I think this is fair, I do take my gaming seriously but I'm always prone to being very casual about leveling. a big part of it has to do with the fact that i usually HATE to do it and therefore don't like to keep alts, so I make sure that the one time I do it, I take my time and explore/enjoy everything there is to. also factor in that I travel a lot for work and have limited free time. I do however, spend every free moment I can spare on Rift - which to me, is dedication baby!
On Lore, I'm a fan of storyline. I've always felt that entering a dungeon or a raid without understanding what the hell I'm doing there was a big disconnect and ruined the motivation for me. I'm sure that if we were to test this, a lot of people would probably report that completing an encounter with a named, lore rich boss is more thrilling and prestigious than defeating an unknown. This also works from tier to tier. I can certainly understand people who hate it and just want to melt faces, all's fair in love, war and MMO's.
EDIT: I've dinged 59 this morning. 5 million XP to go. Just starting Ashora and then have the Infinite Steppes left to complete.