other running related topic wrote:
My wife hates that I run. "why do you do these races? Is it for fitness? How long are you going to do this for? I don't get it."
Later, "You're going running again? Didn't you run yesterday? You're not planning on running everyday? Don't you think you've run enough? You know you have the wrong priorities.".
I don't even run that much. 50mpw at the most. Nothing compared to most runners I know.
How do you answer these questions? I told her about Ed Whitlock racing at 70-80s. I said I'm not planning on doing that, but I do it because I like it.
Coupled with this, I have a high stress job. My solution so far is to run when I can.
OP, I feel for you. Like another poster said, I can almost hear the tone in her voice just by what you wrote.
It immediately reminded me in my 20's when I was in a several-year relationship with a girl I thought I was going to marry. However, she used to hit me with that same crap you are dealing with about swim practice at 5am.
She and I both had no responsibilities of any kind at that hour, but she would nag about me getting out of bed to meet my team at the gym, and again when I got home. Over the course of time, the nagging spread to many other aspects of the relationship, basically any activity that didn't amount to me entertaining her. She gradually wore me down until I could take no more and broke up with her. I feel like I dodged a bullet there in the long term.
Point of the story is that if you are not neglecting responsibilities (kids, your work, household chores, etc), then your wife is in no position to be b*tching about running a couple miles before or after work. Dude, at least you're not sitting around playing video games for hours or drinking a 6-pack a day.
Moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical state, and at 50 miles a week, I consider that to extremely reasonable to where it shouldn't garner any sort of flak from anyone else. If you were running 100+ mile weeks, and turning into a zombie on the weekends from being exhausted, then I would say yeah, you need to reevaluate.
My humble suggestion is to very calmly, but firmly, explain to her that she needs to chill the f*ck out. Life is hard enough without someone up your butt about wanting go to for a daily run.