Heads up! The big Garmin spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8, $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965, Forerunner 265, and countless other Garmin products. 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.
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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 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.
short walk along the beach with family, still no time to run/cycle…..
Hey Ray, This weekend im looking to ride 500 miles for charity! Keep up the good work!
Nick
A little brick with 50k on the bike (indoor as I need to shop for a new bike) and 10k run (outside)… I could definitely use a credit for Garmin Vector 3 when I get this new bike!
Did a boring, pan-cake flat road race on Saturday and a nice Sunday-morning ride.
I did my first longer bike ride this spring, and rode the 30 km to my family’s cabin and back. I’m happy to do 60 km on the bike again after a long winter of only commuting by bike.
Had a relaxed weekend with the crew (aka my three wild and crazy boys). Ran around the backyard and played tag and help the boys build an American Ninja Warrior Course
Thanks for all the work you do!
So im mainly working on losing weight this weekend through a serious amount of running!!
I went running in the countryside. Eventually spring is coming :)
I did the Sufferfest Blender video because we were shuttling kids everywhere and it is still snowing here.
Well I just had a saturday morning ride and then rest and eat chocolate.
I just went for a relaxed hike with my wife as I was sick the whole week before.
I had a really crappy ride on the indoor trainer. Waiting for warmer weather too.
My athletic pursuits were home renovations.
I had a naughty weekend. Eating out for breakfast and lunch but I redeemed myself by running 17km on sunday evening!
Bike on Zwift followed by a swift run
7.0 miles running on the Rail Trail with the first good weather of the year here in central Indiana!
Ran 4 miles in the Arizona desert. Longest run in a couple months due to plantar fasciitis.
At the beginning of a ride, I successfully booted a tire with a torn sidewall to limp home on the nicest day of the year yet. The next day(and upcoming week) was all rain, but no Zwift punctures.
Just a short run, very relaxing.
Last Saturday I rode with my buddies through western Loudoun County, enjoying the unusually hot day. Nice change from the cold weather we’d been having.
Just some light swimming with main set 40x100m
Did some riding on Zwift as there is still too much snow outside!
Did 107K MTB on Saturday and relaxed ride with my wife on Sunday.
sat: 2 hr ride / sun 1.5 hr run, 1.2 mi swim
Ski Friday and Swim Sunday!
13k morning running with the team on Sat, and 2hr tenis with my son on Sun. Taking advantage of the good weather while it lasts!
Sat 50 miler groupA- WINDY. Sun 40mi solo. Less windy.
Rehab from hip surgery
Just a little relax at sea, after PB on Rotterdamm marathon (2:43) :)
After dropping some weight using my MTB and reaching the supported weight category for my road bike, finally got to ride that road bike Sunday, which was sitting for 1 1/2 yrs.
Trying to squeeze in a long run on a weekend, but ran out of time…so it was a 5.5mi point-to-point. Weather went from warm and humid to rain and windy during that short-of-an-hour.
I did two local rides on my winter bike. Hopefully it’s last outing until next winter.
Tri the Midlands spring tri…1st AG!
Rode stationary bike for 90 minutes on Saturday and 60 minutes on Sunday.
Just an easy six-mile run. I’m tapering for a 50K this Saturday.
I ran a couple miles with a friend on her due date! She, luckily, didn’t have the baby on the run.
PB running 10 km and 50 km bike ride
i did shopping to replace my running shoes
Had family visiting and took are rare weekend off, but did a ton of walking.
Surviving a terrible cold. Recovery run with coughing and sneezing!
Continuing my Tour de Watopia, with a bit too much climbing on the trainer!
Power walking for 40 minutes before Boston Marathon.
I went on a grueling 8K bike ride. At least, the 8yo decided to make it grueling.
30K long run with any epic bonk….
I went running in the Bronx… three miles under the highway, but at the end I got to do the final mile in Soundview park, which was the prize of the run.
100k gravel road race.
I got super sick but tried to run anyway. It didn’t go well but I guess that could be interpreted as an “Athletic Adventure”.
easy swim & bike, after a hard ultra-run race the weekend before (unfortunately DNF…)
With a nagging quad/knee injury, the extent of my weekend activities was coaching youth soccer games and practices.
I went on a nice group run on Saturday, crowned by a great brunch all together.
On Sunday, recovery
Weather was bad so I set up on Wahoo and did Sufferfest, and it did not disappoint.
Just did an easy run with couple of sprints in the end.
5k tempo run on Saturday
easy 9k on Sunday
Watch my kids compete on duathlons on both days
5mi race in 33F temp and drizzle
first trail run this season – with plenty of water and snow and ice in the Finnish woods.
thank you ray for your effort – will try to spend the bucks wisely :)
Easy Monday – watching Boston Marathon ;)
simulated a crit race with a very hard trainerroad workout
Gotta get back into the running – nice morning runs through Napa Valley pre-wine should take care of it!
