Speed, gradient, running shoes, all secondary. It is time to address the real issue

[Tony1978]

Confession time. Ambitious enough to lose 20kg body weight over the last 5 months, keen to finish the C25K, already thinking about cross workouts and C210K, can’t bring myself to quit smoking. I know the price of smoking, I pay it all day everyday, still can’t take my head off my arse. Any slap from this community welcomed.

[trogdelight Graduate]

Smoking is a serious and complicated addiction. Most people find that they can't just "give it up." It needs a well-thought through plan to do it. You know you can do it though. Losing 20kg is a massive amount of weight. Think about how good that made you feel. Just think how healthy, happy and wealthy you will feel when you finally get rid of smoking from your life. I will try to nag you about it every couple of weeks.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

You know it already... 👎

If it helps... I lost my mother last year at 63, emphysema and heart trouble. She'd lost most of her teeth to smoking. Her skin could pass for that of an 80 year old. She always claimed she wasn't addicted to it, it was just a "habit" she said...

I've been a smoker in the past myself, teens, 20s, a bit socially in my 30s, literally only with certain friends. I took it up again when my Dad died in 2014 sitting opposite my Mum watching her roll one after the other chain smoking. It was a way to bond, sort of. I kept it up for about 6 months and stopped again. It stinks. It's anti-social now.

I lost my Dad at 56. He was a heavy smoker too although I don't know how much it contributed to his death, it certainly won't have helped.

If you want to run, really run, to your fullest potential you'll have to give it up.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

On a more flippant note... think of all the extra money you could have for more running gear and gadgets 👍😉

[Jogunlikely Graduate]

You can only give up when you have made the decision. That might sound obvious but no amount of other people telling you will make you stop.

I managed to give up 17 yrs ago, I had a really bad chesty cold and didn't smoke for 5 days. (Because I couldn't inhale without starting the wracking cough!) At that point I decided to see how long I could carry on. The rest is history 🙂

The good news is it sounds like you are almost at the decision point 👍 Hypnosis may be worth a try.

However you choose to do it I wish you every success 💪🧠🚭🏆

[BestLife19 Graduate]

I am an ex-smoker. I smoked heavily until my late twenties and tried to give up loads of times. Cold turkey was the only way I could do it. You know if you can go 2 hrs without a smoke, you can go the rest of your life. I didn't say never again when I stopped, just not today. Been 20 years so far. So come on stub it out and pack it in. You can do it - if I can anyone can (I have zero will power).

[joechacko in reply to BestLife19]

There’s an old joke:

“Giving up smoking is easy — I’ve done it lots of times.”

Well that was me too. One day in the summer of 1998 I decided I just wouldn’t have the next cigarette. I still haven’t. I decided to reply to Tony’s post thinking my story was unusual but it seems to be almost identical to yours!

Go for it, Tony. Just give up one cigarette: the next one!

[Ions123 Graduate]

Go to your Doctor & find a good support group. Giving up smoking is probably harder than running 5K but the right support will see you succeed.

Also, work out why you smoke! Pure addiction, something to do with your hands, relaxation, instead of eating, the social aspect. If you can be honest about why you do it, it will help you find the right techniques to stop.

Good luck, got my fingers crossed for you

[Tony1978 Graduate in reply to Ions123]

Thanks for your message, I think I found the best support group ever. Thanks everyone

[MarkyD Graduate]

I hope it is OK for me to be brutal:

Thanks for all the taxes you pay & thanks for dying early before becoming a burden on the NHS.

[Tony1978 Graduate in reply to MarkyD]

A good slap! Finally! God bless!

[MarkyD Graduate in reply to Tony1978]

Now find a strategy to cut down / stop. Without the smoking, every 30 minute run adds 1 day to your life.

[Granspeed Graduate]

Our daughter in law tried and tried to quit, over years & years. And then finally she did it. She says it was doctor advice & NHS patch-supported programme. I think she finally just decided. Whichever, hope this moment works for you. We are watching now.... 👍

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Running performance is about carriage of oxygen to your muscles to fuel their action. Anything that impedes that is going to limit your ability. Smokers lungs are less efficient, as are their arteries...........no brainer.

