Christmas Eve and I need my FIX!!!

Here we see Nero tinkering with his bike as Rome burns behind him. It is an amusing cartoon but it also reminds me that is possible to carry this whole biking thing too far.

So my parents were here for the weekend visiting to exchange gifts for Christmas. Like anyone else, I miss my family and I was really looking forward to seeing them. But all day long there had been this itching feeling in the back of my mind. So then the feeling is accompanied by another feeling...guilt. I was dying to get out on my new cool Mtn Bike, while my parents were visiting me for a major holiday. They drove five hours. They brought me gifts. I suck. And what was worse was that it had been raining for the last few days and all the trails were closed. It wasn't even possible to go. But the feeling was there anyway. [I will not curse the rain right now because the Raleigh Durham area has been in a severe drought for the lase several months to the point that we are on water restrictions.]

A few weeks ago I saw this documentary on TV about exercise addiction. All of the symptoms apply to me. I have trouble taking a day off. I go out on holidays and I get defensive if anyone challenges me on the frequency that I train. What's wrong with doing hill repeats on Christmas morning while my family is waiting for me to get back so we open gifts? What is wrong with a 2 hour bike ride after work everyday of the week that keeps me away from my family for 10 hours per day instead of 8 (work)? It's only 2 more hours right? In fact, I am fond of saying that there are 24 hours in a day. Working out for 2-3 hours is not that much time really if you think about it. Never mind that you spend 8+ at work and 8 sleeping.

Yea, I got a problem. I am trying to work on it.