Smoking and running

redser7

I'm interested to hear from people who quit the bad habit and then took up running/aerobic exercise.
I quit back in January and it's going well so far, no back-sliding. The next stage was to work on my fitness and I hope to try a 10K in a few months.
So I invested in a nice pair of Brooks runners and started running last week. It's been years since I tried any proper exercise. I did a 2.5 run Friday and the same again on Sunday. It was tough going but I managed it with only a couple of short stops.
Thing is my chest has been in bits and I've come down with a rotten cold with a bad loose cough (sorry for the details). I thought the 8 months off the fags would have cleared my lungs up.
So I'm just wondering how other people found getting back to aerobic exercise after quitting? And any other thoughts.

Cheers

Krusty_Clown

Hi redser, congrats on beating it. Here's a graphic that describes the benefits/improvements over time. Generally speaking, over the course of the first nine months, your lungs will heal and reduce the chances of infection. But exercise/running will further boost your lung function and general health. As a largely reformed asthmatic and smoker (I know, I know...) my health has never been better, and my requirement to use asthma medication has reduced to the point that I rarely ever use them.

Ososlo

Took up running in October 2011 as I wanted to give up smoking and needed something healthy to replace it with and always had it at the back of my mind that I’d like to do a marathon some day. Taking up running was 100% the reason I managed to stay off the fags as I found it very very tough but caught the bug almost immediately and wanted to get better and better. I knew I couldn’t if I reverted to my old ways. I run lots now, about 50 miles a week and hope to do DCM next month and can do a 21 mile run at a slow pace no bother. Getting a bit better at the faster stuff too. However, I do sometimes wonder if my progress is a bit slower than those who never smoked or smoked very little. I took up smoking at about 12 and averaged about 15 cigarettes for 20 + years of my life so I do feel it has to have had some negative bearing on my aerobic capacity. However, I’m not gonna use that as an excuse anymore for not improving. It’s all just about hard work now. Good luck and well done for quitting. Best thing you can ever do for yourself and your health. Running is the second!

Dtp79

redser7 wrote: »

I'm interested to hear from people who quit the bad habit and then took up running/aerobic exercise.
I quit back in January and it's going well so far, no back-sliding. The next stage was to work on my fitness and I hope to try a 10K in a few months.
So I invested in a nice pair of Brooks runners and started running last week. It's been years since I tried any proper exercise. I did a 2.5 run Friday and the same again on Sunday. It was tough going but I managed it with only a couple of short stops.
Thing is my chest has been in bits and I've come down with a rotten cold with a bad loose cough (sorry for the details). I thought the 8 months off the fags would have cleared my lungs up.
So I'm just wondering how other people found getting back to aerobic exercise after quitting? And any other thoughts.

Cheers

Quit about 5 years ago and took up MMA. Reversing the effects of smoking are slow but it gets easier. Try take at least 1 rest day between your runs starting off for the first few months. Give your body Time to recover

Tom Joad

I was one of those people who ran and smoked at the same time (not literally obviously :pac:) - Done that for years. I used to get funny looks from people after races when I would have a fag in my mouth just after finishing a race!!

Finally quit about 18 months ago and the difference is night and day - it does take a while to clear the lungs and system of all the crap but it's so worth it. And after getting the double benefits of running and not smoking you'll never go back.

Best of luck with it - its the best thing you'll ever do for your health (and wallet too!!)

epo addict

I love lighting up a smoke after a race. The reaction from all the other athletes at the finish is priceless!

redser7

Thanks for the advise and words of encouragement folks! It's great to hear about your successes.
When I thought about it, it was probably 20 years since I did any serious exercise for its own sake, I used to cycle. 20 bloody years! Funny how that coincided with starting to smoke. No point moaning about the wasted years though, I'm determined to keep going with the running. I've spent a decent amount on the runners and I'm a bit of a tight-wad, so there's some motivation right there
Cheers

redser7

epo addict wrote: »

I love lighting up a smoke after a race. The reaction from all the other athletes at the finish is priceless!

Get behind me satan

seanmacc

epo addict wrote: »

I love lighting up a smoke after a race. The reaction from all the other athletes at the finish is priceless!

The cigarette after a race is absolutley beautiful. It goes straight to the head.

I used to be a fairly light smoker, about 5-10 a day. I never really thought it effected me that badly once I didn't smoke before a training run or race that day. I've always felt the drink has more of an adverse effect on my performance. Even a couple of pints the day before a long run can feck up your hydration levels fairly badly as no matter how much water I drink you can't seem to retain it.

