I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.

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UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy!
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Ray Elsewhere
Did you know I write a weekly column over on Slowtwitch?
Check out my Product/Electronics posts in Ray’s Sports Electronics Mailbag - they are packed full of gadget goodness.
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
- What are your least favorite countries/places?
- What are you favorite countries/places?
Follow me on Twitter
- @dagarla Powered by Cupcakes. #, 30 mins ago
- @kbentonphoto No pillows. I just take my luck with them having them. #, 10 hours ago
- @jayprasuhn Thanks Jay! #, 10 hours ago
- @ismolieke Indeed it would! #, 14 hours ago
- Another night, another flight. Next stop, 3,628 miles. At least the plane has A/C, unlike our hot house. :) http://t.co/Q1TMRB9ujz #, 23 hours ago
- New In-Depth Review...Update: Here's a second indepth look at the @StagesCycling Power Meter: http://t.co/gmfD9T7ILt #, 23 hours ago
- @rspauwen None that I'm aware of. :( #, 2013/06/18
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
Read My GPS Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (2012) – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day to day? I also just put together my complete 2012 ‘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!
Understand technology and sport in the How-To Guides.
I enjoy explaining new things to folks – especially showing people how to get the most from their gadgets. Here’s an ongoing list of “How to” guides.
Read my Top 25 most useful posts.
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – and after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz. Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have. I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that…continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.
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.
Monthly Archives: November 2007
Nutrition on the run
So if you read the title of this post, you probably thought you were going to get some long-winded technical explanation regarding nutrition during the run segment of a tri or a running race. But not today! Because it’s Friday, … Read More Here
Training against the log
I’m super-anal about keeping track of my workouts. I log every swim, bike & run. Along with it log stuff like time, splits and distances and occasionally HR. Meanwhile Sport Tracks will fill in stuff like temperature, humidity, course, elevations, … Read More Here
Texas Tuesday
Things are just bigger in Texas. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Since flying in Sunday night for a week’s worth of work stuffs, I’ve been experiencing all that the four mile radius around my … Read More Here
Reminder: Garmin GPS Rebate through end of November
If you’re looking for an excuse to spend some money and pick up another tri-gadget – here it is! I heart my Garmin Forerunner GPS. I use it for swimming, biking and running. And starting this winter I’ll use it … Read More Here
Review of Garmin Forerunner 305
Major Update: June 25th, 2009(I’ve completely revamped and updated this review (my most popular) to add in a ton of information about accessories, updated software and additional thoughts about the device itself now that I’ve had it nearly two years. … Read More Here
Gobble Gobble…and more Gobble Gobble
I’m stuffed. No seriously, I’ve been eating nonstop for days now. Combining my annual two week ‘rest period’ with Thanksgiving was officially a bad-bad idea. The good news though is that since I left home (DC) Tuesday night, I haven’t … Read More Here
Upcoming local DC running races (plus one in Cali)
I got an e-mail from Pacers a few days ago with a list of a few major/minor upcoming running races in the DC area. These are the ‘official’ dates, now that the event dates are confirmed. So mark your calendars! … Read More Here
Philly Half Marathon – Top 10 in AG – Woot!
For future athletic reference – 13.1 miles is a long way to run at a 6:20 pace. Which is why my body made the decision this morning it was going to run it at a more ‘gentlemanly’ 6:36 pace. My … Read More Here
T minus 24 hours until Philly
We’re in the home stretch now. Down to just a few hours before the last meaningful race of my season (actually, that might be a lie, we’ll see). This is the one I signed up for a month ago after … Read More Here
Photographic Proof – iWon
Per Jeanne’s request, I present you with photograph ‘proof’ of the iWon race. Well, proof as far as someone taking a few photos of me. I also have a pre-race group shot, but I don’t feel comfy publishing other people’s … Read More Here
How far would you go?
A few weeks ago when I resumed my interval training I was reminded that I hate running in circles around the track. It’s about as enjoyable as running out of TP at a gas station restroom in the middle of … Read More Here
Ironman Rhode Island 70.3
This new IM branded race was announced a few weeks back, and looks like a pretty cool one. Given all my family is up in the Connecticut/Rhode Island area, I decided to swap it out in place of the Vineman … Read More Here
National Ski Show & Warren Miller movie
I wandered out yesterday to the Dulles Expo center to check out the National Ski Show. Coming from Seattle, I’m accustomed to convention centers FILLED with ski companies, resort booths, and tons of local retailers as well. These are huge … Read More Here
Going strong at 90
Yesterday, my Grandfather (who we call Papa) turned 90! I’ve been sitting here for a good half an hour trying to figure out how to write a post about someone that’s done so many things in 90 years – and … Read More Here
iWon
Ok, never mind the fact that it was a tiny little 5K ‘race’. There was no special timing chips or start waves or even web page. Never mind that it only had 20-25 people in it. That’s all besides da … Read More Here
A written invitation
Funny, I got this postcard in the mail the other day from my employer (which btw is not Premera). I’m not quite sure they knew the irony of it when they sent it. “Stressed? Tired? Burned out? Try exercise.” Hmm…I’m … Read More Here
Army 10 Miler Discussion/Survey Group
I got called out of the blue a few days back and asked to participate in a two hour discussion group being conducted by a 3rd party survey company on behalf of the Army 10 Miler race organization. In exchange … Read More Here
Brickervals
I’m tired. I started off the day with a 22 mile ride down to a river/park south of DC to watch some friends in a rowing (crew?) competition. It’s a bit of an interesting sport in theory. Very similar I … Read More Here
Sorry Mr. Pigeon
You know how when you were a kid you’d chase the birds around in the park – but of course you’d never catch them. I always assumed it was an impossibility to catch a bird – kinda like a cat … Read More Here
Forced Vacation
“You need to take your vacation” So I was told today I need to find a way to take 120 hours of vacation time before the end of the calendar year. Further, that doesn’t include 48 hours of holidays that … Read More Here
Nearly Arrested!
The good news here is that I can outrun a police officer. For about three miles anyway’s. The bad news is that when you want to find one – they’re nearly impossible to find. Last night was costume night at … Read More Here



















