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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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 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.
Tag Archives: Random
Friday Tidbits
As part of some upcoming work travel trips I’ve been filling out a crap-ton of visa applications for different countries. I have a list of some 31 countries, of which I’ll be visiting about a third of over the next … Read More Here
Running around
I’m starting (though semi-resisting) to get back into a rhythm. Albeit at the moment that may or may not include much time getting wet in the pool. But I do drive by it occasionally – that counts, right? Saturday morning … Read More Here
Turkey Turkey
As I had mentioned on Sunday, I started my Thanksgiving dinner preparations a bit earlier in the week, with pumpkin pie. But, those two pies didn’t exactly last very long around these parts – and certainly not until Thursday. So … Read More Here
The Great Turtle Escape
I’ve had turtles forever…since I was a tiny little kid. Of course, when I got my first turtle, our family didn’t know much about turtles. My friend had a few box turtles and I had decided they were too boring, … Read More Here
A look inside Lance Armstrong’s bike shop
While down in Austin this past week I had a chance to checkout Lance’s bike shop, which is called Mellow Jonny’s. Before I went I checked out the website – which honestly came off a bit over the top. They … Read More Here
Thursday Tidbits
In no particular order, here’s a couple of things related to me…and not related to me. 1) Swim interrupted…again: Wednesday night’s swim was dinked again when the lifeguards called a 5-minute ‘safety break’. Something about being short-staffed and needing a … Read More Here
Little presents
I generally appreciate little random presents. Most little presents are surprises, and most of the time, they are good. So this weekend I was excited to find a little present in my mailbox after finishing my rather long workout. After … Read More Here
Running from the police (Part II)
I was downtown (DC) today for a series of meetings and related stuffs, which is somewhat unusual in that I generally work from home. I had finished up my day and was heading out of a building and made it … Read More Here
Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Age Group Drug Testing
A few weeks back, the World Triathlon Corporation (owners of Ironman and 70.3 races) announced that it would be increasing and expanding it’s programs around drug testing. However, it’s the follow little snippet that caught everyone’s attention: “Additionally, a Registered … Read More Here
Friday tidbits
Let’s see, what’s been going on in the Rainmaker world… Well, first, I fixed my RSS feed. There was an ‘issue’, resulting from the otherwise massive size of the 310XT review post (68 pages in Word, in case you’re wondering), … Read More Here
The week…in pictures
Now that I’m back in DC I figured I’d post a bunch of interesting pictures that didn’t make it into any particular previous post. Above: On the drive up to Penticton at a gas station near the border Below: Medals … Read More Here
A special message from The Girl
Yesterday after getting home from work, The Girl had a little present all wrapped up for me. After I delicately opened (read: tore open without regard) the carefully wrapped package, I found myself a new t-shirt – designed and imported … Read More Here
Soccer, Sockeye, and Sights
Outside the realm of training, the weekend was also full of all sorts of other things. In particular, Sunday was rather busy…here’s a recap. Following a Sunday noon-time 4,100 yard swim, we rushed out the door and off to Fedex … Read More Here
My Giant Sac
Two weeks ago in the middle of my Rhode Island 70.3 taper I had a bit of spare time on my hands. One night while sitting around watching TV I decided I wanted something a bit more comfortable…so I wandered … Read More Here
A sporting weekend
This weekend turned out to be full of sports, and not just of the Cupcake Creation variety either (which, of course, is an official sport around these parts). But I see no reason to skip over the cupcakes.. As I … Read More Here
Going really really really long with your Forerunner 305
One of the most common complaints with the Forerunner 305 is that for most age group athletes is its battery life – limited to about 10 hours on a good day. This precludes many folks from being able to use … Read More Here
Send me to Antarctica, among other things…
The first thing I shall draw your attention to is a fully updated Garmin 305 review post. As I’ve mentioned a few times, review posts that I do account for a fair chunk of traffic to my blog, so I … Read More Here
Dinner with the First Lady
I feel like I should at least mention it, albeit briefly. Tonight, when The Girl and I arrived at the restaurant (Tosca) in downtown DC for dinner, we were met with Secret Service agents and wands to check us for … Read More Here
Friday’s Random Tidbits
This week has been full of all sorts of random stuff. Given it’s been a recovery/taper week leading up to Sunday’s race here in DC, I’ve had a lowered volume of workouts. A quick recap would be: Monday: 20.02 mile … Read More Here
Rainmaker rant: Race photo companies
If you read my blog often, you know that I have little love for the majority of race-day photo companies. These being the companies that are on the course during a race and take our photos, and then offer to … Read More Here
Wanna buy a Kenyan bike?
Last week before my flight back to the US, I swung briefly through a Kenyan mega mart of sorts on the way to the airport. My coworkers wanted to pick up some coffee (nearby regions are known for it) at … Read More Here
Acting like a camel – or the water boy
At some point last summer while preparing for one of my long rides (typically 7-9 hours) I realized that I was packing more water bottles in the car than I preferred to have rolling around. And while re-using plastic bags … Read More Here
I’m no longer a girl, I’m now a male!
As some long time readers may remember, back a while ago I stumbled upon a little snafu where the US Government (in particular, the Social Security Administration) thought I was female. It all bubbled to the surface two summers ago … Read More Here
My requests to race directors
Over the past couple of years, I’ve come up with a list of things that I like – and don’t like – about races. I’m going to keep it bulleted, just to simplify things. I’m hoping that at least one … Read More Here
Ummm…it got hot.
I think this marked the beginning of the ‘busy season’, which officially goes from now until mid-November. Sorta like opening day in major league baseball – only much less relaxing. I honestly don’t remember what happened Thursday or Friday, so … Read More Here