Originally Posted by
Lanterne Rogue
Maybe the OP and I are wired differently, but after having a baby in ICU, and seeing how so many of the other babies in incubators were struggling and sometimes not even making it, I was too scared back then to even think about riding a bike. Dude, cycling is fun, but it's selfish. Good fathers aren't selfish, but if you want to look at it selfishly, the truth is that you'll likely get more joy from your kids than you can ever give to them.
Yes, perhaps we are wired differently. I do get joy out of spending time with him (the time he's smiling and cooing, not the time he's screaming and fussing), but I also worry about my health. I'm now up 30 lb since about this time last year, and only a careful diet and cutting many of the foods I like has leveled that off in the past month. I have gotten sick 4 times since bringing him home about 2 months ago. Complications during the pregnancy limited my time to exercise while adding stress as well, which landed me in the hospital for an evening because of chest pain, which they determined was anxiety.
Expecting to keep riding a century every Saturday would be selfish. Trying to get 2 or 3 solid but short workouts each week isn't. It's still something I'm obviously willing to give up if needed for my son's well being.