Normal?

Since I've been involved with EMG and the Red Ladies, I've had to redefine "normal." It isn't normal to jump in a lake in wind chills of 39. It isn't normal to say, "Oh, the water doesn't feel too bad! At 67 degrees, it's much warmer than the air."
It isn't normal to spend anywhere from 8-12 hours a week doing training activities.

It isn't normal to ride a bike for two hours, then jump into your running shoes for a short "brick." Then, do an hour and a half run the next day.
The list goes on.

I keep telling myself that there are worse ways to spend my time and money. But, I can't help but wonder if there are even better ways than this. This is such a self-absorbed hobby. All my spare time goes to training. There's no philantropic activities, barely time to see my friends outside of my training circle. It fills up my time so completely, that days, weeks, months just fly by without my taking notice. Do I really want to pass through my life so quickly without a moment to stop and ponder; stop and appreciate the moment? Or, is it constantly trying to cheat the day by squeezing yet one more activity into it.



This YouTube encapsulates it perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4