The Myth of the "Workout Weight Loss"

Some folks like to weigh themselves before a workout/run/ride and again afterwards.
Today I did this.
I weighed in at 92.5 kg (203 lbs) when I got up, then I had a single cup of tea (no sugar, as always), and went for a pre-breakfast ride,
I came back and weighed-in again at 90.6 kg (199 lbs)

So I lost almost 2 kg (or about 4 lbs) in weight this morning.
Few more workouts/rides like that and I'll soon be thin again!

Or not.

Long Term Review: Garmin ForeRunner 310XT GPS Watch

Garmin FR310xt in "action" - I've covered 72km at this point, and my heart rate is currently 145bpm
(pic taken during the 2015 BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride)

I'm sure some of you will have noticed that I have mentioned my 310xt more than a few times, and shown a few pictures of it too.
So here is the write up!
Purchased: May 2015, from Amazon, with "premium" HRM belt.
Regular retail purchase (no "freebies" for me!)
Price Paid: iirc, about 130 pounds (c. 200 dollars, c. 170 euros)

Features: well, it is a GPS watch, so it records your position using GPS!
It has a few other tricks, too:

1) Waterproof - as in, go swimming with in on - remember, the 310XT is marketed as a "triathlete's" watch. The sensor for the "premium" HRM belt is also waterproof - note that it doesn't record underwater, but at least it will still work after you get out again!
Handy if I ever fall in the canal, and something to think about if you cycle on canal towpaths, as I sometimes do.
The 310xt is listed as being waterproof to 50 metres depth - so if you like a bit of holiday swimming in a nice warm sea (or even a bit of snorkelling), this watch will be fine with that.
Waterproof also means sandproof ... which might be a consideration for some.
Would YOUR bike computer stand falling into a canal/river?

Nine Months on the "Exercise Diet" - a quick update

9 months on the "Exercise Diet"
Blue line is the "raw" data from my morning weigh-ins
Green line is a simple 3-day average
Red line is a "trend" line, using the 90/10 formula.

Thinking About "Brevet" Routes

A route for the future. I can put a "stop" in at Great Missenden, but it adds only 100m to the route distance, so I left it out.
A good Audax route has enough, but not too many, stops!

I've been thinking about "brevet" routes recently.
about 5 weeks ago, I went on my first "brevet" - a 208km "solo" ride under the auspices of Audax UK.

Audax UK offers an award for a set of rides of 50km, 100km, 150km and 200km.
Next year, I think I might go for that award (they call it a "Randonneur 500")

I already did a lot of such intermediate distance rides this year, and with a bit of thought I could easily make next year's traing rides into my "Randonneur 500" material!
Indeed, I did 8 "half-century" rides, and 5 "century" rides this year,
The longest of those "centuries" was actually a 138km effort.
So all I have do do next year is the same as this year, plus stretch that 138km ride into a 150km ride and I'm there.

But I enjoy more than just endlessly going around the same pre-set route time after time.
I like the variation and exploration of cycling.
I like getting lost sometimes, and finding things I would have otherwise missed.
So it is time to think up some new routes.

Weight loss and running speed

Calories expended per mile are pretty much the same however fast you run.
Faster runners merely cover the distance quicker!
Data from Harvard Medical School
horizontal axis is speed in mph, vertical axis is calories used

Does running faster make you lose weight faster?
A good question.
I took a reputable data source (Harvard Medical School), and plotted out the data on the chart above.
I used the dataset for the 185lb person, because that is the closest to what I weigh (actually I weigh more like 200 lbs!)