Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, 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…
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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Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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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!
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.
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!
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.
So my question is…do you ever feel awkward getting in the pool in a wetsuit? Because I have one of these assigned next week and am trying to figure out how to slither in without anyone noticing me :)
Nice job on the Saturday brick!
I am confused with the wetsuit swims in the pool. Mo coach also wants me to do this when I start training for IM. But, my wetsuit saws NOT to do that. Weird. Do you think it breaks them down any faster in the pools?
Nice seasonal header on your blog too!
I have questions also..
1. Isn’t that TV a bit close to your face?
2. I thought wetsuits should not be worn in the pool. Do they break down faster?
3. Are you training for a specific race these days?
Just wanted to drop in and let you know that the NYC actually sold out in 7 minutes this year, not 12. DANG IT! I felt like the kid that loses musical chairs there when I kept hitting refresh and all of a sudden it tells me it’s sold-out. Rats!
Know of any creative ways of getting into the race?
So…why you going with the whole white Craft tri suit??? Are you doing a warm weather race that we don’t know about???
Come on Ray…what is up???
Free burritos at Chipotle? Darn it, I really wish we had them here in Calgary. In fact some friends and I were lamenting on that last weekend. Come on Chipotle, come to Calgary!!
Anyhoo…so an entire white race kit. You sure like to keep stuff on the DL. So it is either Arizona, Cozumel or FL. I know Arizona had some community fund spots still open after IMC so I’m guessing Arizona.
RE: The Wetsuit
It takes a bit to get past the awkward bit, but I’m at the point it doesn’t really bother me anymore. My pool is large enough that sometimes Scuba divers are there doing lessons, and many times swim instructors teaching kids are wearing wetsuits to keep them warm. So it’s not too unusual. Also – for the most part once you’re in the water nobody really notices anyway.
As for whether or not it’s good for them I figure the number of times I use it is relatively low in the grand scheme of things. I really only do it once per week during the racing season – so that’s at most 12-16 times + normal race (and day before). So I’m really only looking at using it about 25-30 times a year. So, in the grand scheme of use, I figure it’s relatively low. And in the grand scheme of triathlon costs – my wetsuit was $200 – or about equal to roughly one Oly Distance race. I figure if it lasts me 2-3 years (thus far, it’s on it’s third year without any issue) I’m doing good – in relation to the total cost expenditure on Triathlon I have each year (Travel/Race Fees/Nutrition/etc…).
Just my two cents though…
As for the TV, it’s a bit further back than it looks. My butt ends up being about 4 feet or so from the TV. While a bit close, it’s just sorta where it ended up. I probably could move it back…but I’m lazy. :)
Oh no! I really do not NEED a new Garmin and my husband has been threatening to get me a 310XT for Xmas. I hope he does not see that $50 discount. I’d much rather spend $$$ on something more useful, like race entry fees :-)
My bet is Florida IM this weekend since you had a few long flat rides recently. If so, good luck!
Please don’t ever show us any pictures of you in that white tri suit. That would be a potentially bad situation for EVERYONE!!!