[Runningroni Graduate]

Have you tried vaping. It is however equally as habit forming , but possibly not as harmful. I smoked for best part of 40 years until Oct 2017. I only stopped as was ill , had all of the symptoms of throat cancer. All was Ok but I was very scared.

I vowed never to touch a cig again.

I too watched my dad die from a smoking related illness but even that did not deter me.

I do think a support group is your best option

Good luck.

[Runfatgirlrun71 Graduate]

Thanks for posting this Tony. You are not alone. During C25k I have continued to smoke but somehow I have managed to not smoke 1-2 days before runs. Before joining c25k I went through a life changing decision to really give up this time. I did for 4 weeks ..but ( you know the rest ). To make matter worse I am asthmatic. W9R2 was just completed the 30 minute runs are killing me because of the smoking. I did not smoke for 3 days building up to yesterday but straight after off to a BBQ ..beers and a lot of cigarettes. I’ve tried patches, cold turkey, hypnosis....I always succeed until the next beer. I do feel differently about it now running as physically I feel the pain struggling on my run. I too, know I have to give up even though it’s been years. If I never drank alcohol again and never socialised and just ran I could do it. I am considering going to the doctor and requesting champix. It’s a medication that surpresses the urge long enough to make a new habit. I am currently on a give up smoking drop in group so my intention is there other than the next cigarette I keep having. Join the NHS group. Get the patches or replacements. You want to as you posted this. You have shamed me to try to give up again. That’s a good thing. Not sure what run you are on but by week 9 it’s so obvious I am struggling purely due to smoking. Join the nhs quite smoking. Ok it’s not worked yet for me but it has allowed me to give up few days before a run. I , like you just have to make it final.

[Tony1978 Graduate in reply to Runfatgirlrun71]

It looks like I really want to quit. I had two cigs in the last 48hrs, 1 a day, and I know it’s big when any other day I would not had less than 3 cigs while slurping the morning coffee. And tomorrow is going to be my first day with no puffs in 5 years. And I’ll have my W4R1 early in the morning, and I will have a great day altogether. And it all started with this post, and I’m taking my hat off to all of you, nice people taking time to offer free valuable advice. Thank you.

[Gingeral57 Graduate]

I gave up many years ago and I smoked 20-30 a day, like an earlier commenter I had a bad cough and just couldn’t smoke for a few days and thought let’s see how long I can go ,the answer, 27 years and counting. My wife stopped a week later and we’ve never looked back. We decided to use the money saved and had an extension built on the house that incentive was a great help. But as per earlier comments you have to be ready and in the right frame of mind. Good Luck.

[Pudding5 Graduate]

Hi Tony,. I'm 52 and stopped smoking aged 26 using nicotine gum, but as a person prone to habit and addiction, I got addicted to the gum and it took me a whole year to stop chewing the it. The insides of my mouth were a disgrace!

I started again aged 34 (no idea why). I stopped (for the final time) using a NHS support group and champix (even though it makes you feel a bit queazy, for about 10 mins each morning) aged 36.

I had a heart attack aged 42 ( my son was 10 at the time). And even though I ate healthily, wasn't overweight, didn't drink excessively and no longer smoked (they said it was more likely hereditary); the overriding feeling of guilt for previously smoking was neigh on unbearable. It far outweighed the pain of the attack itself or the long slow recovery after having a stent fitted.

The fear of the guilt lives with me to this day. Even though I've never had a recurrence, I still can't go on one of my 30 min runs (thank you C25K, I never believed I do it) without a GTN spray in my pocket.

The sooner you stop, the less damage you will do to your body. You are fully aware it's an addiction. It's so antisocial these days, you stand outside like a dog, you smell awful and you run your entire life around when you can have your next fag, instead of making the most of every day that you're still alive and able to embrace it.

I wish you the best of luck, no-one will say it's easy but I for one can say it's definitely worth it!

