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.
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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.
Since this is for fun and in hopes of winning a cool prize from #CleverTraining I would love to give a description of my Valentine’s day training.
So here is our description of our Valentine’s Day training in detail.
First it involves waking up at 0400 to get ready to go instruct a 0500 morning grind (spin class). Nothing like getting your sweat on early in the morning. Next was a half day at work and then meeting the girl for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants to enjoy one of our favorite pre workout meals before starting our second workout of the day. After lunch to let the food settle we ran over to the grocery store to only buy our post workout snacks. #QuestBars!!! Side note you know you have a keeper when all it takes to make your girl smile and happy on Valentiens day is buying her a box of questies. How’d I get so lucky. After an hour it was time to start our wo. We had a bike sandwich planned and it went as described. Bike to gym, Aqua run and then bike back home. What better way is there to spend your Valentine’s day?
Drink… but those are the training plans.
What’s Valentine’s Day? We’ve got 365 days/year to do it right. So we went for a morning jog instead.
12km run (first longer run after Challenge Melbourne), followed by a spin class. Then a relaxed day with the family ;)
An easy four miler this morning on vacation in San Diego. Longer run tomorrow if I can get up earlier.
It’s freezing in DC, so probably just a short treadmill run, and a longer treadmill run on Sunday. Oh, it’s already Sunday… Late night run time. :-)
-Guillermo
My wife has hurt her back, so our only training plans were to get her a massage and then rest/relax. Training can happen after that.
I had a rest day after a 14.5 mile run the previous day and working until 5 am on Valentine’s Morning.
15 mile run, in preparation for a 25 mile race on snow-packed trails in two weeks here in Fairbanks, then Boston in April. Beautiful day today, and my sweetie even picked me up so I could do a point-to-point run (and I’ll return the favor for her tomorrow). Thanks Ray and Clever Training!
After my long distance flight and change of climate i will do an easy 5 km run and 25 km on the tacx (flat of course).
Cardio Snowshoeing!
Rest day, it turns out. But we did biked to the farmer’s market, with the 5 year old on a cargo bike. Then said 5 year old went out on his pedal bike, with me running along. 6 miles.
Did a sprint triathlon with the wife
Easy hike with family :-)
10k tempo run on a wedding hangover that literally caused the grass to shrivel as I ran over it. Help.
I’m recovering from the flu, so probably just an easy run or walk on the treadmill.
20 miles XC skating and a progression run to shake out the legs
It still says on my calendar that today I was supposed to run 35 miles but I broke my tibia 8 weeks ago (still on crutches) so todays training plan was just PT exercises and core work.
Recovering from a minor injury I will go for a light bicicle session
Quick track workout with my wife
Hike with husband and six year old son.
Football match (pre-season friendly), followed by a quick muscle-recover swim in the sea and finalised with a surfing session. Enjoying sunny down-under!
11 mile of running and walking with my lady. Followed up by a delicious chocolate mousse recovery dessert.
Snowshoe with my wife, with occasional Z5 efforts chaseing the dog!
10 km of running with my wife.
A nice 10 miles barefoot run pushing my lovely 7 months daughter.
Around the lake.
Ultimately did only 9 miles. The miss needed her milk.
Nice run. The mum had a nice break.
Perfect to celebrate Valentine’s day….
Have a nice time all.
Hervé
Sleding will be my valentine!
Laps of local observatory hill for elevation challenge
My girlfreind invited me on a Valentine date, including a tapas and a glass of wine on the local winebar, 50 shades ogf grey and Valentine dinner. But as always when we celebrate something, it all star with running This time a 7½ mile trailrun in the local area, around a lake, crossing fields and running along the shoreline af Limfjorden, Denmark – surely a day to rembemer
Hitting the Rubber Glove again for an FTP test
It’s saturday so I have some catching up to do after a busy week. Starting with a round of crossfit, after lunch going on the MTB with my mates, catching up on the week, and closing the day with a lovely dinner with my wife at a new, very nice, restaurant.
Given my cold gets away i will be running 10-15k maybe some Hill runs
3,000m swim and 10km run
10 km training with my husband.
Would love to go cross country skiing with my wife, but between the bitter cold and advancing pregnancy, my California Valentine isn’t having it. So it’s more time on the rollers in the basement for me.
Walking with my darling wife.
AM: Long slow distance – 19k
PM: core work and yoga
Thank you!
Hello!