Not that I'd endorse smoking in any way.

Tom Joad

seanmacc wrote: »

The cigarette after a race is absolutley beautiful. It goes straight to the head.

I used to be a fairly light smoker, about 5-10 a day. I never really thought it effected me that badly once I didn't smoke before a training run or race that day. I've always felt the drink has more of an adverse effect on my performance. Even a couple of pints the day before a long run can feck up your hydration levels fairly badly as no matter how much water I drink you can't seem to retain it.

Not that I'd endorse smoking in any way.

Probably opening a can of worms here (not to mention taking the thread off topic) but had a football coach who always said that he didn't mind the lads who were smoking but had not time for the lads who were drinking!! Never really analysed his logic behind it but what you said makes sense.

Ososlo

seanmacc wrote: »

The cigarette after a race is absolutley beautiful. It goes straight to the head.

I used to be a fairly light smoker, about 5-10 a day. I never really thought it effected me that badly once I didn't smoke before a training run or race that day. I've always felt the drink has more of an adverse effect on my performance. Even a couple of pints the day before a long run can feck up your hydration levels fairly badly as no matter how much water I drink you can't seem to retain it.

Not that I'd endorse smoking in any way.

interesting.... Always promised myself when I gave up smoking, that if I completed a marathon I'd allow myself have one afterwards as a reward. I'd just be afraid it'd be the slippery slope back.......

Tom Joad

Ososlo wrote: »

interesting.... Always promised myself when I gave up smoking, that if I completed a marathon I'd allow myself have one afterwards as a reward. I'd just be afraid it'd be the slippery slope back.......

Often said the same only it would be a big durty cuban cigar - another reason for my list of why I will never do a marathon

SeanPuddin

Gave up 7 weeks ago now, the day I started C25K incidentally. I really needed something to replace my addiction and have since spent just as much on running as I would have on fags. Shoes, watch, powder, race entries...

I thought with a goal to achieve I'd have more luck staying off them but since running I honestly haven't had a craving. I've run an 8K race, have a duathlon next weekend and a 10K in 4 weeks time.

Twice this week I did 15 minutes 3 times with 1 minute rest between each. There's no way in hell I could do that with a cigarette habit! My first week I couldn't run more than 60 seconds, the difference is amazing, but the progress can be slow and frustrating.

My advice: Give them up now, put everything into your first couple of weeks running smoke free and really enjoy it. Over exerting yourself can lead to easily catching bugs so ramp up slowly...

redser7

Well done Sean. Thanks for the advice.

beertons

I said i'd quit smoking after i took up running, 4 months ago. I still haven't done it and am up to 17km in 1hr 40. Fair play OP for doing it the right way round.

maynoothlizard

Of course you can always combine both, as William Hurt does in the film Body Heat.

pa4

Tom Joad wrote: »

Probably opening a can of worms here (not to mention taking the thread off topic) but had a football coach who always said that he didn't mind the lads who were smoking but had not time for the lads who were drinking!! Never really analysed his logic behind it but what you said makes sense.

Very strange logic alright! I'd assume smoking is worse because someone would smoke at least everyday whereas might only drink at the weekends. I find drink does feck you up for a few days though, still hardly as bad as smoking!!

Tom Joad

Tom Joad wrote: »

Probably opening a can of worms here (not to mention taking the thread off topic) but had a football coach who always said that he didn't mind the lads who were smoking but had not time for the lads who were drinking!! Never really analysed his logic behind it but what you said makes sense.

Smoking can work in a similar way to tea, or ginseng, it increases the heart rate and so was seen as kinda a jolt to the system and so not bad for sports - almost like a stimulant. On the other hand, the long term effect to the lungs and breathing capacity are adverse. And I say that as a part time smoker myself, though only with drink in front of me now.

quinlivan

redser7 wrote: »

I'm interested to hear from people who quit the bad habit and then took up running/aerobic exercise.
I quit back in January and it's going well so far, no back-sliding. The next stage was to work on my fitness and I hope to try a 10K in a few months.
So I invested in a nice pair of Brooks runners and started running last week. It's been years since I tried any proper exercise. I did a 2.5 run Friday and the same again on Sunday. It was tough going but I managed it with only a couple of short stops.
Thing is my chest has been in bits and I've come down with a rotten cold with a bad loose cough (sorry for the details). I thought the 8 months off the fags would have cleared my lungs up.
So I'm just wondering how other people found getting back to aerobic exercise after quitting? And any other thoughts.

