+ or - Five Miles

When it comes up in conversation that I run, I usually get one of three reactions. One is a glazed-over look of sheer boredom, two is a surprised admiration and three is a look that says how nuts they think I am for running.
On my run this morning, I got to thinking about how many miles you can tell someone you ran today without them thinking you are a nut job. I decided that the dividing line is five miles. Lots of people have run 5Ks which is 3.1 miles and can therefore understand running in terms of maybe 3 or 4 miles. Five is probably the distance where your average, non-running friend thinks you start to sound crazy. I see it in people's faces all the time. Tell them you can 3 or 4 miles this am and they say, "Wow, good for you." Tell them you ran 6 or 8 miles and that look of admiration transforms into a "What a weirdo and why do you want to even run that far?" look. Big difference. They also love to tell you how bad it is for your body to run that far. Because I am not fast, it takes me just under an hour to run five miles. At the end I am tired and I am exhilarated. The tired feeling leaves quickly but the exhilaration stays with me all day. Hard to explain, but it keeps me "up" and focused, able to accomplish more than on the days I don't run. It elevates my mood and makes me a nicer person to be around ~ ask my family!
Today I ran 6 miles through the streets of Tustin. Yea, I am crazy...crazy like a fox! :)