Heads up! The big Garmin annual spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8 (first sale to date!), $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, the Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products including inReach Mini 2. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium is on sale, and some Suunto & Wahoo product deals too. Full list & thoughts 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 2024 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.
long run with my wife
Climb race
LochLoman Standard Distance Triathlon on Sunday. Swim, bike, run on the bonnie, bonnie, banks of Loch Lomond :-)
Got in a great run on the bike and hike next to the house. First time in months that there were other people to wave at while I ran!
roller ski in Oulunsalo
Two easy 10 mile days as part of a recovery week. A few weeks until Grandma’s marathon!
ETU middle distance AG champs at Powerman Sankt Wendel
will be doing whatever is necessary to get back on track for my 3000 miles this year goal.
Swansea triathlon
Mountain hilke!
Ramping up triathlon training and doing a long bike workout
I had an 18km long run on Sunday!
Lake day for an open water swim.
Run, no mather time and pace.
free weights, pruned shrubs in front of house and spread mulch, and a 12 mile long slow run!
14 mile run and some swimming
Nice long bike ride and hopefully a run if my ankle will allow it.
Great watch! Much better than Suunto Core ;)
What’ll I be doing this weekend? Staying awake for three fourteen hour workdays inside a Class C environment where I can’t have food or coffee.
Narragansett Bay Wheelmen’s South Coast Century with some cycling friends.
Costco runs, Dunkin dips and Maytag spin cycles.
Trail running at Maryville College in beautiful east tennessee.
NY gran fondo
Long run in sunshine
I’m heading south to climb the Ventoux for the first time(s)!
Saturday is outdoor riding day… the one day I don’t watch tv while on the bike.
A long and sunny ride followed by a S triathlon on Sunday !
I just took a short cycle trip through the woods.
Getting ready for an awesome Half Marathon in the Douro wine area in Portugal, this weekend!
I plan on biking the countryside!
Bike ride and yard work
rest this week after 70.3 last weekend.
No longer a iphone in my pocket during lunch runs!
Running up and down hills with visiting family.
I ran and swam with a 4 and 6 year old but not much other than that.
I have a rough long run coming up in the dead heat and humidity of the south…should a sticky, soaked, miserable time…
I want!
A long run and bike ride getting ready for a 70.3 in a couple of weeks.
Going for a ride on my bike! Thanks for this opportunity!
Just back from 3 days of hiking in the White Mountains
running and mtb as every w-end
Multiple trips with the new puppy to the off-leash park, and a family (all-day) outing to the local theme park. Not super-athletic, but racked up a lot of steps!
No adventure for me I just injuried my back helping a friend!
Probably just a short run…maybe a bit of speed work or a short bike ride. It’s already hot here in FL.
No big plans, just rest & recovery from a week of riding.
Trailing trough the Kennemer Duinen in the Netherlands.
Planning on getting some miles in on the beach at Mustang Island State Park while I’m there for a conference. Flat hard pack – cars can drive on the beach in Texas. Always a pretty place to run.
Another weekend out in the mountains with my bike.
Brick workout: bike + running.
My first olympic tri. Wish me luck!!!!!
Biked Saturday, Ran in the rain Sunday, and Biked Monday (it was Victoria Day long weekend in Canada)
21k run on saturday and resting on sunday
1h pool swim on Saturday and 50 km Bike ride on Sunday if my children will let me:)
Barentoky Mountains & Giro D’Italia!
I had a cold so I took it easy this weekend. I did 2 easy bike rides
i will be running with my dog
Running In The Rain. Kelly-style.
Running with my boyfriend.
Second weekend in Milan for a 10 day trip, so my second chance at Milano Nord parkrun where I managed to exactly match my time from the previous week. Not bad after a week of pizza and gelato gluttony!
I will be biking in preparation for the Ride the Rockies tour in Colorado in June!
I ran a 5k this weekend. My goal is to break 20 minutes and ran a 20:24. a ten second PR now that I am over 40! Going to be kicking into marathon training next. Want to get a BQ
Hiking and Trail-running in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Time to bike out again after another week of indoor training!
Swam at the hotel pool!
Triathlon on Sunday in France : “Chemin des Dames” at about 1h45 from Paris
Put on a set of new wheels and tires on my touring bike and took it out on some commute rides.
-Ed
I’ll be volunteering at a swim meet, and maybe get a run or two in
Headed up to NYC (from Philly) to see one of my good friends from college who was in town from California (extra bonus: I found out she just bought her first bike!!!)!
I did a 21.1K race on Sunday morning and ran a PR of 1:23:53. In the afternoon, I paced the 10K race for a couple of friends (easy recovery run for me) :-)
Some interval runs for me.
Riding to Venice!
Awesome Weekend! My 1st outdoor bike ride of the season. Got to try out my Christmas/birthday presents (Varia Rearview Radar & Varia Vision In-sight Display) from my husband! Also did a long run!
I’ll be doing my long run on Saturday! Let’s hope its cool!
Working all weekend! :|
Maybe some camping and fishing on the agenda
I will go for a slow bike ride in southern parts of Stockholm, just to release a lot of stress hormones flooding my entire body at the moment, from too much to do at work.
running through the hills of wales!
Technically not this weekend, but next Thursday I’ll be running a nice 10k in Delft!
Long run (13 miles) followed by a 40ish mile ride!
I’ve been out of running for a while due to taking care of my sick wife. I’m going to get back into a routine on Saturday starting with a 2-3 mile run and some resistance training
run. :) ok, and ride and swim. mostly so I can EAT
keep up w my hubby… and by “keep up” I mean leave him in my dust…
Long ride, long run, and lots of sun.
Hiking in Snowshoe, WV.
I went for a run with my 8yo Daughter. I wore my 910XT, she wore my old FR305.
One of us needs a new FR935 :)
Planned to, and actually won, a road race.
Recovering from a bad dose of tonsillitis, so probably not much ;(
As there is a long weekend ahead, I will go for 2 trail runs in the woods and a hike into the nearby mountains.
Heavy into my run block to get my base up for my first marathon!
Rain allowing, going on a long bike ride early Saturday morning
Hopefully a nice hike and a few long runs
A run or bike ride before the weekend. And then on Saturday off to Bonaire for a week of Scuba Diving!
Swimming, biking, running, golfing, bbqing
Did a 5k Muddy Dog Challenge with my dog, raising funds for Battersea Dogs’ Home and getting completely soaked and covered in mud at the same time. Dog loved it, I had fun and the kids had a great time laughing at me, what could be better?
Training for Comrades [Ultra] Marathon this week! Love your reviews!
Ride around my town and an early AM trainer session before a flight.
Last weekend rode my first double century, so naturally this weekend its finishing the outside yard work that didn’t get done :)
Light running in the woods around Brussels (Belgium) + bike with my sons
Still in recovery from my last adventure. Recovery counts as an athletic adventure, right?
Gate City Marathon