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.
Time off from triathlon workouts, skiing instead.
Thanks to the snow vanishing I got to get back to a trail run in my local park, only about 3 miles before the park closed. Some weight training earlier in the week too and later this week hope to get the bike out around the county.
Thanks Ray!
Trainerroad Sweet Spot Base and a visit to the gym for some weight/resistance training.
Got in some cardio and some lifting (shoulders, chest, and back). All mixed in with tweaking my freestyle swimming stroke…and by tweak, I mean that I am actually learning how to swim!!
7 mile slow and easy run on Saturday and theme park on Sunday! (lots of walking…)
3 long hours on the trainer (wahoo based on your detailed reviews), and then I was supposed to go for a 2hr run the next day. But seeing that the next day was Valentine’s Day, I decided to spend the day with my husband to thank him for being so understanding for all long workouts I do.
65k on the bike, 10k run and a bootcamp session in the gym
Did 16 mi run with 9mi at marathon race pace. Training for my 1st. marathon for my 60th birthday!
40 mile ride on Saturday
25 mile ride on Sunday
I’m training to run the Sabino Canyon Sunset Run in Tucson, AZ in April. Last weekend was my first “long” run of 2 miles. Sunday was a rest day.
Quick interval rides after working on a weekend (lame….) and before coming home to make dinner for the wife – c’mon random number generator!
5K run on Sabbath along with 43 Burpees & 110 Push-ups.
Another 5K run on Sunday with 44 Burpees & 55 Push-ups.
Worked on Taekwon-Do patterns
Saturday: weight session (focused on chest and triceps) followed by a two mile run on the treadmill.
Sunday: weight session (back and biceps) followed by 4 miles on the treadmill.
Running paces for both days were started at 8:55 and finished at 8:15 per mile
I was traveling to visit my family and did not get to do any running :(
Did 5k on a treadmill, followed by PF’s 30 minute express workout. Helped me achieve my sub 28 5k goal at today’s Gasparilla 5k in Tampa. Still a couple minutes from where I was three years ago, but I’m getting there.
Recover ride with wife along SF Bay Trail. Long run and a fried egg sandwich.
Took it easy and just ran to and from work for 3 miles.
A nice 16 mile outrigger (OC6) paddle, 6 mile beach run and plenty of San Diego craft brew
Recovering from a pulled calf… out of commission for a couple of weeks :(
Two outdoor bike rides totaling 39.2 mi on Saturday; 18.1 mi training indoors on Sunday.
Wow, almost missed this one!
Not much on the training schedule due to an injured leg and crappy weather. Just some upper body workouts and trying to keep the other leg strong.
16 mile Interval ride on Monday, masters swim (2000m+) on Tuesday and Thursday, 12 mountain bike ride on Friday, hike with the wife tomorrow.
Did Sufferfest Blender ride on Trainer Road Saturday. And 1 hour tempo run Sunday.
Saturday was a 30 minute trainer ride and Sunday was a 1600 yd swim.
As usual I have intervals from strenght training up to hills to speed intervals on flat route or on track. Every week 3-4times
A couple of long runs planned.
Nordic ski training, speed work + light distance
Cross training week-end for me! Saturday was a rest day, and Sunday I did 40 minutes of yoga followed by a couple of hours of friendly tennis :)
Interval based cardio class ; hiked back woods for hour with my dog
Did some outdoor runs this weekend when the weather finally permitted exercise outdoors away from the trainer!
1 day of alpin skiing on Saturday and 47 km on Zwift on Sunday.
Going to do some transition training and open water swim!! also 40 mile bike ride
Got sick last week so I didn’t get to log any mile, I’m hoping winning this gadget will get me back on track. Thanks DCR.
A ski trip that I’m counting as cross training.
Crosscountry biking on mud/snow/ice terrain 50km
ran 6 miles
Just a couple hours on Zwift due to schedule constraints!
2 hours spinning class on Saturday and 90 minutes slow run on Sunday
Kickr, TrainerRoad, 5×10 min intervals at threshold and a 2 hr endurance ride
An easy bike on Saturday and a rest day for Sunday
Broken Collarbone…. Limited to walking….but did in sunny FLA instead of brutally cold New England.
Long run on the treadmill. Thankfully, some good college hoops on TV.
Travelling for work in Mexico, but was I able to do 1 hour and 15 minutes in the Kickr before taking off for the airport. Added 3 nice hilly runs in Queretaro of about 10K.
Had a recovery weekend. On Saturday I broke in the Supercross race bike then spun out the legs and did some stretching. Tried to max out some miles on the couch on Sunday.
Really need a new FR235 to track progress on those couch miles from now on ?
3.5 hour Snowshoe hike in beautiful weather.
