Runners who Smoke?

quinlivan

Have you ever seen a runner smoke before/after a race? What do you think when you see someone smoking?

quinlivan

The reason I am asking is because I am/was a smoker. I am trying to give them up and I need to know how disgusting (even though I know) other runners see it.

Leo Demidov

I'm more concerned with smokers who run.

RoyMcC

Very rare indeed on track or road. No runner serious about their sport will have smoking as part of their lifestyle. I guess a few runners may have the odd one with a pint but generally it simply isn't done in my experience.

The obvious reason is that running is difficult enough without imposing restrictions on your own lungs. But even if I fancied a fag I wouldn't disrespect other runners by doing so within sight.

T runner

quinlivan wrote: »

The reason I am asking is because I am/was a smoker. I am trying to give them up and I need to know how disgusting (even though I know) other runners see it.

I started running while still smoking. Keep at it (the running). Your enjoyment of running will increase more, and running constantly exposes smokings severe life affecting health issues. Therefore the running bug will soon drawf the smoking bug. The cigarettes will then be ditched as an obstacle to increased fitness and health.
Replacing something so destructive with something so positive will be a huge win for you.
Best of luck.

Sacksian

T runner wrote: »

I started running while still smoking. Keep at it (the running). Your enjoyment of running will increase more, and running constantly exposes smokings severe life affecting health issues. Therefore the running bug will soon drawf the smoking bug. The cigarettes will then be ditched as an obstacle to increased fitness and health.
Replacing something so destructive with something so positive will be a huge win for you.
Best of luck.

+1

This was my experience too. I wanted to start running but couldn't really give up smoking so did both for a while. As I got fitter and enjoyed running more and more, my appetite for smoking decreased.

Just get into running easy regularly and maybe set yourself some goals for the short and long-term.

While I still have a social cigarette, I'd see smoking as a barrier to achieving my running goals which is my main motivation for staying off them.

quinlivan

Thanks T runner & Sacksian!

I have always smoked. I took up running this year on the Couch to 5K back in January - just finished my 2nd Half Marathon training for the DCM in October.

Smoking was never a problem until recently when it hasn't stopped me but gotten me wondering about why I'm bothing putting in this much effort only to hamper it by smoking.

Today is Day 1 off the cigs

SeanPuddin

I'm in the same boat. Stopped smoking when starting the C25K 5 weeks ago. Did the Street's of Galway and really impressed myself. It's looking like the catalyst to stay off them for good. Think I'll try a 5K and 10K before Christmas.

Good luck by the way!

I often had a cigarette after a run. Know one or two others who did as well. before a big race I might have packed them in for a week or two so by the finish line I was thinking of little else.

Disrespect? Not sure that thought ever crossed my mind. I wouldn't have smoked at the finish line or taken a pack out of the pocket there and then. One or two did regard me with amusement or incredulity. But some of the greats of sports have enjoyed their cigarettes, indeed some like jockeys smoke to curb appetite.

Since I took up mountain running, have packed them in, save with pints. More conscious of the benefits of lung capacity slogging up the side of a mountain.

Cabaal

Did Portumna 50k last year and after it my wife commented on how odd it was that a number of the 50k finishers lit up when they got back to their cars,

Have to say found it odd as well, certainly not what you expect to see anyway

Sunny Dayz

When I did the women's mini marathon this year, the amount of women while we were waiting to start off, were smoking. Likewise I passed by a few on the way around the course, stopped and having a smoke. I found that very disrespectful to the people who were fundraising for cancer charities.

dechol

I saw several runners lit up after five mile in pheonix park. Was shocked as had never seen that before at races.thought it was disgusting tbh but I just detest smoking anyway.I was a smoker years ago before I started running and just can't imagine wanting a cigarette after a race. Each to their own but I think training for dcm would be difficult if smoking regularly.

Sunny Dayz

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

I found that very disrespectful to the people who were fundraising for cancer charities.

Did you think the overweight people were being disrespectful to those collecting for any health charities? Were you disgusted by anyone tucking into a bar of chocolate or a chugging a bottle of full fat Coke?

I wouldn't expect praise for anyone having a cigarette, but find the condemnation, and words like disgust and allegations of them being disrespectful, ott as well. It's a legitimate if unhealthy pursuit.

Tombo2001

Saw some of the participants at the ladies mini marathon smoking during the race, others drinking cans of beer, others doing both.

Saw one guy in the DCM having a smoke, during the race.

