Very true - I tend to get caught up just focussing on the kilometre count and forget about what my body's saying, or whether I'm actually enjoying it haha.
Cycling is a mental release for me though, really helps with my state of mind, anxiety, mood, etc. I find I definitely feel the impact from a mental perspective if I go too many days without a meaningful ride.
Anyway, I've just popped some gravel tyres on my Paralane, so that should keep things interesting.
Though, there's not a lot of gravel on offer around here, unfortunately.
but ditto for me. Mental health, in the form of stress relief and more positivity, is my primary reason for cycling. A co-worker who functions well and takes anti-depressants made the point that cycling is my anti-depressant. He is correct I believe.
