In five days, 17 hours I will be registering for my first full marathon (the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon) and I am pretty damn excited about it. I was going to wait until New Years Day to tell family (and facebook) but decided to tell my sisters and mom - my mom rolled her eyes. Grant you, I am used to non-runners not understanding our logic but it kind of hit me a little hard. I guess my mom was great with the idea of 5ks and 10ks, and even half marathons but I don't think she understands the importance or desire to go further and push the distance which will make it difficult if/when I tell her that I plan on upping it beyond 26.2 miles and going much further. My sister thinks I am crazy, but she wants to do her second half next October. I guess my mom feels that running (races) is more of a school thing or should be, or maybe she doesn't understand that it isn't about racing and winning trophies now (though that is great too), but it is a lifestyle for me - she says I am addicted. She doesn't understand when I say "I have to put in 11-12 miles this Sunday", or that "I've got to run my 7 mile progression run" and need her to babysit. She'll babysit, but she always questions my sanity or whatever, wondering why I just have to do it and can't take a day off or whatever. I guess if I had a coach or was in college it would be different to her, but I just try to let it roll off my shoulders and not take any of it personal - non-runners just don't understand.

What about you guys? Has it become apparent that your family and friends just don't get it or don't want to hear about it, have you decided to pretty much stop talking to them about it?

I try not to talk about running unless I'm asked because most people don't care.

My mom doesn't understand why I have to run while I'm visiting her for the weekend and she used to give me a hard time about it but she's sort of resigned to it now.  And I think she's finally stopped asking me when I'm going to be done with "all this running stuff."

I do not bring up running to my family and friends, they do.  Then they roll their eyes.

My parents are great about it. They love coming to my races and my dad has even ran a few with me. I really appreciate their support. However I have found that NO ONE in my family or friend circle wants to hear the details. They don't care about my training, or PRs, ect ect.... everyone thinks it's cool that I'm running and will like to see race photos or medals but that's as far as it goes without an eye roll. Starting to talk about gear, training plans, race strategy, ect only happens with fellow runners or else I will get the eye roll.

No eye rolling from anyone in my family.  Mom seems happy for me when I talk about races, but I could run a 5K or run to the moon and she wouldn't know the difference.  I don't usually bring up the topic though.

Lots of runners in my family.  Uncles, cousins, nephew.  My uncles like to mock me when they can, especially when I choose the treadmill over running in the rain or during a snowstorm.  Of course then I have to remind them that they are slow.

My dad asks me about the marathons but does not understand why I like them.  My mom does not even pay attention to if I were to talk about a race and I can feel her rolling her eyes at me through the phone.

And this in particular, I get a lot:

I actually hear the opposite about calories - they think that since I run I shouldn't worry about what I eat 

DH tries to understand, but sometimes he doesn't even make sense of it. I am sure my mom would be super excited/happy for me coming across the finish line of my first FM (and I plan on asking her if she wants to come along), but the training part is definitely something she just can't understand.

How acquaintances or not-close friends/family members respond is not really important to me.

Close friends/family members generally respond positively or neutrally, in line with their personalities.  I am clearly a weirdo, but I think that our close peeps rolling their eyes is incredibly unkind and mean.  We all have our own interests and, it appears to me, in a healthy relationship (family, friend, or romantic), we are able to empathize with another's passions and interests.  I mean, if my brother gets tickets to see a rap singer I have never heard perform, I am happy because that makes him happy.  I get out of my own immediate bubble.  I expect the same thing in return.  I don't mean to require hours and hours of minutia discussed, but it's basic human community behavior.  So, yes, if someone actually close to me were to act eye-rolley about running, I would get very angry with that person.  But, again, I am a high-maintenance weirdo.