Welcome, March 2023

Today's ride was typical of my winter rides: short, slow, and close to home.

February is gone and I won’t miss it. I spent only 8 hours on Zwift and that’s simply not getting the job done. I did spend 4 hours riding outdoors in February and that’s OK in this climate, but overall I was unhappy with my training volume. Until this afternoon, I had not been on any kind of bike ride since last Friday due to a bit of a cold, the first time I felt sick since June 2016! It was only a little congestion and pain in the sinuses. I spent a lot of time in bed and kept myself extra warm to ensure things didn’t get worse.

Assuming I stay healthy, it won’t be hard for March to beat February in every category that matters. With generally warmer temperatures and the return of Daylight Saving Time, March should offer more opportunities to ride outside. But it is still winter, so I won’t forget about Zwift. And I expect to get back into a more regular schedule of walking and hiking. Today’s 21-mile outdoor ride was a good start to what I hope will be a busy month.

In February I kept my promise and abstained from Coca-Cola. Eliminating thousands of empty calories helped me to lose 1 pound in February despite a lower level of activity. It’s the first time since 2019 that I lost weight in February, and I’m 5 pounds lighter than I was on March 1, 2022. So, I’m going to abstain from Coca-Cola for another month. Let’s see what happens.