| smoker dave |
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I want to start running again after a long period of smoking. I am trying to quit smoking and start running. Anyone have the same experiences? Any tips on quitting and keeping on running? I ran collegiately and also in HS but stopped and started partying and such. Help me out! |
| Nic ' o Tien |
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been there, bro. Prepare yourself for pain. But you can do it. This is what helped me quit (and get back into competitive running eventually). -disclaimer: I quit from one day to the other after smoking up to a pack of cigarettes for years. No nicotine tabs or anything because I think they just continue feeding your addiction.- a) admit your are addicted and powerless. If you are religious then pray. Hand it over to God to take care of this problem. Accept yourself fully. Find some faith and courage. b) If you have cravings to smoke (weekends for me were the worst) then calm down. Like I wouuld literally close my eyes and count to 10, or meditate. Don't do the "eat chocolate -thing" which was recommended to me. c)In your mind Focus more on a healthy, balanced lifestyle in which running is just one component than obsessing about quitting and transforming your addiction on to running. For example, I started meditating in the morning and ran just every other day for 20 - 30 min first ( I come from a 90+ mile background in College). Also went swimming a lot. I d say your lungs start feeling better after 3 weeks. You really feel things coming back easily which is a big motivator. But beating the addiction is hard at first (at least it was for me). I relapsed a couple of times - always by "treating" myself at the end of the week. |
| smoker dave |
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This is exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you so much! I really want to get back in shape and run some 5k's. I was a 70 mile a week guy in college and now I am a 25 year old out of shape bum. Thanks for the info going out for my first run in months now. |
| samblackbones |
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I quit 2 years ago july and that is what got me going as a runner. I also did the prayer/turn it over to god approach, although I did chew the gum for the first two weeks. The initial pain of the running, coupled with how quickly I started to feel better really helped to keep me motivated. I started running a few miles a few times a week, but I found it to be the most effective stop smoking aid. At that point I signed up for my first half marathon, and have kept running ever since. I smoked a pack and a half a day for about 5 years, and trading smoking for running has probably been the best thing I have ever done for myself. If you avoid the things that really trigger you at first, that will also help. Today I am not super fast, but have ran 3:03 for the marathon and 16:50 for 5k with 0 running background. You got it man. Save yourself 7 bucks a day and a lifetime of unpleasantness. |
| Lloyd Christmas |
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Keep telling yourself it will get better (it will). You will reach a point where you do not crave cigarettes anymore if you commit to giving it up. Quitting smoking will improve your running (obviously), but running will also make it easier to quit. |
| whacker drive |
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Bill Rodgers started smoking, hanging out in bars, and riding a motorcycle. He applied for conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War and got a job at a Boston hospital wheeling corpses to the morgue. When his motorcycle was stolen he started running to work. |
| smoker dave |
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So it can all be reversed if you want to make it happen. |
| Irenaeus |
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Cheers to your success. |
| smoker dave |
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@Irenaeus Thanks man. And to everybody me and my wife are on a begginer training program TOGETHER so she can help me quit smoking. It went well last night and I am already looking forward to tomorrow. She really seemed to enjoy herself to. I am happy to make some positive changes in both of our lives. |
| Alan Webb Fan |
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I am glad I read this, hopefully this helps me quit. |
| Guy O'Leighken |
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I can understand the feeling that patches, gum, etc. are just continuing the addiction. But I had great luck with patches. It made it really easy to get through the first few weeks. I found the hardest part for me was staying motivated after I felt like the "hard" part was over: after a couple months you think, "I've basically quit, one cigarette here and there can't hurt." That was the hardest part for me to overcome. But yeah, running is a nice reinforcement for what you're doing. As you start running more comfortably you don't want to have a cigarette and feel worse on your next run. |