Saturday 50km
Sunday: Short Sprint Duathlon team relay.
doing recovery zwifting from knee surgery last week.
Final 120km prep ride for Dirty Reiver- UK gravel ride
Did an easy 40 mile ride on a paved trail near my house
Tempo run on the hill
I did a 5 mile “maintenance” run with my wife. Slow week before my real training starts for the Florida Ironman in November.
I ran 6 miles in Tenerife before heading home from holidays.
Coaching high school track, district championships… and a quick 5k on my own.
Great weekend of bike racing in the St. Louis, MO area. Road race on Saturday followed by a crit on Sunday.
Our Colorado temps were finally warm but the winds were ahowlin on Sunday and as much as I needed to get some climbing in I decided to cake some more sweat on my Tacx Neo trainer (quiet and lovely). Yes, time does actually slow down when you do intervals and so my 50 minute ride took me up the steepest parts of all the passes I hope to be riding this summer. Keep crankin’ was my mantra. The fan a poor substitute for cool mountain air. Soon enough.
Bike ride on Friday and spectating the Boston Marathon in a monsoon on Monday was quite the adventure.
I did have a recovery weekend, but managed to include a run in the blizzard that hit us Saturday.
Ran outside Saturday and hit the trainer on Sunday.
This weekend was filled with swim, bike, run braving the winter that will never end in Ohio
Did my first 120 km ride of this year with an average of 30 km/hour
This weekend’s athletic adventure was a long run through the back roads of Virginia to the small town of Goode. It’s alway a good run out to Goode!
50 miles of cycling in the Santa Cruz mountains.
I spun on my kickr for 60 minutes in my garage… it was 75 and sunny out… not much athleticism involved but I did get a good sweat.
I did a 16 mile solo “time-trial” Sunday. Why the quotes? My time made it look like a recovery ride. Sigh…
Relaxing beach day in the caribbean!
I went for my semi usual Saturday morning group ride. The wind direction was a bit abnormal so the pace picked up quickly because we all knew coming back there would be a head wind. Needless to say I got dropped a lot sooner than normal and it didn’t help that I was on my new Tarmac thinking I would murder everyone on the hills. But to my defense I had three solid excuses or getting dropped on my new speedy bike.
Nice day of skiing at Val D’Isère. Enjoying last snow of the season.
This weekend I walked tenths of miles per day around Paris (sightseeing)!
80 degrees one day, and 40 the next…but the trails were calling both days, and I answered!
I got my first outdoor ride in since Oct/Nov. Really was something better for a trainer, but man it was nice to be outside. A bit warm since it got up to 85, and had some 3min high power intervals. Needed something since I hace a race in just 2.5 weeks.
I participated in the Austrian Squash Bundesleague-Final in Graz.
First proper ride out on the road bike this season.
Recovery weekend but I logged a little time on the elliptical, ran errands on my bike and walked the dogs.
Did a MTB ride with the fam (Wife on MTB and Toddler in Burley HoneyBee) down the scenic road of Mobile Bay, 98% flat.
Successfully mounted two MTBs onto roof rack w yakima boas (athletic on it’s own)
I did my very first Sufferfest Power Test, and it lived up to it’s name. My wife came down to the basement to check and make sure I was going to be okay. 8^O
A nice 70km cycle round the Wicklow mountains just outside Dublin Ireland
Did three hours of hilly riding on Saturday. Longest ride of the year so far.
Awesome run on holiday in Costa Rica!
Run with the baby in the new baby stroller :)
Bike in the morning and ride to the park on Saturday with my daughters, on Sunday I try to return to running in shape.
My weekend was heavy on cross-training as I built a garden and retaining wall with some 500+ pounds of material. Luckily I wasn’t too sore for my Sunday long run on the mount vernon trail.
I ran my first Marathon last Sunday, so this week is for the recovery. I rode on WOD trails most of the week days from 1 hours to 2.5 hours. I also rode on gravel roads in Loudoun County and did one Trail run and one easy pace run.
Took my 3 month old on a 5 mile walk in the nice weather. Its been brutal weather wise in PA lately so it was awesome just getting some vitamin D.
quick 15k run (for me) on mostly dirtroads.
indoor sessions on turbo… survived.
Actually, I pouched from shovelling out from an ice storm—in April??
My weekend has been a long one, recovering from a nasty dose of metatarsalgia has meant that my running has been put on hold but my trusty turbo trainer has been busy with lots of miles logged cycling around Wattopia..