I quit smoking two years ago today! When someone suggested I write blog post about my old smoking ways, I was a little reluctant. It just seems like the wrong venue here. The old adage, “preaching to the choir” comes to mind. You’re all runners. There couldn’t be any smokers reading this blog, right?

Then I remembered the Race for the Roses last year. I had been a pace leader for the 11:00 pace for the 5k. It was the first time I had paced for an event. It was fun, although carrying that big stick with the pace printed on the flag for the entire distance made me thankful it was just a 5k. After I sweated my way through 3 miles, I hung out at the finish line with some friends so we could cheer on another friend who would be finishing the half soon. Yes, she finishes half marathons in a little more time than it takes me to run a 5k.

While we were waiting, I see a man finish the half marathon and immediately after crossing the finish line, he pulls out a cigarette and lights up. I was shocked. The guy totally kicked butt on the half. He had to have been flying so apparently smoking didn’t mess with him too badly. Now I don’t know the guy so he could be a smoker, or he could just treat (if that’s what you want to call it) himself after the end of a good hard run. Regardless, he made an impression on me.

You see, I loved smoking. A lot. If it wasn’t unhealthy, stinky, and expensive, I might still be smoking it up. I’m glad I quit, mind you. I’m just not one of those people who can smoke a cigarette when I finish a race, or when I’m hanging with friends or whenever the mood (rarely) moves me. When I smoke, I’m a full on smoker.

I tried quitting a few times before, but never wholeheartedly. I remember once I committed to quitting during the busiest time of the year at work. I didn’t even make it to lunch. Another time I quit when I had surgery and was in the hospital for a few days. I was sure I would come out of the hospital a non-smoker, but I lit up in the car on the way home.

This time was different though. I was ready and running helped get me there. This was before I saw the man at the Race for the Roses, so in my mind, running and smoking just didn’t fit together. I was running toward a healthier lifestyle and smoking just wasn’t in the picture I had formed in my head.

I started out on the patch. After a couple of weeks, I forgot to put the patch on for a couple of days in a row and I didn’t want to put nicotine back in my body when it was already on its way out of my system. So the 12 week patch system took me 2 weeks. Again, I had to have been ready because if you had known me as a smoker, you’d know that was pretty much a miracle.

At first, I thought about smoking or not smoking almost nonstop. Then each day and week got a little better. I got to the point that I would think, “Wow, I haven’t thought about smoking since yesterday” and then “in a few days” and it just kept getting further from my mind.

I’m so glad for what I’ve received in return for giving it up. Even if I could do both like that mysterious guy at the Race for the Roses, I wouldn’t want to. Life is so much different now and I’m sure none of my running friends would like to carpool to our run while I have a smoke hanging out the car window. They don’t mind the smell of sweat, but smoke? No way!

If there are any smokers reading this post, I would really like to encourage you to give it up. We all know the health risks so without even touching that entire issue, I’ll just say that a smoke-free, running life is good, even better beyond measure. Try it and you just might agree.

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