Tombo2001

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

When I did the women's mini marathon this year, the amount of women while we were waiting to start off, were smoking. Likewise I passed by a few on the way around the course, stopped and having a smoke. I found that very disrespectful to the people who were fundraising for cancer charities.

I'd consider that disrespectful also.

I think some here should not open any beer miles threads, they might be annoyed at the apparent contempt some runners have for the problems caused by alcohol in Irish society...

Tombo2001

Deleted User wrote: »

I think some here should not open any beer miles threads, they might be annoyed at the apparent contempt some runners have for the problems caused by alcohol in Irish society...

I wouldn't expect praise for having a different opinion to someone, but find the condemnation, and words like contempt to be ott as well.

menoscemo

Deleted User wrote: »

I think some here should not open any beer miles threads, they might be annoyed at the apparent contempt some runners have for the problems caused by alcohol in Irish society...

The world 800m silver medailst just said he is going to have (another) pop at the beer mile world record next year, and he is going to work hard to get his beer skulling down to under 8 seconds....totally disrespectful to sport :rolleyes:

They say there is nothing as radically anti smoking as an ex-smoker, I think that's the attitude we are seeing here.

FWIW I would often have a few smokes on a night out after a target race; I'd go off them totally for a month or so leading up to a big race. Used to be a regular smoker but now just an occasional social smoker.

Oh and BTW I think it is ridiculous to bring up the WMM smokers as 'Runners who smoke' but that's another argument altogether...

Tombo2001

menoscemo wrote: »

The world 800m silver medailst just said he is going to have (another) pop at the beer mile world record next year, and he is going to work hard to get his beer skulling down to under 8 seconds....totally disrespectful to sport :rolleyes:

They say there is nothing as radically anti smoking as an ex-smoker, I think that's the attitude we are seeing here.

FWIW I would often have a few smokes on a night out after a target race; I'd go off them totally for a month or so leading up to a big race. Used to be a regular smoker but now just an occasional social smoker.

Oh and BTW I think it is ridiculous to bring up the WMM smokers as 'Runners who smoke' but that's another argument altogether...

Brilliant. I've moved on from showing contempt to being ridiculous. What a nice bunch of people.

Needless to say, absolutely no explanation of why its ridiculous. Just get the dig in and move on!

The Womens Mini Marathon is a sporting event. It advertises itself as a sporting event. The participants in it expect to be in a sporting event. Therefore, in my humble opinion, a person who lights up a cigarette on the starting line is diminishing the experience for her co-competitors by sending out a message that "this is not a sporting event, this is a complete doss, and to prove it I'll have a smoke right here right now". I would consider that disrespectful.

menoscemo

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Brilliant. I've moved on from showing contempt to being ridiculous. What a nice bunch of people.

Needless to say, absolutely no explanation of why its ridiculous. Just get the dig in and move on!

The Womens Mini Marathon is a sporting event. It advertises itself as a sporting event. The participants in it expect to be in a sporting event. Therefore, in my humble opinion, a person who lights up a cigarette on the starting line is diminishing the experience for her co-competitors by sending out a message that "this is not a sporting event, this is a complete doss, and to prove it I'll have a smoke right here right now". I would consider that disrespectful.

I was saying the ones lighting up at the startline and smoking/drinking cans during the race are clearly not runners.
This thread is titled 'Runners who Smoke'

Sunny Dayz

Deleted User wrote: »

Did you think the overweight people were being disrespectful to those collecting for any health charities? Were you disgusted by anyone tucking into a bar of chocolate or a chugging a bottle of full fat Coke?

I wouldn't expect praise for anyone having a cigarette, but find the condemnation, and words like disgust and allegations of them being disrespectful, ott as well. It's a legitimate if unhealthy pursuit.

Someone smoking and someone being overweight are hardly the same thing!

It did find it disgusting to be honest TBH, breathing in second hand smoke, while people around them are wearing Irish Cancer Society t-shirts and raising money for loved ones who have died of cancer.

FrClintPower

quinlivan wrote: »

Thanks T runner & Sacksian!

I have always smoked. I took up running this year on the Couch to 5K back in January - just finished my 2nd Half Marathon training for the DCM in October.

Smoking was never a problem until recently when it hasn't stopped me but gotten me wondering about why I'm bothing putting in this much effort only to hamper it by smoking.

Today is Day 1 off the cigs

I successfully stopped smoking three years ago, after fifteen years of 20+ a day, and then only took up running last year, but there's not a chance I would have started running if I was still on them.

