I'm a gal in my early-mid 20s. I've been running since high school and even post-collegiately I'm still passionate about it. It doesn't get in the way of my life (graduate student) and has made a huge positive impact on me. One thing I have realized from my previous relationships is that I think I may have a hard time dating or seeing myself with someone who isn't passionate about an active lifestyle (if it's running that's a bonus but if not that is fine), or someone who doesn't do some sort of exercise most days of the week. It has just become such a big part of my lifestyle that I am noticing that on a relationship level it can be hard to truly connect with someone who may not understand that (I've had past boyfriends try to occasionally run with me and while I really appreciated the gesture and the effort they made, it wasn't like having a running partner you could run with at a normal easy run pace and chat with). Since I am somewhat busy, the time I spend running is a nice time to hang out too.
Plus, it is nice to wake up in the mornings and head out on a run and get it done with - with non-runner boyfriends, this may not always be the case (and it feels weird to get up and go and just leave someone back there for 1+ hours).
Am I being unrealistic with this? I know it would be great to have someone who is just understanding of my lifestyle, but it's really nice to be able to bond with someone over it. The thing is that even in graduate school it doesn't seem like there are a large amount of people who exercise regularly and are fairly serious about their sport (plenty of people who exercise occasionally/stay in shape though) and I wonder if my views are far too short-sighted. Any insight would be great. Thanks!