Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple AirTag 4-Pack for just $69, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals 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!
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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 2024 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.
1500 yd swim in Tempe, AZ hotel pool
My boyfriend and I are training for the Ironman 70.3 in May. Today’s training is a run and a swim!
Pizza and beer- finally a nice relaxing rest day with the girlfriend.
road century for me and recovery walk with the pregnant wife.
Valentines training consisted of -20F temps and thus little in the way of training. Although we watched Kingsman which was full of training, and was overall a very fun movie, worth a watch.
light treadmill running
Absolutely nothing! I’m sick, and I’ll start training 1st week of March. Trying to stay guilt free, but it’s hard when you see other people running.
A long run on icy roads follows by some bottles of wine and a fine steak.
Unfortunately my training plans were not, since doctor told me to cool it & nurse my wrist injury, so it was just a rest day.
Valentiness day park run (5k timed weekly event), first one in Bristol, our new home
Got out for my first bike ride in a very long time. Renovations and a seven month old leave me short on time! Tracked it with my D2
I ran 14 miles to celebrate. My newly single self was all alone on the treadmill doing something I love. I treated myself with a tasty Valentine’s burrito afterwards.
Long ride day!
Was first run in two weeks, 9k at a medium pace. Great way to clear head after two weeks of work & study stress
I spent my day doing a good horizontal jogging interval session…
Great idea !
For me it was a bit of cycling before a diner in a good restaurant
Weather is finally great so could do something more major, but just a nice walk around the city this time.
6 mile run in the NY cold
Riding some singletrack with my bride, hooray for the babysitter!
skiing in the cold! Does that count?
4 miles on the fat bike was my Valentine’s Day training
A long session on the Concept2 indoor rowing machine (yes, I am injured)
I ran a slowwwwww 3.3 miles (recovering from a femoral stress fracture :()
Took my girlfriend on her first ride on a road bike. She did great! 20 miles on a local trail keeping 14 mph.
50K training! That was the plan, anyway… trails too icy for my wimpy crampons, needed ice skates!
Just a quick run3 miles, once it got up to 15 degrees.
I donated platelets…does that count as a workout? *grin*
rest day – what’s not to love!
At the gym, on the bike
Took my bike out for a 2 hour ride.
2.5 mile swim
It was spent helping my wife regain simple walking strength following a relapse that again landed her in the hospital. certainly not a spectacular event. But you need to start somewhere.
We started with a run (7 kilometers), this is are “training season” starting for are upcoming events. We then left for a healthy lunch and followed by a romantic but not that healthy dinner.
Resistance training with 5×5 routine and some spinning intervals
2:15 interval trainer ride followed by a 30 minute brick run on the treadmill. Wife cannot partake in the fun due to a torn hip labrum but I definitely included her in the third discipline of my Valentines Day triathlon!!
On the 14th I was getting my ass hanefe to me by the local chaingang but on Sunday the girl and I went out for, very romantic, threshold intervals and she paid at the cafe stop on our way home!
Ran 5 miles and swam 3k yards
Went for a short run around the lake before making pancakes with my awesome girlfriend!
My Valentines day work out included a 4 mi tempo run at 7:20 pace. Followed by a wonderful valentine’s dinner with my wife.
I just returned from a 3 week road trip to Yellowstone so just getting some miles on my mtn bike this 3 day weekend!
Yet another boring trainer preseason ride to avoid the pouring rain…
Easy recovery run with my wife pushing the Bob Revolution Pro with our little Em, sesamoids are killing me…
Easy spin session on the trainer. Been off the bike and need to ease back into training :P
For our valentines I got up at 4 am with my wife and we drove to nashville tn. We then ran the Hot Chocolate 15/5k. She ran several minutes faster than last year despite the 30 degree weather.
i’ll be doing some squats and push-ups.
800 metres sprint to the florist in order to get a last time present for my girlfriend before she arrived home
Did a 2 mile hike from my house up to the state park with my cross country skis attached to my backpack while dodging the snow plow trucks and then skied for 10 miles before hiking back home.
I did a 10k run in the beautiful region that is Swabia.
Even though it was really cold and there was snow all around me, I had a great time!
It was also my birthday! 8K run in the morning, make some cakes and 3K at night to burn it xD
Only had an easy 5 miler planned in the morning, leaving plenty of time for Valentine’s festivities.
My Valentines morning training was running up and down lines of grape vines at purbeck vineyard, Swanage uk, nice little gradient to liven things up…
I’ll get up and make breakfast in bed for my GF, so I can spend rest od the day begging to buy new HR sensor or GPS watch… Maybe go for a hike…
1:15h on the treadmill and it wasn’t fun!
