TAA wrote:
Idk. I was really surprised at how many people on the Appalachian Trail smoked. They were everywhere. You'd think people hiking 15-20 miles/day wouldn't do that lol.
Same in the Alps. I’ve seen people smoking at the summit of 4000m peaks... how they can do that is beyond reason. Nevermind the strenuous effort, the cold, or the thin air...
Yuta wrote:
I smoked a pack and a half a day when I started running, kept doing it for 5 years and got my times down to 38 for 10k and 1:25 for the half off 40mpw. The thing is I didn't know the difference between not smoking and smoking when it came to training, I didn't know any better. I've gave them up for 3 weeks and oh my god, the difference was huge in that short period of time, easy runs dropped 30 seconds per mile in two weeks and my muscle strength felt like it doubled. I always thought the way I felt during runs was just the way it felt to run.
But it wasn't, the key difference I felt wasn't in the pain in my lungs like I thought it would be. The big difference was the feeling in my legs, when I was smoking and running, my muscles felt much more dead and fatigued all the time. Within a few days of stopping, my muscles felt supercharged and like I could train more often and faster. I'm guessing that's what it feels like to take EPO in that time to exhaustion is dramatically increased so enables you to train harder and have more energy.
The answer to your question is that you can get fit while being a smoker or even heavy smoker but it's severly impacting your potential. The guys who are running those times while smoking are much more talented than you simply put.
As for the second poster on this thread who said there is evidence that smoking can improve performance, they are talking about this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001541/This study fools a lot of people as that was the goal of it. It was actually devised to show how studies can be abused with selective thinking to create convincing arguments for a faulty hypothesis. Don't believe everything you read.
How on earth you can run those times while smoking is way beyond me, and I know you are definitely not the only one out there who can do this because I have seen it with my own eyes. Being a moderate or heavy smoker would make a 25 minute 5k a struggle for me - and I am not lying about that either.
From various articles and his autobiography I get the impression that Herb Elliot (1960 Olympic 1500 champion, mile world record holder, etc.) was a fairly heavy smoker.
Yuta wrote:
I smoked a pack and a half a day when I started running, kept doing it for 5 years and got my times down to 38 for 10k and 1:25 for the half off 40mpw. The thing is I didn't know the difference between not smoking and smoking when it came to training, I didn't know any better. I've gave them up for 3 weeks and oh my god, the difference was huge in that short period of time, easy runs dropped 30 seconds per mile in two weeks and my muscle strength felt like it doubled. I always thought the way I felt during runs was just the way it felt to run.
But it wasn't, the key difference I felt wasn't in the pain in my lungs like I thought it would be. The big difference was the feeling in my legs, when I was smoking and running, my muscles felt much more dead and fatigued all the time. Within a few days of stopping, my muscles felt supercharged and like I could train more often and faster. I'm guessing that's what it feels like to take EPO in that time to exhaustion is dramatically increased so enables you to train harder and have more energy.
The answer to your question is that you can get fit while being a smoker or even heavy smoker but it's severly impacting your potential. The guys who are running those times while smoking are much more talented than you simply put.
As for the second poster on this thread who said there is evidence that smoking can improve performance, they are talking about this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001541/This study fools a lot of people as that was the goal of it. It was actually devised to show how studies can be abused with selective thinking to create convincing arguments for a faulty hypothesis. Don't believe everything you read.
What actually happened was that you reaped the benefits of smoking listed in he study.
Some hit the genetic lottery, most did not. Smoking or not, this is the rule.
How on earth you can run those times while smoking is way beyond me, and I know you are definitely not the only one out there who can do this because I have seen it with my own eyes. Being a moderate or heavy smoker would make a 25 minute 5k a struggle for me - and I am not lying about that either.[/quote]
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I used to smoke 3/4 of a pack a day throughout college and beyond, yes..stupid.
As a D1 College Guy, I ran 10K X-C under 31:00 few times and sub 25:00 for 5 miles regularly, then a 2:23 Marathon after college in 1982.
I stopped smoking in 1999 after 22 years and have never reached my age graded performances I hit when I was young. Now, guys I crushed in College are beating me.
QUIT NOW if you are smoking.
Yeah I guess some or just luckier than others and even if doesn’t impact your running in a dramatic way there are always other ways it can negatively impact your life eg: yellow teeth, being alone because it can be offputting to women, etc.
I don’t smoke by the way, at least habitually. I used to but quit years ago. I still smoke when I drink, which is very rarely. I smoke less than 2 packs oer year but always feel awful after I smoke, it’s a great hit when drinking but doesnt seem worth it sometimes.
