15km run on Valentines Day then refueling with chocolate covered strawberries with my wife.
I’m going to Devon for half-term and will be cycling up (and down) some exciting hills.
Tempo run on Friday, long run on Saturday, and easy 6 mile run Sunday. Weather in the single digits to low teens all weekend.
Cross country skiing with my 3 yr old daughter, tobogganing and recovering with hot chocolate.
Get back from a bike Swiss tour ride without frozen feet ;-)
I’m planning to do a 1hr easy recovery ride.
going to do 10k overdistance intervals
This V-Day my workout will involve running around the house and errands outside repeatedly, in the sub zero northeast weather doing stuff for our new baby who arrived on Tuesday afternoon!
Intense yoga to get ready for LR Sunday!
Our Valentine’s day workout starts with a smooth 5.5 mile run around the lake. After that we’ll put on the HRM’s.
Valentine’s workout will include some treadmill work as I try and figure out my foot issue.
3 mi treadmill run – have to stay close, my wife is 9mo pregnant with our 3rd.
I’ll be racing to recover from surgery a few days ago. Only 4 weeks left…
I’ll be finishing out a recovery week with a short (but likely very cold!) run on Valentine’s Day here in the Midwest US.
A quick 3 mile run to wake up followed by Taekwondo.
Intervals in the morning and a hike in Pisgah National Forest in the afternoon.
15 mile long run at 6:00am followed by 1 hour strength training
1.5 hours on the indoor trainer doing intervals under the supervision of my coach – Mr T
We plan to go for an easy 5k in the woods, hoping for nice weather.
45 min run at Zayed Sport City, Abu Dhabi
Hopefully a 50 min tempo run if I’m over this cold!
A slow 3 mile round trip to collect my bib for the Barcelona Half Marathon the next day. Fingers crossed for sub-85…
Since it’s supposed to be cold and windy, I place to ride on the trainer that day.
If the weather cooperates and the roads stay clear my first 20 miles of 2015 in Calgary.
Cross country skiing for the second time ever, in the great white north that is Boston!
Wake up early with the kids and let the wife sleep in. Make breakfast and leave the house picked up and clean so that when the wife wakes up she doesn’t have to do anything. Then, go to the basement, put in a movie and ride for about 1.5 to 2 hours on the trainer (it is way to cold to ride outside).
Looks like a pretty cold weekend in Atlanta… so probably a Trainer Road workout in my cozy basement.
If it’s warm enough, a 30 mile ride with the girlfriend.
training at the gym!
An easy 10k run before the cold of Sunday comes in the DMV area :X
I would love something to record a workout with my valentine.
10 mile run. And maybe some trail running shoe shopping. ;)
Going to Bastrop State Park to ride bikes with my wife!
Training in the forest and dunes.
I plan on doing a ten mile maintenance run in preparation for the LA marathon
junky weather….Trainer..2 x 10′ (2′) @ Z4 (10′) then 2 x 15′ (2′) @ Z3
I hope to get in some pelvic thrust exercises this valentines day.
Introducing my wife to mountain biking for some cross training!
A very exciting workouts today, a few k’s on the treadmill in the garage staring at my own reflection in a mirror! Need help with motivation to run outdoors.
Last September, I was in a nasty crash between a truck and a motorcycle (I was on the motorcycle). I’d just worked back up to a marathon distance before then, and the accident shattered my right leg. My wife, who is in medical school about 2000 miles away took time off from school to take care of me (and managed to get back to school and catch up on her course work afterwards). I started running again in December — well, hobbling.
I’m back up to around a 10km distance. On Valentine’s day, we’ll be doing a synchronized run across three timezones — she’ll be running further and faster, and I’ll be running our old trail route. Afterwards we have a champagne toast via video chat planned.
(It’s not important, but one of the only casualties from the accident was my running watch. I’ve been tracking my distance with my phone since then.)
A 20-mile run for myself and a 9 mile run for the lady.
Having just run a mountain 50k last week, this week will be a slow gentle run to get the legs back in shape. My other half (she would say better half) will be sitting at home with her feet up marvelling at how stupid I am for going out and running in the Northeast in winter (it will be in the low teens or single digits). I am hopeful that a nice new device might give her an incentive to join me one of these days!
I am tapering for a 50 miler next weekend so my Valentine’s Weekend will be an easy 6 on saturday and an easy 12 on Sunday, both will be in the mountains to try and get out of the city.
