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.
“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
Aerobars Review Part II
I set out earlier last week to decide which were the best aerobars for me. The bike shop guys were fairly useless in their ability to help me choose – but I was someone expecting that since it’s a ‘personal … Read More Here
Long Day
Today was officially the longest day ever (well, for non-work stuff anyway’s)… Started with a 6AM wake up, and now it’s 3:30AM. To recap: 6:00AM – Wake up and consume a banana 6:25AM – Out the door to meet running … Read More Here
Wanted: Open water swim places in WashDC
When I did my first tri earlier this summer it was clear that I didn’t do enough open water swimming beforehand. By enough I mean ‘more than a few laps’ between two docks. Actually to be fair to myself, I … Read More Here
Twofer: New Aerobars & New Running Group
Tonight was a good night in training land. I had decided last spring when I first got my road bike that I would just get ‘decent’ at handling a road bike before I put on aerobars. I reasoned that if … Read More Here
Kirkland Tri Spectator Report
This morning I went to the Kirkland Sprint Triathlon to watch a few friends race. It was a good time, and seemed to be a well run event. In many ways I wish I competed in it, but it was … Read More Here
Need to find a pool while traveling? Check out Swimmers Guide
A few months ago while traveling I was trying to find information about local lap pools. While most of the country/city pools tend to have web sites, many times they don’t have particularly useful information (such as lap times, etc..). … Read More Here
Tri Coach – should I get one?
As a follow-on to yesterday’s post, I’m trying to figure out if I should get a coach, and if so – what type of coach I should get. I think I’m at the point now where a coach would be … Read More Here
