Improving race time after giving up smoking

mike.l

Anyone improved their times after giving up smoking? I had been smoking for 25 years and gave them up 3 weeks ago and have to say my breathing is way better and I am generally just feeling better in my training runs! I am running in the operation transformation 5k and hope to improve my time, the best I had managed before was 22.50

Mr Slow

Is this a joke?

I've done something that will make my lung capacity greater and make them work much better, soon I'll be bounding out of the bed feeling better than I have in forever and I'm wondering if that will help my running?:pac:

rom

Its common knowledge that smoking actually improves your times. - This message is sponsored by philip morris.

gerard65

mike.l wrote: »

Anyone improved their times after giving up smoking? I had been smoking for 25 years and gave them up 3 weeks ago and have to say my breathing is way better and I am generally just feeling better in my training runs! I am running in the operation transformation 5k and hope to improve my time, the best I had managed before was 22.50

Yes, and they quickly got slower when I went back on them again. when your off the smokes for 3 or 4 weeks your breathing becomes much easier even when running slowly, but the real difference is when you run faster/race. Your lungs begin to repair themselves very quickly, although it can take a few months for them to get to full power. Also your blood isn't full of carbon monoxide (spelling?) and all that other sh1t so you've more energy.
Just stay off them, even one will start the cycle again and you'll have to go through the pain of quiting again.

mike.l

Good to know Gerard........... googled it and couldn't find much info on it.

Rom & Mr slow I was a smoker all my life and also scuba dive with a group and the smokers in this group seem to always have more air in the tank after a dive ,this is not a joke... I would have thought it to be the other way around!

rom

mike.l wrote: »

Good to know Gerard........... googled it and couldn't find much info on it.

Rom & Mr slow I was a smoker all my life and also scuba dive with a group and the smokers in this group seem to always have more air in the tank after a dive ,this is not a joke... I would have thought it to be the other way around!

Thats because you have less lung capacity. Probably a plus for scuba diving (less tank fills) not for running, but the non-smokers probably have more money for tank fills so it evens out

gerard65

mike.l wrote: »

Good to know Gerard........... googled it and couldn't find much info on it.

Rom & Mr slow I was a smoker all my life and also scuba dive with a group and the smokers in this group seem to always have more air in the tank after a dive ,this is not a joke... I would have thought it to be the other way around!

Most likely the smokers were breathing more shallow, simply because they could'nt fill their lungs fully with all the muck in them. But when you run hard as pushing your limits your body needs every molecule of oxygen so any tarry muck is going to slow you.

mike.l

mike.l wrote: »

I am running in the operation transformation 5k and hope to improve my time, the best I had managed before was 22.50

Ran this today and managed to knock a full minute off my Race time 21.50.... delighted with this! going to start training a bit harder now and aim for the sub 20 for next year.

liamo123

mike.l wrote: »

Ran this today and managed to knock a full minute off my Race time 21.50.... delighted with this! going to start training a bit harder now and aim for the sub 20 for next year.

Well done Mike.... Keep it up.....I finally got the kick up the arse I needed namely the Donadea 50k today... off the fags as from tomorrow...Running and smoking is a no no ( tough its after taking me 4 years to come to this conclusion ) Silly Boy :rolleyes:

Tom Joad

mike.l wrote: »

Ran this today and managed to knock a full minute off my Race time 21.50.... delighted with this! going to start training a bit harder now and aim for the sub 20 for next year.

Fair play, that's cracking going - am off the smokes two weeks and back running after a few months injured. Am hoping that quiting will get me over the line in trying to get sub 20 this year.

mike.l

liamo123 wrote: »

Well done Mike.... Keep it up.....I finally got the kick up the arse I needed namely the Donadea 50k today... off the fags as from tomorrow...Running and smoking is a no no ( tough its after taking me 4 years to come to this conclusion ) Silly Boy :rolleyes:

Donadea 50k.... thought that was a misprint until I looked it up! some going fair play.

