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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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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.
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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!
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.
I run my marathon on Saturday, and like you I want to improve on my last outing (last years 2h52). Now unlike you I will be running in km so I have 42.2 of them to worry about!!! I ran a marathon in miles a long time ago, and boy was it hard to get the pacing right. I’ll let you run 6:20/miles and I’ll run 4:00/km…
good luck and have fun.
It sounds great, the race is really nice and exciting too. Good luck and looking forward for a successful race this sunday !
Hey Ray, I’ll be there with you in group 1 – bib number 1265. Shooting for under 3 in my second marathon. Let’s get a picture together before the start for the website!
Good luck for the marathon Ray!
Good luck. Maybe one of these days I’ll tackle a stand alone marathon again. But they just don’t sound line fun!
Hey Ray, Best of luck and have fun! Just curious what watch will you be wearing for this race? The Garmin FR 610 would make the most sense probably, but I wonder what your thoughts are on this?
Hi Ray! I’ll be cheering you on for a 2:52 finish from a few miles away (In Kuwait). I purchased a garmin 610 after reading your review; and I’ve improved as a runner by adding a bit of tech to my training.
would your race report focus on the run, or will you choose to feature a device? I’ll wait for the post. Have a great run at Philly Marathon!
– husarrow
Good luck this weekend!!
Good Luck Ray!
All the best Ray from sunny South Australia!
Good luck!
I’ll be at the finish line to cheer you on. I’m running the half in the orange coral :) so the way I figure it I might finish the half about twenty minutes before you finish the full
I’d say good luck, but that would indicate luck has some role it in which is shouldn’t, it’s all training and confidence that matters. So I’ll say have a great race and don’t blow up till 26.1!
Best wishes for a fantastic race!
Good luck DCR. I’m sure you have good speed and a great city to run by. Run On!
Cheers,
Navin
Go get ’em dude! Good luck, we’re all rooting for you.
Good Luck! Which of your many devices will you be using for the marathon this weekend?
I’m gonna be in the same corral Sunday. Good luck and have a great race!
Good luck Ray!
Sorry to miss you in Philly. I will be in Lancaster at a soccer tournament with the kids. Good luck in our fair city. Will you have any time to sample any of our restaurants? Osteria is my latest favorite.
Neil
Good luck! I’ll be there cheering Rebecca on in the half, so I’ll keep an eye out for the speedy runner with an arm full of GPS watches :)
Run like Forest, Ray. I just finished a 3 marathon (Marine Corps, Raleigh, OBX), over 3 successive weekends and all in under 3 hours challange. Times were 2:48, 2:50, and 2:49 respectively. It is all in the mind on race day – the luck bit was in the preparation leading up to the races. I am sure you will do well.
Best of luck to all runners, whatever distance/pace you run, we all get the same colour medal!
Looking forward to the race report.
Have a great race!
Thanks all, really appreciate the comments!
Just a quick lunchtime answer to those that asked about which watch I’ll be wearing. I’ll be using the Garmin FR610. It’s simply the watch I’m most comfortable with, and the one I primarily use on my training runes. Just one watch.
Thanks all!
Thanks for the tip on the 310xt, Ray. I just bought it on REI through your link. Good luck in Philly
Have a great race!
As the 26th comment, let me say, you WILL rock. I guarantee it.
Dig deep And run fast! Good luck tomorrow.
Risking being repetitive… Best of luck on the race, from Portugal
Good Luck! I ran my 2:54:26 PR at Boston earlier this year but hoping to knock time off that next year. If we do a marathon or half together we’ll have to try to run together since we seem really close in times.
Thanks, order place for a 310 via the link. My 305 died and have been waiting for a good price on the 310.
Good luck tomorrow.
All the best Ray
Philadelphia Marathon: Ray Maker – 10K in 0:39:46. Pace: 6:24. Est: 2:47:48. ETA: 9:53:19. Powered by Xact RealTime Race Alerts.
Philadelphia Marathon: Ray Maker – Half in 1:25:26. Pace: 6:31. Est: 2:50:51. ETA: 9:56:22. Powered by Xact RealTime Race Alerts.
He is slowing :(
Philadelphia Marathon: Ray Maker – 30K in 2:08:10. Pace: 6:53. Est: 3:00:28. ETA: 10:05:45. Powered by
Xact RealTime Race Alerts.
It’s well past the ETA predicted at 30K mark. Where is he?!
Looks like he ran first part too fast. Still no news on the official results page as well. Hope he is alright.
He has finished! Still a great time by us mortal standards.
Philadelphia Marathon: Ray Maker – Finish in 3:23:09. Pace: 7:45. At 10:28:38. Powered by Xact RealTime Race Alerts.
I am sure we will have the inside story on what went, ahem, wrong, soon – in a typical DCR style.
Obviously it didn’t go to plan, but wow… to run that fast is so crazy good anyway, I would be a 5 hr finisher with my half times.
Thanks all for the support! Once I realized it wasn’t my day I had a great time pulling back, and then pacing my wife through the last portion of the race to her first marathon! :)
Thanks for helping me at mile 22-24. It was nice meeting you.
Ray (& The Mrs.) – well done. As I always say, we all get the same color medal for our efforts. Great to finish a marathon with the Mrs. Something to share in the years ahead with the grandchildren!
Stay well, stay blessed and recover well.