I know what you mean about non-athletes not quite "getting it".

Have you made any training-partner friends yet? Sad but true, over the years all of my non-active friends have pretty much dropped out of the picture. They just don't understand why someone would want to a)avoid smokey bars and b) get to bed by 10 pm on a weekend so they can make the 8 am training ride the next day. Almost everyone I hang out with now runs and/or rides.

Again, congrats on the race