It took me a few half-hearted attempts over the years before I quit for real. If people ask me how I found "giving them up" (you're not giving up anything by the way, you're just stopping) I can honestly say I found it easy. One point from the Allen Carr book stuck with me, and really made it easy. The reason people find it hard to quit is because they're subconsciously waiting to fail, and looking forward to having that cigarette. It's the wait that they find hard. Once you really know you're never going to smoke again then it's no problem at all.

Best of luck with it, having the running to keep you on the straight and narrow will be a big help as well.

Sunny Dayz

menoscemo wrote: »

Oh and BTW I think it is ridiculous to bring up the WMM smokers as 'Runners who smoke' but that's another argument altogether...

I'm not quite up to marathon stage yet, but I'll get there eventually!
WMM is a far as I have gotten.

T runner

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

When I did the women's mini marathon this year, the amount of women while we were waiting to start off, were smoking. Likewise I passed by a few on the way around the course, stopped and having a smoke. I found that very disrespectful to the people who were fundraising for cancer charities.

Well done on the WMM.

I agree a little with you, some are being disrespectful..some are just socially immature..and some have serious addiction problems.

A bout of exercise for a smoker is enough to bring on a strong craving though. And we know that people who have addictions, however, are by definition selfish and irrational around that addiction. I was myself.

Yes, id agree, smoking during a mini marathon is probably disrespectful to the several thousand cancer charity fundraisers, (most of whom may have lost a loved someone to cancer). A member of a cancer charity doing it would be respectful to their own charity, so a non member who smokes during it.....is being disrespecful to someone elses. Also, this is obviously a woeful example to set.
That said people raising for cancer charities might recognise that these potential future patients have better prospects in the MM than outside it.

I think the overweight runners being disrespectful argument on another post, is not relavent, they have no choice on the day.
And if the beer mile was held during an event where a large proportion of proceeds aided alcoholism in Ireland...yes, that's disrespecful.


Ex smokers can sometimes be a self righteous lot. When smokers get righteous about smoking...it must be addiction rather than reason talking.

village runner

I smoked one as ran a marathon this year. At 19 miles odd. Story behind it but it was a John player blue. Absolutely horrible. Of them nearly 3 weeks now and starting to feel like a runner again. Nxt step is to look like one. One step at a time. I feel like a fraud when I lit up after running PBS in marathons

Tombo2001

T runner wrote: »

I think the overweight runners being disrespectful argument on another post, is not relavent, they have no choice on the day.
.

On the subject of overweight runners - there are times when I think there is no one I admire more. I was in a running club a few years ago, there was one girl who started with us who was quite overweight. Even during the warm up, she was really struggling, couldnt keep up. It would have been quite humiliating for her I would have thought. Took a lot of guts to stick with it.

My big thing wouldnt be so much how good you are, but how hard you are trying. Sorry for sounding twee.

T runner

Tombo2001 wrote: »

On the subject of overweight runners - there are times when I think there is no one I admire more. I was in a running club a few years ago, there was one girl who started with us who was quite overweight. Even during the warm up, she was really struggling, couldnt keep up. It would have been quite humiliating for her I would have thought. Took a lot of guts to stick with it.

My big thing wouldnt be so much how good you are, but how hard you are trying. Sorry for sounding twee.

Id agree. As runners what we cant hide from ourselves as how hard we try.
You can have natural talent, and training a lot makes you a better runner, but especially in races we judge ourselves mainly by how hard we tried... thats the real runner within...ive had time to contemplete and refine this philosophy when hiding behind bushes/walls after ducking out of races just after the going got tough. Watching a whole race pass with only my eyeballs visible peeping out of a thorn bush..how could i say i was a better runner than anyone who passed?
(a little humour there, a little truth too unfortunately)

T runner

T runner wrote: »

I think the overweight runners being disrespectful argument on another post, is not relavent, they have no choice on the day.

What about an overweight person tucking into chocolate and soda pop?

They have the exact same choice as the smoker. They can do without.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

The Womens Mini Marathon is a sporting event. It advertises itself as a sporting event. The participants in it expect to be in a sporting event. Therefore, in my humble opinion, a person who lights up a cigarette on the starting line is diminishing the experience for her co-competitors by sending out a message that "this is not a sporting event, this is a complete doss, and to prove it I'll have a smoke right here right now". I would consider that disrespectful.

And again, the fat person scoffing chocolate at these sporting events that advertise themselves as such? With people around promoting health and people who will have friends and loved ones who died of heart attacks. Do they not send out a message? Are they not being as disrespectful as the smoker?

TFBubendorfer

<mod>I think this thread has deviated more than enough from the original subject and there has been more than enough personal pickering to do me for a while.

Thread closed.</mod>