This thought usually enters my brain around mile 8 of a half marathon…

For those of you who have been punishing yourself  following my posts, you know I am 19 days into a self-imposed 108 day break from running, due to majoroso IT Band issues.  These issues have been, and continue to be completely my fault.  I tend to get so caught up in getting the miles in, that I tend to skip the cross-training/strength-training aspect which is so integral to combatting that dupa-kicking pain one gets from ITBS.

At this point I know all of you non-runners have that glassy-eyed, please-make-it-stop-look on your face.  This is a condition I have named I-DON’T-RUN-AND-I-REALLY-DON’T-GIVE-A-HOOT SYNDROME.

(DOLLAR ALERT: yes dear sister, this one is aimed directly at you.)

You can typically spot those suffering from this condition hanging out with their running friends and family in the vicinity of race staging areas, finish lines, Italian restaurants the night before big races, and, in the case of runDisney events, on the buses en route to the staging area.  Occasionally, you may even notice someone suffering from IDRAIRDGAH Syndrome (like how I did that?), looking not unlike this:

For us runners, if we can’t be running, we want to be talking about running.  PR’s, fartleks, (what?!), tempo runs, sprint intervals, LSD’s (bet THAT got your attention), underpronate, overpronate, compression socks, tech shirts, running logs, and on and on and on, blahblahblahblahblah.  We can’t get enough of it!  We spend the majority of our disposable income (and maybe not so disposable), on running clothes, running shoes, running gadgets, ankle braces, knee braces, orthotics, running gear bags, running books, running logs, running posters, online training programs, online coaches, real coaches, registration fees, the latest computers, GPS, cadence pedometers…..the list is endless.

Our non-running cohorts look at us like we’re talking an alien language, wonder if pod people have taken over our bodies, become convinced we’ve been possessed by evil spirits, and simply cannot or will not understand why we’d rather go to bed early on a Friday night for a 3am wake up call instead of partying like a rock star at happy hour.  So to allay all of our non-runloving friends fears, allow me to explain.  It’s simple.  Really.  Seriously.  I wouldn’t kid you.

Okay, so maybe not ALL of us see unicorns and rainbows, but we do like this:

and this:

and occasionally have to deal with this:

So the next time you find yourself in the middle of pasta eating, carb loading, seemingly nice but obsessive people talking in what appears to be some strange, extraterrestrial language, cut them a little slack.  What may have started out as the first step on a weight loss journey, a means to de-stress, or simply something to do, has turned them into a fun-loving, wine-drinking, cupcake-snarfing athlete.  There are worse things that could happen.

Enjoy the ride.

(All photos courtesy of Pinterest.)

How do you handle those glassy-eyed stares from your non-running friends?