Patty, I totally agree with you. I have been an exercise addict (is there a 12 step rpogram for this?) for most of my adult life. I loved aerobics so much, i started teaching classes. Guess what? It became a job, even though it wasn't my "main" job. I stopped teaching after 10 years and loved being a "consumer' again. A few years after that, i couldn't stand going to the gym. i put no effort into any of the actual things I was doing there. I started gaining weight. Then my husband, who had been a couch potato started cycling. At first, he went out when I went to the gym. After about 2 years, he said, " I'm getting you on a bike." Well, so it started. First me poking along on a mtb with slicks. After a year of that, I got a road bike. Up went my speed and my distances. Then we joined AMC. I saw that i rode better than a lot of people. I got a better bike. I started doing 50-60 mile rides. I found cycling friends. All of our vacations revolve around cycling. I love being outdoors here in New England, too. But, I can't get into the "club" scene with riding. I am a little competitive, but if I start riding just to get better, I will start hating it. Every year around the end of August, I feel burned out. I take a week off. I guess this is why I haven't done anything like PMC. I do want to stop and smell the roses and I feel good that i have achieved so much in five years, but I do this for fun. By fun, i mean I'm outside, getting fit, burning calories so I can eat, and being with friends. It does not mean "Oh, gee, I'm going to have fun by climbing Mt. Wachusett." That would just be painful. Sure, I could do it, but what would it prove? I know that I do more than 95% of the people out there. Remember that. Don't compare yourself with the small select group who do double centuries or more. I used to compare my body to the other instructors at the gym. Now that was a skewed comparison, since they were all 15 years younger than me! You are raising money for a good cause, so remember that.