Well I did my bodyweight training routine: some pushups variations, squats, jumps and pullups to name a few.
Winter bike ride together, it was lovely!
I was the designated driver so I could run a half-marathon the next morning (and ended up getting a new PR).
Ran 10 miles and chased after kids all day.
I had an 11mi run outside that turned into a 4mi run outside and a 3mi run at the gym…Stupid snow and lack of visibility.
it´s carnaval in Brasil, so no trainning for today!
My Valentine’s workout was 40 miles on my bike.
Family run with the double BOB.
14 miler in subzero temps in Michigan with 18 mph winds.
First day of a 2 day hike up Mount Solitary. Happy Valentines!
I would like to enter. My Valentine’s Day training plans were a simple 4 miles on the treadmill since it was quite icy here.
I did a 5 mile hike with friends!
Easy day before a hot and sweaty Sufferfest session on the TT in the garage. Yuk
Unfortunately, stretching and trying to recover my aquiles injury :(
Attempted to ski with the family but we turned the kids into a Popsicle.
Jut finished running the Great Aloha run with my running buddy, :)
Sufferfest in the morning and a treadmill run in the afternoon
I havent been sble to train for a couple of months due to an injury so instead did some strength training and core workouts. Hoping that once I am healthy a brand new gps watch is in my future to replace the old garmin 410. Thanks,
Just ran the Great Aloha Run with my running buddy!!
Nailed my first 100km link to strava.com
We did an indoor bike race at the Peak Centre in Ottawa followed by a 50 minute strength workout
Early morning cross training at the gym!
It was 17k tempo run in the morning.
Largely a recovery day, a few strength exercises. Kettlebells.
Not much… walked the dog. Ran 15km the next day.
Long ride/run in the morning so the afternoon is off and time with the wife
Together, in our cozy little apartment on a supremely frigid winter day, my girlfriend and I slept in – ’till 8! – and while munching on a peanut butter topped salted cracker, set up our trainers for a leg burning two hour ride. The nightstand between our bikes, acting as The Snack Pad, a random selection of various Red Bull World Champs playing on the screen, our legs pumping, faces dripping with sweat, we conquered the ride. Pulling up the weather app, we saw a terrifying sight: -17 degrees (celcius) and -25 with the windchill! We hesitated for a moment – but we are athletes after all! Fifteen minutes of donning gear, the silence broken by nervous quips about the weather, frozen body parts and the meal that awaits; sighs and grunts as compression gear is carefully pulled on, inch by inch. Like gladiators marching into the arena, we marched down the hall, waited 3 minutes for the elevator, and stole a quick glance at ourselves in the mirror to assess our ridiculous look as we pushed the front door open into the howling wind to embark on a 30 minute adventure on foot.
Returning victorious, a hot epsom salt bath was run, and a meal of epic proportions was prepared to celebrate the day’s conquest, as well the day’s true purpose: the life and love shared between two athletes.
I actually did no training on valentines day as,
a) I love my wife so much I wouldn’t dare.
b) My wife would not make my life worth living
But on Sunday I went out for a nice bike ride and tonight I had a good run. My pesky app played up on both occasions. I bet a Tom Tom watch wouldn’t and I sooo want one :)
Cheers, Dave.
Up before the sun. 110km on the bike. Back in time for a romantic late (very late) breakfast.
10 mile run.
I did an 11 mile recovery run around the Hollywood Reservoir/Mulholland Dam. First time running there; it was nice and scenic. Ended by being the subject at a photo shoot for my wife’s photography class. Husband of the year!
She ran 16, so I didn’t get to.
My wife has biken while I ran, and we change after 5 kilometers.
I ran very hard to my BF to give him a big hug :D
Training this weekend included double Trainer Road/Sufferfest action to fit in around family staying over. Ready for the Col de la Madone when I go to Nice in a few weeks. Does walking up the bell tower in Lille also count? Hope everyone had fun.
Spent Valentine’s day 2000 miles away from home where it is 70 degrees warmer. Spent the next week making it up to the wife. :-)
Trail running!!!!
Rest day sandwiched by a bike and a run day.
Run for the hills
Bit of a spin on some hills on the MTB!
Five miles in the morning the. Cooking the wife some surf and turf in the evening.
5 mile run and 1000yd swim. Happy day.
Warm up: walking around at a boat show
Run: 5 miler
Cool Down: old bay bagels
This was a prefect Valentine’s day! I raced the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC, 5 miles, a dozen donuts, finished 23rd of 2000+ and set a PR by 90 seconds!
Boring 15 mile treadmill run.
Biked the local area with the wifey, roughly 11 miles. Short but sweet (and a rare opportunity to ride together).
Did a 2 hour bike ride
1.30 Z3 power Zone in he rollers