Quitting cigarettes...and running

daniandron

I don't run. Never have. At most, I take a high energy dance class twice a week. But I've recently made the decision to quit completely and commit to training for a 5k to start. I know everyone is different but has anyone dealt with something similar and have any indication for how long it should take to acclimate? I probably smoked 2-3 cigarettes per day.

entropicbeauty

Hey! Goodluck! I don't smoke but I think it's great that you want to get healthy

maribeth721

I quit smoking last winter and did a 5k in the summer. I started training for the 5k in the spring so I had, had a few months smoke free. I don't think I could have ever done it while smoking. It's good motivation to stop! You will feel the difference in how much easier you can breathe when running.

meganb1977

Big thumbs up for quitting smoking!  There are amazing statistics of how much healthier your body will get, and how quickly.  You go, girl :-)

daniandron

Thanks ladies! I'm going to start my brisk walks/jogging this weekend. I definitely notice the difference in my breathing when I haven't been smoking.

arwo

I haven't been through this personally--but my mother used running to help her quit smoking back when I was a kid. Now she is an incredible runner. She started by working up to running a mile without stopping, and then slowly built on that. (This was in the days before C25K.)

She's run 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons, marathons, ultramarathons....

annie912

I quit smoking January 1 last year, ran my first 5k on February 10, ran my first half marathon in September and will be running my first full marathon this September.

I would say it took me a couple of months to feel like I wasn't going to hack up a lung, and honestly about 6 months before I really felt like a non-smoker.

I tried quitting numerous times (smoked for almost 15 years and was smoking anywhere from a half a pack to a full pack everyday) but it never stuck. Running gave me something to replace the smoking with. If I wanted to smoke, I either went out for a run or went online to read running articles, look for races to sign up for, etc. I guess I traded one addiction for another. I'm actually running a half marathon the morning of the wedding.

Good luck! I can't overstate how awesome this is for you.

blgrout

I quit smoking 2/27/11 after smoking 1/2-1 pack a day for about 10 years. I didn't workout at all in the first month after I quit, mainly because I ended up with pneumonia (not from quitting, just bad timing).  When I first started working out I stared with Zumba and after I didn't feel like I was going to die anymore (about 2 months), then I started running.

Now, almost a year later I feel like a non smoker.  My lungs are happy now. I highly recommend you start a C25K program to help you and motivate you.  It helped me learn how to be a runner, per se. 

And great decision!  If you can stick to it, you won't regret it.  And running is WAY healthier than eating, which is what I wanted to do when I quit.  I gained about 10 pounds from quitting, but it's come off now.