[suegrace Graduate]

Tony I am a recovering alcoholic 9 years sober. Couldn't go 9 minutes without a drink or thinking of one. Same addiction you can do it. A 12 step programme is all you needxxxx

[Foodbaby Graduate]

It sounds from your 'confession' that you are at least ready to admit the smoking to the wider world, which I would say is very much the first step in wanting to do something about it! Bit like the first post on here about your weight loss or C25K journey. Why not use the same philosophy and look on the NHS site for help and perhaps a forum for support. It will also help with those running stats 😉 good luck with your next journey

[jayval70]

Hi Tony. If you are interested there’s an NHS app called Smoke Free which is a bit of fun. It invites you to record your motivation for quitting, adds up how much money you’ve saved, gives you tips and ........ badges. Who can resist getting a badge eh? Seriously though - you can do this - you just have to really want to. Good luck 🤞

[mamajane]

Firstly, you have to really want to do it and not just because you know you should! My sister in law stopped a week before me. It made me determined to do the same. I felt that “if she could do it, then so could I”. And it worked! After 6 weeks my sister in law started again but by then I was not going back. 16 years later and I’m still a non smoker. One of the best (but hardest) things I’ve ever done. Find someone to stop with you. It brings out the competitive side to help keep you going. You can do it too, when you’re ready.

[Dannybhoy625 Graduate]

Smoking is really hard to quit. I tried umpteen times over the years,tried patches etc,twice I gave it up for Lent and started again on Easter Sunday! Every time I gave it up,sometimes for months at a time,I was always thinking about it,could never really stop.

About 18 months ago,I bought a vape,and stopped the cigs. I've never looked back,I don't even think about it anymore. I tried a cigarette about a month after I stopped,it was absolutely disgusting (Lucky for me!) Then I started the C25K the following year,I've never looked back. Hope you can do the same pal,I know it's very difficult,but as someone who smoked for over 40 years,it can be done. Best of luck 👍

[happysouls Graduate]

I've not smoked now for over 10 years. After several attempts to stop in the end it was cold turkey and making enough changes to life for a few months to help. It was a case of I will do anything to stop. No booze, no social occasions, nothing that would be a trigger or make me think I could have just one. Keeping active and busy, keeping my hands distracted with odd fiddle toys. I also had a plan that if I got desperate I'd just go to bed and sleep instead until the feeling passed! You just need determination and confidence and if you've taken up running you've got that! Good luck!

[Katnap Graduate]

That is a lot of feedback Tony1976! I stopped about 15 years ago. I can vaguely remember Xmas stress being the time I would get that 'calling'.

Is there anything that makes you feel you HAVE to have cigarette with?

Eg. Out for a beer or a coffee?

I found I had to change other habits as well to remove those triggers.

Good luck!

😸 Katnap 😸

[TigerBiscuit Graduate]

I have a good mate at work, who sounds a lot like you. Started running, quit the smokes, then got back on them again, continuing to beat himself up about it. Too much going on in his life to be able to stop totally. I’d bug him, but it only made him feel bad and he’d light up another. He’s a grown-up, so are you. He’s intelligent and reflective and you sound the same. So now, he’s quit again and this time, he’ll make it, I’m sure. Tony, there’s loads of brilliant advice on this community. It’s like a family. I’m only new myself, but I feel people really care that we succeed with our goals. Listen to what they say. Everyone’s rooting for you. In the end the real slap has to come from yourself. You CAN do this.

[Jerichomile Graduate]

The most effective thing was brutal logic from a friend who simply said “OK.....let me get this right......you’re still moaning that have this expensive habit that’s damaging your health and your finances. You don’t like doing it. You don’t want to do it. No-one is forcing you to do it. And you’re still doing it? I thought you were more intelligent than that”.

😳 it hurt. It worked. I stopped. Good luck.

[Croftchick]

It was a health scare that did it for me too. I had a persistent cough and a chest x-ray showed a wee bit of lung wasn't inflating, the possibility of cancer was mentioned. I was shocked enough to stop immediately. Although the physical benefits from stopping are great, it's the lifting of guilt that I enjoy most.

Good luck with all your C25K efforts.

[MadDave]

Try the Alan Carr book. If you can think yourself into the C25k world you can make up your mind to stop. I smoked for 30 years and stopped 15 years ago after reading the Alan Carr book. It made me realise that the sense of relief I was craving after smoking a cigarette was the freedom from craving that I had before I started smoking. So logically the only way to be free of the craving is to stop smoking.

[Tony1978 Graduate in reply to MadDave]

That book makes a lot of sense. As well as Frank Herbert’s Dune. Both amazing pieces of work!

