Pretty much my wife's stance too. She likes me better when I'm running too, even if she doesn't get it.

Yep That's me and my wife too. There's worse things to be weird and radical about.

My husband doesn't quite understand it. I bought a decent pair of running tights... and finally found the courage to wear them in public. DH says on my way out the door "are you really going outside in those?" Urghh. I put on a longer shirt. BUT progress is being made. We've graduated from eye rolling to acceptance. He knows there will be a long run at some point in the weekend, and he doesn't make a peep OR eye roll now.

Pretty much my wife's stance too. She likes me better when I'm running too, even if she doesn't get it.

+1. My partner will now kick me out of the house to run if I haven't in a couple of days b/c I drive him up the wall. My mom is an ex-runner (can''t run anymore medically, although her "walks" are a bit long and brisk), so she gets it. My dad usually refers to my running as "f&$cking nuts". One out of three ain't bad.

I bought a decent pair of running tights... and finally found the courage to wear them in public. DH says on my way out the door "are you really going outside in those?" Urghh. I put on a longer shirt.

Be proud of your tight-wearing! Tights prevent chafing, are warm, and don't make that annoying swish-swish-swish that wind pants do. Snow and drafts can't get up your pants leg in tights, either. Plus they are good incentive to not pack on the pounds this time of the year, since we can't hide the holiday pudge in tights.

I just don't tell anyone else ... Shhhhh Actually my wife is very supportive - in the I won't get in your way or complain about you running so much. It is very selfish, but she realizes that I / we / our family is better off when I run and release all that stress / tension. I just don't do a lot of other stuff - Just Church / Family / Running - I don't "Go out with the guys" "Play much golf" "Watch TV" "Fish or Hunt" She really is not phased anymore if I say - "Hey I won't be back until 2:00 pm tomorrow (SAT) because I want to get a 40-50 miler in." But I make darn sure I am home by the time I say I will be and that I never use the excuse "I'm too tired" to do house work or family fun things.

I gotta admit, I got pretty lucky in terms of the IRL support thing. I married into a family of runners. DH's dad ran Chicago in his youth, his mom regularly won AG awards when she did road races (shorter distances), his aunt is in her 50s and still marathons, and that aunt's husband also is a marathoner and a RD for a very popular trail relay here in MI. I'm "captain" of a team of 6 of us RAers who will be running it in June and it's kind of cool that "family" run that event. My brother runs a little and my family is also very supportive. They all showed-up in Milwaukee to cheer me on when I ran my first 'thon last month. My brother's GF has done at least 1 MS 150 ride, so she "gets" the training thing. DH doesn't run anymore, but he used to do track and XC and now is a crazy spandex-clad dude on a bike doing his own insane 100+ mile rides in places like Death Valley.

My family sort of supports me in that they say "congrats" when I talk to them about my running accomplishments. Funny though, they often tell me to tell them how to get started and of course that unleashes a torrent of advice from me... But then they never do start running. I wonder why they don't - especially my brother who is very overweight and could certainly benefit from losing a few pounds. Oh, and my 79 year old smoking, drinking, partying dad says: "Be careful". I think that's hilarious!

Last week a couple of friends were here, and we decided to join them for a skiing-vacation in Austria in April. That's to say, we will go to Austria, and DH and DS are going to ski. I'm going to walk, to run, and of course I'm going to take my camera... I don't dare anymore, after I had a knee-injury after a skiing-accident two years ago. It was a minor injury, but I wasn't able to run for few weeks. But during those weeks I decided that I wouldn't ski anymore: I do like it, but I won't risk not being able to run anymore, just for the pleasure of skiing during just one week. When I told this our friends, they couldn't understand. Yes, they do understand that someone is running for fitness (like one of them does, too), but running just because you like running, running because you love it... impossible, they seem to think. (I even do have a friend who runs 20 miles a week, but still considers it as a duty, something she 'has' to do.) I know several people who run, but none of them seems to love it like I do.