When I climbed Mount Rainier decades ago, the lead guide smoked at a couple of breaks on the way up. He later went on to summit Everest twice, and has summited Rainier over 400 times.
Cheech wrote:
All PRSs from smoking era wrote:
Individual variation. Some people just aren't affected. Including me.
Smoking has performance enhancing benefits as well.
I've played pickup b-ball at an inner city Y, and a few of the African-Americans would take smoke breaks (likely weed) and not be affected at all.
The thing in basketball that requires the most intense physical effort is defense, of which little is played in pick-up basketball. You cannot play defense at a high level without being extremely fit. You can however jog up and down a court, shoot, and make quick moves to the hoop.
BlindLiner wrote:
I don’t get how this is even remotely achievable, I’m talking pack a day smokers running well under 3 hours for the marathon.
I only smoked for 4 days plus I did a steady 50 minute runs around my resort in the morning so it’s not as though any fitness I might have lost while on holiday was due to detraining.
I hopped in a local 5k a few days after I returned from my holiday and iz sh*t you not, I struggled to break 20
So why can’t I get away with it and others can?
Many very good runners up to the 1980s at least were exposed to a lot more smoke than is common for today's youngsters and runners (many runners worked in offices where people smoked, restaurants, bars, airplanes etc. Many great runners must have grown up with parents smoking. Passive smoking doesn't have the same impact, but it's still significant. Also, before the link with cancer was demonstrated I think some runners must have smoked. I seem to remember hearing Brasher or Chataway smoked a lot) and they still managed to run fast. I'm sure they would have been faster, but I'm not sure how much.
Smokey Bear wrote:
I've known a few people who smoked and and played on local sport teams, BUT it was typically stuff requiring short anaerobic bursts and I seriously doubt any of them could have maintained an effort for 20mins.
I used to smoke one Gudang Garam a day (which are seriously heavy cigarettes, but only one a day) and I'd get sweats walking up one flight of stairs.
Now I know running, I'd choose running over cigarettes every time.
I knew a guy who was a chain smoker ran 1:53 800m and could still do sub 2 aged 40. He also ran about 31 mins for 10km. Dead at 60, You can guess what from
Smoking is idiotic. Just does not even give a high just addictive.
Weak people start smoking to fit in
I ran the mile at Tennessee in the late sixties, early seventies. 4;19 best. My teammates were 403 to 406. They all smoked. I didn’t. What’s that tell you.
Cigs are freaking coooooool! n The JUUL is sexxxxyyyyyyyyy!
weed is lame
weed is for dads
Yeah. I'm 40 YO dad of two. Never smoked. Quit drinking at about 30. I puff a joint or two every week though.
16:01
34:29
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2:31:13
Just smoke crack instead. Then you don't have to worry about cancer so much.
It's pretty well accepted thought, in the medical community, that if one smokes for over 10 years then they are probably doing permanent damage to their lungs. Smoking is always harmful for the circulatory system. Younger people can get away with it for awhile but will manifest problems later if they don't quit. It's linked to other cancers, as well ie prostate, breast, etc. If you're smart, you won't engage in it.
Petrel, are they still alive?
stan the corgi wrote:
It's pretty well accepted thought, in the medical community, that if one smokes for over 10 years then they are probably doing permanent damage to their lungs. Smoking is always harmful for the circulatory system. Younger people can get away with it for awhile but will manifest problems later if they don't quit. It's linked to other cancers, as well ie prostate, breast, etc. If you're smart, you won't engage in it.
It is dangerous. But no permanent damage to the lungs after 10 years. But if you smoke more than 25 years you don't reduce the chances of getting lung cancer. The Dane Jorn Lauenborg ran London Marathon 2.12.21 in 1984 when he was 39yrs 8 months old. Smoked 25 cigarettes a day. Many great runners smoked back then. My best moment. I had an injury, lasted for 15 years, started again at 53 and ran Berlin Marathon at 54. The best cigar in my life 10 minutes after finishing. Though, it is and was stupid to smoke. But I miss it.
BlindLiner wrote:
I don’t get how this is even remotely achievable, I’m talking pack a day smokers running well under 3 hours for the marathon...So why can’t I get away with it and others can?
Essentially you struck out in the genetic pool lottery.
Meanwhile, it feels great lighting up a cig while taking a dump.(only lighting up a cig after good sex feels better)
"...see you in the douches!"
might look at herb elliot