I did a couple of mid-distance runs (10 miles), a few laps of the pool, and an hour Zwifting. My Fenix 2 is officially on the fritz (temperature reading 302 degrees celsius, altimeter stuck at 20000 m).
Last weekend was a 2xFTP Interval day on Watopia. Followed by a hike on Sunday through the remains of an old RCAF base.
Saturday: 2200 m swim, 6 mile run
Sunday: 10 mile run, 18 mile bike
Morning run 45′ slow pace, did not counts miles, active recovery…
Strenght training in the afternoon.
Sunday going for a bike ride 1 to 2 hours.
I rode 40k and swam 1500 yards last weekend
Long run on the training log for this week based on time. Time for long run – 52 minutes.
I ran 3 miles on the Sunday and did another 4 miles on the Monday holiday… :-)
Training for upcoming marathon
17 mile long run and a couple of broom ball games (I live in MN)
Did some hills, biked around a bit to enjoy the views
Walked 14000 steps & 1 plus hours on trainer.
Went surfing for a couole hours. Not on my log though bc I take off my V800 before surfing due to the sand, salt water, ETC.
Last week I was on vacation in NYC, so I was running daily in Central Park. Hill intervals at Harlem Hill on Wednesday and k-pump intervals this morning were the highlights; oddly(?), I also ran my fastest estimated 5k time. Guess the change of scenery and throng of other runners did well for my pace!
Last weekend I swam about 1200 yards, biked 18 miles, and ran 5 miles. All part of the master training plan in preparation of the IM 70.3 Raleigh! This will be my first 70.3 distance race.
Rowing&
rowing&
rowing&
rowing :D
30 minutes trainings, usually making 7200 meters approximately.
12k run with kids in the stroller and 2hrs on the trainer.
Womens Cat 3/4 42K road race, which I won! And a 8 mi run the following day
Nothing but looking forward to getting back on the bike soon!
All I could muster was a nice casual 50K rode with a Friend. Didn’t want to overtrain!
Coming back to my long runs. 8.72 miles on the bridge from Miami to Key Biscayne.
Took my Mom to Monument Valley and ran 5 miles
looking for some warm weather to knock out a 90 minute run on Sunday.
ok, here it goes:
following TrainerRoad pretty religious: Sweet Spot Base, high volume week 5. On rollers. Some fun outside too.
Better part: my better half is following Trainer Road too! General build Week 7. Kickr
Keep spinning!
I’m training for an Spring Olympic Tri, so it was a 1HR Endurance run and Gym workout.
I was at police academy all week so took the weekend off to rest and recover.
Hit the pool to learn some kick turns for an upcoming pool triathlon and then Sunday was 60 miles on the bike!
Daylight Saturday pyramid with wife and labrador! 100×2, 200×2, 400×2, 800×2, 400×2, 200×2, 100×2
Saturday afternoon pool swim of 3k.
Sunday morning bike of 63 km.
Have a great weekend Ray!
Traveled to Chicago and forced to run tempo runs on a treadmill.
1700 swim with 4 mi run and a couple hill repeats on the bike
Did a brick 60mile bike followed by a 10mile run
Gave Orange Theory Fitness a try on a friend’s recommendation – interesting concept. Ran a 5 miler and slipped on ice. Spent the week healing.
Saturday was an intense virtual group ride on Zwift with 10 training group friends and teammates. We played Cat and Mouse. A group of 6 with a 5 minute lead with a group of 5 chasing and trying to catch them before the end of 12 “flat” laps on the Richmond course. Sunday was a recovery day.
24 Hours in Old Pueblo Mtn bike race
Introduced a friend to cycling on a 17 mile loop
Doing a bit of climbing on the side, and a long bike ride since the weather allowed for it. Also running in the gym.
Weekend training sessions were tough, mostly due to the heat and humidity in Brisbane Australia….! Friday was running – 400m speed intervals, Saturday – 2.5km swim and Sunday – 10km run all in +30ºC.
I did an open water 2km swim on Saturday and just heading out for a 10km run now. A 920xt would definitely compliment my training logs!!! :)
Nothing much, just a 45min walk/run. Hopefully there will be time for more in the future.
À slow training weekend with juist 30min swimming.
Nice long run :)
Had 3 workouts planned : 1 with intervals, a smooth 10K and a longer run on Sunday.
10k run
My training for last week-end was:
Friday:
– 7 miles run with 1min on – 1min off
Saturday
– Stairs climbing race in the morning
– Bike trainer 1h
fartlek with 5x(5 min active part and 5 min easy)
A bike ride in snow and icy condition.
Broke my half marathon PR last weekend run.. Yeeey
A couple of short runs.