[FloCob]

My boyfriend smoked for a number of years, and has severe asthma (from a young age) and he is doing C25K as well at the minute. The way he quit smoking (last summer) was he invested in a vape pen - whilst these are also not the healthiest things, it’s a lot better to vape nicotine (for the addiction) than to inhale all the tar etc. that comes with smoking cigarettes. Maybe invest in a vape pen, and start on a high nicotine dosage, and gradually reduce this dosage each week, and then, when you feel able to, force yourself to “forget” your vape pen when you leave the house, and pretty soon you’ll find you forget you even want it! I hope this helps and good luck completing C25K! I’m sure you’ll conquer smoking soon 👏🏻

[Mercmancouchto5k Graduate]

Hi Tony1978,

I smoked for about 40 years and always considered myself immune. I gave up for five months five years ago, but went back after a stressful time at work. As I felt progressively more out of breath until 2 years ago, I decided I did need to give up smoking. So that happened November 2016. Almost a year to the day after I had given up smoking I found myself in hospital in Italy (on a business trip) and was told I needed stents immediately. The left side of my arterial supply to the heart was 100% blocked and the right side was 90% blocked. I had four stents installed immediately, followed by two trans-catheter ablation operations back in the UK and a third trip for heart surgery that self corrected as they put me under anesthetic. I still felt awful until I was diagnosed in July 2018 with type 2 diabetes. Long story short, with hindsight, I should have given up long before the stents. With diet and exercise since October 2018, I now feel better than I did a decade ago. But I may not have been so lucky. It was the fear of dying without fully providing for my family that caused the permanent shift in attitude towards my own health. You can't buy time no matter how rich you are, and you can never have your time back again. Please find the determination to quit smoking after reading this. I used the Nicorette patches over six weeks. It took about nine months to stop craving for a cigarette - progressively easier as time went on. They say it is more addictive than heroin. Be strong, and find some other people to encourage you.

[DownNotUp2]

I gave up gradually over about 2 years. Best thing I did was start smoking other people’s. I used to visit the smoke bus shelter when I was desperate and just breath the air. Anyone who wanted to smoke in my house or my presence had to give me one. Only thing I would not do was buy them. Naturally people stopped smoking anywhere near me. I kept all my friends but they just smoked less.

[Beck-c25k]

‘If I can quit, anyone can’

Believe me every single day, every single cigarette and every single drag, I kept thinking I want to quit/ I need to quit.

Every Monday I would be quitting, then it got to a point every pack of cigarettes I brought was ‘my last’. This happened for a few years., Then I just thought what if?

What if I said no?

What if I didn’t buy any?

What if I didn’t smoke?

What if?

I was totally and utterly f£&ked off with the mental battle of quitting and smoking.

I remember it well and I just haven’t brought no more sine 31/12/17.

No plan (I made every plan you can imagine, previously)

I didn’t tell anyone.

I just didn’t buy none, not one pack.

At first I didn’t change my routine I just didn’t buy any.

Then about month 3 I started to crave so I started to set my alarm earlier and have a cuppa in bed- because I could.

I always smoke outside, even in the freezing cold.

I started to monitor how I was feeling on notes in my phone. One common feeling I recognised I wasn’t feeling and that was the anxiety of quitting..

I was free.

I am free.

I can honestly say I will NEVER smoke again.

I have had arguments and deaths and situations that I would have ‘appreciated’ a cigarette in the past.

A cigarette would NOT have changed the situation or bring love ones back..

Not a first, BUT you will feel better, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Running and quitting 2 best things you can do, for you..

Do it, don’t think, just do.

Good luck and believe in yourself

Also I smoke for 30 + years

[Jell6 Graduate]

I only tried to give up once.

I didn't plan it, I just quit.

I wish I had known my last cigarette was my last cigarette!.

When tempted I imagined a colleague who could not climb stairs, and if she laughed she ended up spluttering and gasping for breath.

Once I stopped I noticed improvement within 2 weeks

I have not smoked for 19 years, and counting and when I am nursing patients on portable oxygen I wonder why the hell I had that second cigarette after the first one made me feel so ill.