I had a bike/swim training – 25 km in Longchamps then 3km of sprint/relax in Keller!
Have a great WE!
An hour on the trainer, using TrainerRoad.
A run & bike in the forest followed by a brunch
Went to the gym with my loved one.
A lovely walk and then a beautiful home cooked meal. Thankfully the weather was great so a really nice day!
Just fillet steak and couple bottles of red one :)
2 hr in Z2-3 bicycle ride.
Started the day with a gentle bike ride 10 mile hit the gym at 12:00 for a back workout and ended the day cooking steak for the wife!
Went for an 8K run under a bright Belgian sun!
Just a quick run after I pick up my valentine from the airport
did a nice 25k run in the Swiss Jura hills
A nice slow 10K run to relax:)
Stretching and yoga.
Some running at Bois de la Cambre with my hubby.
Brick workout : one hour bike on turbo and after that 5k run.
20k Bike Ride in the cold.
A run with the dogs
50km jet lag recovery ride. Wife is at work ;-)
Push my twins in a double stroller through the strees of Lissbon… not flat precisely! Luckily the Portuguese sweets are packed with energy! :-)
I celebrated my moms 70th anniversary, so no training, just cooking, baking, decorating and the the party!
20 KM Easy, 3 KM MRT
Active recovery: leisurely short run and stretching & flexibility..yeah!
Sorry, snowed in :-)
Long run up and down hills!
2h cross country skiing
Out on the bike for a steady ride…anything to get active after a series of colds
Thanks Ray!
unfortunately I am injured. but one new trainning watch would be a excelent gift.
Did a 10 mile run with my girlfriend riding along on her bike.
Two biking laps, together 32 miles Road/Trail. Hopefully on the 16th I’ll get to do a 10 mile run.
biking on the trainer next to each other and avoiding the wind chill.
Stretching on a 10hr flight from Shanghai to Dubai, no training unfortunately
Quiet day after a hard week of work, maybe a gentle run
A run with the misses and after that to the sauna.
A run if the weather cooperates!
Take a rest day and spend all day with my wife ;-)
I ran 10km yesterday, the sun was shining (for a change) I’m from the Netherlands and we don’t see the sun that often in Winter. I ran the 10km on my brand new Saucony Cortana 4’s! The only thing missing is a great heart rate monitor with gps!
Walk with other half as rest day before race today (Sunday). So no champagne either …
24 KM of cross country skiing through the winter wonderland…
Training runs on Marco Island, FL 74 and sunshine. Back home in MI, it was -11 actual temp. last night.
I did 15k in Terceira Island, from where I’m staying to the film location where I and my girlfriend are working.
8km Trail running yesterday
Long day of skiing in lots of Buffalo snow. Switching things up a little bit with traveling and not wanting to run outside in -6 degree weather.
A fast tempo 10k
I wasnt allowed to train :(
I raced a sprint Duathlon on valentine’s day
Taking one for the team and letting the wife put in a 13 mile marathon training run while I look after the kids.
Was not allowed to train. Valentine’s Day is also our anniversary.
I finished my first 31km xc ski race at the Canadian Birkebeiner on Valentines day.
I had planned to do the 31km leg of the Canadian Birkebeiner on Valentines day with my wife Joanna but I got food poisoning from the restaurant the night before and had to sit it out.
Just 2 hours walking with our kids around the woods. It was so incredibly muddy, that cleaning afterwards was much more strenuous than walking :-)
Trainer ride on trainerroad for 105 minutes.
Up early for a trainer ride. Too cold and icy for any outdoor training.
A simple two-hour endurance ride on the trainer. Negative windchill in Chicago makes that choice easy!
Did an easy 3 miles in the morning.
A pyramid interval run to add some speed!
Skiing in Canada
My wife talked me into two hours of Bikram Yoga!
Fitting in an very early morning run before work.
Finished the day yesterday with soccer game with my son and started the day in a sunny -10 celcius run this morning!
Dropping kid at baseball practice, Bike ride through “millionaire neighborhood” (Rancho Santa Fe), watching kid’s basketball game, and out for a run today!
90 km in less than 3 hours
No race. A COLD 4-mile training run. At least it won’t be snowing!
My Valentine for this Sunday training is a friend with whom I’m preparing the Paris Half Marathon ;)
Had planned interval on saturday and lon run sunday. Unfortunately i have a kidney stone causing some pains, so no runs this weekend. I did go out to dinner with “The Wife”.