Cheers

I worked the other way... Started running in January, gave up smoking 3 weeks ago as I signed up for the Dublin Marathon.

I worked my way up from 5K to 10K to Half Marathon smoking 20+ a day. When I signed up for the Marathon I was like "what the f*** am I doing? I am putting in all this time and effort on the road yet smoking".

I'm on Day 23 without cigs at the moment.

My point is... I believe it's all in your head. The fact you smoked will not affect your exercise now. Your lungs are still on the mend from the damage done to them but keep on trucking.

As someone said to me recently, It doesn't get easier... You just get better.

Well done on the cigs! And well on the starting running

Condo131

Well done to those of you (smokers) who have quit!:):):)

For the rest who persist, :eek: , the stats are *VERY BADLY* against you; latest research shows that 50% of smokers will develop lung Cancer. The prognosis for lung Cancer is approx. 5 years survival. It's a nasty bugger.

If you want to quit, and, apparently 70% of smokers do want to quit, why not visit Quit.ie or call the National Smokers' Quitline on 1850 201 203. Further info on quitting here of the Irish Cancer Society website.

SeanPuddin

Condo131 wrote: »

Well done to those of you (smokers) who have quit!:):):)

For the rest who persist, :eek: , the stats are *VERY BADLY* against you; latest research shows that 50% of smokers will develop lung Cancer. The prognosis for lung Cancer is approx. 5 years survival. It's a nasty bugger.

If you want to quit, and, apparently 70% of smokers do want to quit, why not visit Quit.ie or call the National Smokers' Quitline on 1850 201 203. Further info on quitting here of the Irish Cancer Society website.

I find that most smokers, myself included, don't give a rats ass about your stats until they actually give up.

Running is a far more positive reason to quit.

Condo131

SeanPuddin wrote: »

I find that most smokers, myself included, don't give a rats ass about your stats until they actually give up.

Well done on giving them up!

I agree....most smokers don't give a damn for the stats, and it really is a "head in the sand" attitude. :eek:

However...just think on this....in plain terms, a smoker's chances of getting lung Cancer is just the toss of a coin. I wouldn't like those odds. Once diagnosed you have, maybe, five (5) nasty years.....and there's no going back.

[.....btw, I am a (Prostate) Cancer survivor.]

Dtp79

beertons wrote: »

I said i'd quit smoking after i took up running, 4 months ago. I still haven't done it and am up to 17km in 1hr 40. Fair play OP for doing it the right way round.

Imagine what your time would be if you gave up!

quinlivan

Dtp79 wrote: »

Imagine what your time would be if you gave up!

That is my motivation!

Oops69

Condo131 wrote: »

Well done to those of you (smokers) who have quit!:):):)

For the rest who persist, :eek: , the stats are *VERY BADLY* against you; latest research shows that 50% of smokers will develop lung Cancer. The prognosis for lung Cancer is approx. 5 years survival. It's a nasty bugger.

If you want to quit, and, apparently 70% of smokers do want to quit, why not visit Quit.ie or call the National Smokers' Quitline on 1850 201 203. Further info on quitting here of the Irish Cancer Society website.

I believe , in fact I know your statistics are massively incorrect !

redser7

Thanks again folks.
Have to say that statistics like that did play a part in me wanting to give up. My old man died of lung cancer so that was obviously sobering too. Having a couple of kids and starting to feel more than my age. These things all combined to give me the fear. I cant believe I'm 8 months down the road without them. I think any sort of scare tactics, no matter how ropey or dubious are justified if they help people get off them. Its a selfish habit too, causing a lot of unhappiness to people around the smoker who dies.
Anyway, I'll get back out on the road once I shake this cold

tacklemore

Redser
I gave up the cigs last Feb 12 months. Definitely the best thing I've ever done. I now run 10ks (in under 1 hour). I also do a lot of cycling, recently completing a 130k cycle, my longest so far. I had a drunken smoke 1 night and I'd go back on them in a heartbeat. It's not that I miss them but it just felt right or something. The fact that I cycle and run keeps me focused on staying away from them as I know if I went back smoking I'd be completely ducked when it comes to doing the exercise I love.
I put down 4 months of chest clearing, shall we say. Every morning I had difficulty but once I was up for a while my chest settled down. Looking back, it's definitely worth it. Keep plugging away and well done!!

redser7

Thanks tacklemore, well done to you.

webpal

After giving up, I went from 9 minute miles to 7:30 (comfortably), knocked 25 mins of my half marathon pb and 42 of a full marathon pb. Nwo fi olny I cuold gvie up tihs drikn