[Tony1978 Graduate]

I have no words. I really want to hug all of you at once, and go again and again through this day, through all the messages. Never been to a parkrun (I can barely wait to have a go), but it can’t be any different than what I lived today, on this forum. Had a little laugh, had a little cry, there were smiles on those happy stories, frowns on the not so happy ones, and then I felt like running the extra mile. Yesterday I had my usual 20 fags, today I had one in the morning with coffee, and that was it, didn’t think about. Finished my W3R3 on C25K, made some plans, but no cigs. I won’t take any credit for that, couldn’t be done without you, well done, you all. Xxx

[Oldgirlruns Graduate in reply to Tony1978]

Fantastic news Tony1978!, if you can do it once you can keep doing it-concentrate on your C25K, it’s much more fun!

[molly1973 Graduate in reply to Tony1978]

Congratulations! One day at a time 👍👍

[Womblebee in reply to Tony1978]

Well done Tony. I gave up when an acquaintance was diagnosed with emphysema and continued smoking because it was ‘too late’ now. That thought helped keep me through the tough bits.

[Runner66 Graduate]

I gave up with Alan Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking! It really works if you want to do it! Good Luck!

[Bunnyrunner Graduate]

Slap 👋... the fact is you’re more interested on how you look on the outside than the inside ! It’s like having a Ferrari with a filthy dirty engine... 👋 slap slap 👋 👋

Hope that didn’t hurt too much 😂

Congratulations on taking the first step... I’m sure you’ll do it !

[Fiona_B Graduate]

Hi Tony,

I used to smoke and gave a up a few years back. It was pretty hard but I don't miss it anymore. Once you stop smoking, it seems such a strange thing to do - inhaling a burning weed without even getting high, what's that all about?

Smoking might have seemed cool in past decades (partly because they paid the "influencers" of the day to endorse it) but seems now more associated with poverty, obesity and ignorance.

You are truly the patsy of the cigarette companies and advertisers.

For me it's not the dying but the 20 or 30 years with leg ulcers, emphysema, poor teeth, poor digestion (can't digest without circulation you know), etc.

I really, truly wish you the very best of luck with giving up - keep giving up until you succeed.

[Jerichomile Graduate]

Hi Tony1978, how are you doing? Did anything nudge you yet to step away from the smoking? I hope so as you sound like you’re ready. You can definitely do it. If you can lose 20kg and take up running, you know how to take action that makes you feel good. Go for it - you hate smoking by now, so let it go. It’s had its day. Sending you massive encouragement. Be smart. Run more! Buy new kit with the cash you spend on smoking! YOU CAN DO THIS. Let us all know - make yourself accountable. We’ll cheer you on. It’ll help.

[Jogettejo]

Firstly, congratulations on losing 20kg, what an achievement! For me, I know I can’t do everything at once, eg I couldn’t stop smoking AND do the C25K AND eat more healthily as well as hold down a job and maybe have a family to look after. It would all be too much and would stress me out and cause anxiety for me. Maybe you are like that or maybe you’re not. I smoked for 22 years and gave up when I started trying for a family. So, I just gave up and that was it. That was 14 years ago. What I’m saying is that only you can know how much you can cope with at a time. I know lots of people who run but also still smoke. Smoking will of course hinder your running but only you can decide when it’s time to let go. We all cling to bad habits because we still have a mental need for them. The C25K is an awesome programme which is showing people (& me) that they can run for 5 mins when 60 seconds was nearly seeing them flat on the floor. Address one issue at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed then you’ll have more chance of success. Good luck and let us know how you get on. 👍🏼

[Lagger Graduate]

I gave up smoking 6 years ago after smoking for 30 years and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done! At the time I used walking as a substitute. As smoking provides endorphins that we become addicted to, replacing these goes some way to reducing cravings and exercising is a great way to do it. The first week is the hardest and then it gets easier, change your routine to avoid smoking triggers. You CAN do this if you really want to. I can honestly say I don’t miss it at all. (I also used these wee plastic inhalators for the first month or so). Good luck!

[Tony1978 Graduate]

W5r1 done, no injuries, no pain, one week smoke free, didn’t get any body weight back yet (not expecting to), using nicotine patches for peace of mind. Thank you all for changing another scrap-worthy piece of +#}* into thinking that he could really do it, he could clean that Ferrari engine, get to be that Bugatti, with some luck he could be a burden on the NHS. Allan Carr is right, haven’t been so stress-free, so calm, so positive in a very long time, but it’s difficult to listen to him or anyone else when all one can/want to plan is the next cigarette. Much easier now, when planning the next run. Happy runs & Keep safe!