The past seven days amounted to my first week of spending nearly a dozen hours outside in the saddle for the first time in several months. I am now beginning to remember what the next eight months have in store. And, like usual, I am looking forward to it. A lot.
The real question is "why?"
Spending ridiculous hours on the bike each week brings me great joy. I think.
Then again, it may be nothing more than the vicious cycle of an all consuming addiction or obsession. One of my greatest fears is that one day I will look back on all of this craziness and see a good portion of a life wasted on worrying about miles, race fields, and fitness level. Will I regret these decisions and wish that I volunteered more and helped others instead of participating in the selfish pursuit of bike racing?
Maybe. But, then again, I would have been robbed of all of the great relationships I have made in this social circle had I not participated in the sport.
Maybe the key is balance. Which is why I plan to do more volunteering again this year. Then I can justify the other stuff. Maybe.
1 comment:
I hate to drop the ol' "When I was your age," but ... When I was your age, I mostly did nothing -- certainly nothing all that good, except drink too much, sleep late, lift weights, try to meet girls and get into the occasional fight. That was regrettable.
If I could go back, I'd do what you're doing now. Or at least what I'm doing now. If you ever feel like you're wasting time, think of what you used to weigh and look like, and look at it this way: Chances are all the hours you're spending on the bike now are hours you're banking to use when you're in your 70s and 80s. If you stayed fat and sedentary, those might not be there.
Anyway, if you didn't ride, you'd probably be depressed and bitter. Who wants that kind of volunteer? Well, except for social-service agencies. And art galleries.
- JN
Post a Comment