Some nice road biking with the wife. Thanks for all you do!
I’m having a rest day and will go out to dinner with my sweetie!
Trying to get my wife motivated to run with me, so tomorrow we are taking the dog out for some run/walk intervals :) Everybody wins!
A nice and easy 3 mile run in preparations for the half marathon next weekend.
Just eat chocolate!!!
Trainer Road – Jacks. Week 6 of the 40K TT plan. Expected high for Valentines Day in my area -24°C (air temperature) with windchill making it feel like -41°C (at which point C and F are pretty much equal). So unless you are a crazy die hard, everything is indoors at this time of the year.
XC Skiing for me !
Headed over to Louisville to do some morning sprints and then celebrating valentine’s day on 4th street!
Running a 5k to get a baseline for my 5k goal of sub22 this year!
Saturdays are my rest days!
Valentines day training will be 10 mile tempo run @ 8-15 seconds faster than HM pace
taking my wife to Paris for the first time and have a jog along the Seine.
14 miles on the 14th…
No Valentine’s Race for me, unfortunately, but looking forward to a 10 mile run at dawn, in what’s supposed to be light snow.
70 minutes long run!
I’m traveling for work so I’ll try not to freeze on a run and then when I return home on Sunday I hope to have a nicer weather run with my wife.
An easy 3 mile recovery run
17 mi. long run on the tundra that is the NE.
2 hr long ride followed by a 30′ brick
Tomorrow I’m going for a long hike over Ślęża mountain in Lower Silesia in Poland. Hopefully, it’s still winter up there. It’s gonna be around 17 km hike with piece of apple pie at the summit. It’s not a training, but a way I spend my “relax” days. ;)
Weekly long ride followed by an ice skating session with my wife at the rink where we had our first date!
I will be tying her skates for her just like our first date.
Valentine’s Day 8k race
Seeing as I’m getting over a cold, my plans for Saturday are either a short swim, or an hour on the bike, or both.
Most likely involve taking the family out for a nice breakfast (nutrition) and then transition to a core workout of hauling firewood and or shoveling crushed limestone. Yay winter.
No plans for that day. She will divorce me the minute i say something about training that day
5 miles training run first thing in the morning!
Biking with the girlfriend before the big snowstorm comes! Then hiking in the snow.
Valentine’s Day will be a rest day, but those are still important for training!
10 miles climb in the snow in the middle of the alps. Reward? 20 miles of downhill in the snow!
An easy 10K run around with my lovely girlfriend.
On Valentine’s day I plan on playing some competitive basketball, then possibly running 5k, in preparation for some 5 and 10k races in late Spring here in Chicago.
As I will be on the plane most of the VD I will probably try to walk around the cabin as much as I can :).
Doing a 1:15 swim followed by an about an hour and a half run…not sure my wife will be too pleased!
Easy peasy 6 mile run…..probably on the dreadmilll b/c it is COLD outside.
We plan to go on a 5 mile trail run followed by a pop in to our favorite local brewery for a brewery tour!
Since where I live is frozen I plan to hit the gym. I am planning on a modified tri. Start on the treadmill, swap to the stationary bike, and wrap up on the rowing machine.
3 hour Tempo ride in the morning followed by walking a colicky baby around the living room all afternoon.
Im on duty the 14th so my workout is going to be a medium intensity HIIT body weight workout.
Giving my wife a break and pushing the baby on a run around town.
Our regular 160km Saturday training with lots of intervals :)
My girlfriend is starting to run, and Saturday I have to accompany her fifth session. Before’ll do a little bike.
7 Mile run at marathon pace(6:50)
plan to run 3 miles and try not to freeze
Got a nice 8 mile trail run on my training schedule for Valentines Day
5×1000 hard…and then a gentle recovery ride!
There is a small window for me to head over to a local trail to train for a race next weekend. The rest of the day will be spent with my family resting from a chaotic week!
Since it’s going a me and myself on Valentine’s day.
I’m going to hit the gym and do a quick run/swim session.
And threat myself with an amazing lunch after that.
Shoveling some snow, for time.
My Valentine’s Day training plans include chasing my 1.5 year old daughter around the house all day while my 9 month pregnant wife gets a day off! Hopefully this strenuous training counts for the giveaway!
Sufferfest in the morning with a brick run to follow.
A short bike ride inte the morning, then 15h on a bus to go skiing