I could relate to some of the info in the article or at least the issues it raised. When I started out, I had the problem of wanting to talk about my training and relate to others who were going through the same thing, but I limited how much of that I would talk about to non-runners because I could tell it was boring. I joined the local running club so that I could talk about that stuff, and I enjoy that give-and-take in the club environment. Even there, though, you have to be socially conscious enough to know how much to talk about yourself before turning people off. Talking about running is fun for me, though, and I don't need to be talking about myself to enjoy it. It is nice to hang out with people now and then who can empathize with the journey. I started a new job right before I ran Boston this past time, so the first thing most people knew about me was that I was a marathon runner. It was embarassing to me to be introduced that way repeatedly, but the attention has died down and I am happy about that.
I figure that when running causes tension at home that it is just the nominal issue that is bringing out other potential problems. I am divorced, and my ex-husband got increasingly uncomfortable the more I ran. I was not obsessed and did not spend a lot of time doing it, but it did involve a lifestyle change from a couch potato and night owl to an active and morning-oriented approach to weekends. Even though he ran, too, I think he felt threatened by my running, especially when I got faster than him. I think that reaction was an indicator of larger issues, and the tension we faced was there all along only now came to the forefront. I do not think that running was responsible for my divorce. It could have been anything that we did not share and that made me stronger. When I went to graduate school, the same thing happened, only that had a limited time frame and we were able to stuff the issues under the rug once it was over.