Well done on your decision to quit fags. the first 3 days I found were the hardest, can I recommend Alan Carrs book to help you along, I found it a good help, best of Luck!

mike.l

Tom Joad wrote: »

Fair play, that's cracking going - am off the smokes two weeks and back running after a few months injured. Am hoping that quiting will get me over the line in trying to get sub 20 this year.

Have you far to go for sub 20? Congrats on the quit, keep it up, you are over the worst of it like me and have given our bodies the best present ever!

Tom Joad

mike.l wrote: »

Have you far to go for sub 20? Congrats on the quit, keep it up, you are over the worst of it like me and have given our bodies the best present ever!

12 seconds - doesn't sound like much . Yeah hopefully if I can stay injury free will be under 20 before the year is out. Good luck with staying off the smokes - worst is over now.

twowheelsonly

mike.l wrote: »

Good to know Gerard........... googled it and couldn't find much info on it.

Rom & Mr slow I was a smoker all my life and also scuba dive with a group and the smokers in this group seem to always have more air in the tank after a dive ,this is not a joke... I would have thought it to be the other way around!

rom wrote: »

Thats because you have less lung capacity. Probably a plus for scuba diving (less tank fills) not for running, but the non-smokers probably have more money for tank fills so it evens out

gerard65 wrote: »

Most likely the smokers were breathing more shallow, simply because they could'nt fill their lungs fully with all the muck in them. But when you run hard as pushing your limits your body needs every molecule of oxygen so any tarry muck is going to slow you.

Believe it or not... This has been the subject of a serious study (that of course I can't find now ) as it's a known fact!!!
The conclusion of the study, which only applied to using SCUBA, was that smokers use of Oxygen in the tissues was actually more efficient than non-smokers. I can't remember the entire details but it had to do with partial pressures and the fact that Smokers tissues have adapted to making do with less Oxygen. I must go hunting again and try to dig it out!

T runner

liamo123 wrote: »

Well done Mike.... Keep it up.....I finally got the kick up the arse I needed namely the Donadea 50k today... off the fags as from tomorrow...Running and smoking is a no no ( tough its after taking me 4 years to come to this conclusion ) Silly Boy :rolleyes:

I ran for a year while still smoking. Then i stopped after a bout of illness. HM marathon would have been 95 min then. 8-9 years later ill be hoping to run 72-73 in Bohermeen half. And this improvement could have been made sooner. Youll be peckish after giving up so have lovely food on the ready and enjoy it. From smoking to running and smoking to running only is a hugely positive progression for you. If in doubt head out for a run and deal any cravings a hammer blow! I decided to let any cravings wash over me: kind of observe then liek you would a scientific experiement. The oul cravings never liked that! They only turned up for one experiment!

mike.l wrote: »

Ran this today and managed to knock a full minute off my Race time 21.50.... delighted with this! going to start training a bit harder now and aim for the sub 20 for next year.

Youll hammer 20 minutes next year. Slowly eek up the mileage. Run twice the odd day to test it out. Make up sessions: progression runs of 20 minutes: each 5 minutes getting afster. Run on hills, in woods, on beaches. Aim for sub 18 next year. Youre capable of that and more given teh above time.

I

gerard65

Another positive for quitting is in your pocket. Nearly €10 for 20:eek:

mike.l

T runner wrote: »

Youll hammer 20 minutes next year. Slowly eek up the mileage. Run twice the odd day to test it out. Make up sessions: progression runs of 20 minutes: each 5 minutes getting afster. Run on hills, in woods, on beaches. Aim for sub 18 next year. Youre capable of that and more given teh above time.

I

Took Your advice and have been increasing mileage, running twice a day the odd day and mixing it up with some speed, hills etc. currently doing 35 miles per week last two weeks, going to run in the Metro St Brigids 5k Dublin city next week and hoping for sub 21.00 .

Below is my statistics off a quit counter, still get the odd cravings but just going for a run deals with that!

- Free and Healing for One Month, Twenty Two Days, 1 Hour and 8 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 5 Days and 7 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1531 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me 690.59.