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
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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.
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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!
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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.
Pushing through a 95MPH Headwind
I’m sitting here at 36,000 feet and cruising across over endless farmland with a solid 100+MPH headwind, working our way towards Seattle for a quick 48 hour set of meetings. I’ve traded a very wet (and warm) Washington DC, for … Read More Here
Drafting – My 2008 Race Schedule
It is with great fanfare (ok, so perhaps no fanfare) that I present my 2008 schedule. Well a draft of it anyway’s. I started with a list of some 32 ‘potential events’. Many of them collected from various sources over … Read More Here
Half-Mary here I come
In my random driving around today I decided on which half I’m going to do. After looking at my options (all two of them: Philly and Outer Banks), I’m going with Philly’s Half. It will be a shorter drive, and … Read More Here
Things I don’t understand
I should be sleeping. But I can’t sleep. I should be sleeping because I have to wake up in less than 6 hours to meet up with some tri folks for a swim. Swimming of course not being my strong … Read More Here
Cycling in the middle of nowhere
I had to make a quick trip down to North Carolina, to a town just about 20 miles south of the Virginia border for some meetings yesterday. Given I had my usual bike workout planned for Tuesday I figured it … Read More Here
Wanted: Half Marathon Race in next 60 days
I’ve been contemplating for a while now to try and qualify for the New York Marathon next year based on a half-marathon time (the whole lottery thing this year didn’t work out too well for me). For my age group, … Read More Here
Spinning around in circles
It seems as though whenever I end my swim and leave the rec center there is a spinning class going on. One of these days I’ve got to actually try it out. The crowd at this particular place appears a … Read More Here
“You’ve lost too much weight, we can’t help you”
This whole triathlon sport is costing me quite a bit of cashola. $1,300 for the bike (yes, cheap, I know), $500 for Ironman registration fee, and countless other hundreds of dollars for various other ancillary costs (ok, it’s actually probably … Read More Here
Single-speeds are for wimps!
Don’t deny it – you want this bike as much as you want the guy in spandex riding it (which to be absolutely clear, is.not.me). The best part is if you go to the main site and click on the … Read More Here
My poor mountain bike
When I bought the ‘Black Diamond’ some 12-15 years ago to deliver the local hometown newspaper on a short 2.2 mile route – it had no idea what was in store for it. It must thought life was grand splashing … Read More Here
Concrete: 1, Me: 0
It happens about once a year it seems. Usually about this time of year in fact. The leaves change color, the temperature starts to decline(ok, not here but somewhere else apparently), and I face plant it into the ground during … Read More Here
Warren Miller Fall 2007 Film Tour Schedule
Woohoo! I just noticed that the Warren Miller fall tour schedule is up and available. For those that don’t know; I’m a bit of a ski nut. Probably comes from growing up in Seattle and skiing from about 3 years … Read More Here
Totally awesome tri sticker!
I stumbled onto this sticker a few days ago at the Army 10 Miler expo. Yes folks – it does indeed rock and is going straight onto the bike case. After some searching, it turns out you can buy it … Read More Here
Army 10 Miler Race Report
Dang it’s hot today. To illustrate my point – here’s a screen shot of the the weather.com page for the area: Now mind you – it was actually far more humid earlier in the day (albeit slightly cooler). I wasn’t … Read More Here
Taste Testing: Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie Fudge vs Low Fat Version
Yes folks – you know you wanted it! A complete comparison between the two variants of the same Ben & Jerry’s flavor: Chocolate Brownie Fudge. One is the ‘normal’ version, the other the ‘low fat’ version (speaking of which, did … Read More Here
Ekk! Tri shorts going invisible!
Rur-roh Scooby! My tri-shorts are going translucent…and in some scenic places too! I had picked up a pair of Pearl Izumi Tri shorts back earlier this summer. They seemed to work fairly well, fairly basic – but good. However, the … Read More Here
Pool Frustration
Grr…I’ve never had this much trouble trying to get in my swim workout. Normally I swim Wednesday/Friday/Sunday. This week I’m out in Seattle for work related stuff so I’ve converted to running/biking around Redmond and on the Burke Gilman trail, … Read More Here
My wetsuit makes brown water
After removing my wetsuit in T1 during the Nation’s Tri on Saturday, I left it in the transition area for the rest of the race (dragging it along on the bike or run didn’t seem like it would improve my … Read More Here
The Nation’s Triathlon Race Report
Boo-yah, that’s about all I have to say. Here’s the short version: 7th in age group (out of 90), with PR’s in every category known to mankind.7 561 RAINMAKER 25 Alexandria VA 15 26:17 3:20 16 1:05:30 1:05 11 40:12 … Read More Here
Woot! Awesome day!
Short version: The Nation’s Tri (Oly) rocked. I don’t have the complete results yet (not posted), but based on watch times, I’ve got: Swim: 26 minutes Bike: 1:05 Run: 40:12 Total: 2 hours 16 minutes (+/- 30 seconds), based on … Read More Here
Through the washer & dryer – gel still good!
As I was folding clothes I found an unexpected guest – my Hammer Gel bottle (complete with gel still in it). Apparently I had grabbed it out of my gym bag by accident when taking all of the clothes out … Read More Here
Cell phone in Ziploc is your friend on the bike
Perhaps this is stating the obvious. But it took me about all summer to realize it. If you toss your cell phone in Ziploc bag and then into your back jersey pocket, it not only keeps it from getting wet … Read More Here
The US Government officially thinks I’m female
Yikes. Situation not good. I got a e-mail from the HR/Payroll department today that during a recent audit of payroll records against the Social Security Administration’s records, there was an error found. To be precise the error was: Your information … Read More Here
Two Thirds of an Oly Tri Tuesday
I had to drop a coworker at the airport (Dulles), so I took the opportunity to do tonight’s ride out on the W&OD trail. By starting out near Dulles it is much quieter and far fewer intersections. I had only … Read More Here
How to swim with your Garmin Forerunner GPS
After purchasing the Garmin Forerunner, I was determined to use it as much as possible to get the most out of my money. On an average day I have two training runs/rides/swims, and I use the GPS for every outdoor … Read More Here