RunningAHEAD - Topic: Motivational Help

Kev3399

posted: 6/1/2007 at 12:08 PM

In April, I quit smoking and started running. I was successful until May. I was really enjoying myself.(ie, running was fun and not a chore) I was running 3 to 4 miles a day 5 days a week or so. I felt like I was in high school again. Well, some things piled up at home/work and I failed at quitting smoking again. Next thing I knew, 3 weeks had gone by without touching my running shoes and I was back at a pack a day. Today, I decided to reverse this downward trend. I went out and as I expected......my run was horrible. I couldn't even do 2 miles without stopping.(I was going at a snails pace too) I am so upset with myself over this. The month of April was the closest I've ever been to quitting smoking and bringing back the fun in running that I enjoyed only 9 years ago in high school. Anyone have any motivational insight? Past experiences similar to this? Whats the best routine to get back to where I was? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

tschepsit

Burninated Peasant

posted: 6/1/2007 at 12:27 PM

Getting back to running again after a long layoff was tough for me though. The hardest part was forcing myself to answer the alarm clock in the morning. The only way that I found to do this was to go to bed at the same time every night, no matter what I was doing. TV/movie/computer goes off at 9:30, regardless of whether I'm in the middle of something or not. Once the alarm wakes me up, I don't want to waste the pain of waking up that early, so I go ahead and force myself out of bed and out the door.

Jeffrey

posted: 6/1/2007 at 12:38 PM
modified: 6/1/2007 at 12:38 PM

Are you still smoking? If so here is a quitting-success story. My mother smoked for 25+ years. One day she got sick of "the yuck" and made the decision to quit. Her method: acupuncture. Bear in mind, this was her first and only attempt at quitting. Today she is nearly 70 and has never started back up. At the time she was enrolled in acupuncture treatment she told me the process isn't for everybody ... and you have to _really_really_ want to quit. Another way to phrase it, acupuncture's not magic and you have to work at it. Smile

Bonkin

posted: 6/1/2007 at 12:40 PM

Kev, That's a great attempt at quitting, but don't beat yourself up! Quitting smoking is very difficult - you just have to keep trying. I smoked for over 28 years and quit again this past January and started running in February. Immediately after I started running (well run/walking actually) I signed up for a 5 mile race to give me a goal to shoot for. This really kept me motivated to keep running and while 5 miles doesn't sound like a lot to me now - it sure did when I could barely run a quarter or half a mile at a time. I've since run that race, another 5 miler and more recently a half marathon. To help keep me going, I signed up for my first marathon this October. I've quit smoking more than a dozen times now, so I think I'm getting pretty good at it now. I certainly hope this is my last time. This can be your last time too. Regarding being too upset with yourself, a couple of times I've had slips where I've had a smoke or two after too many beers. In the past, one little slip up was good reason to go back to smoking my pack+ per day. This time I look at it more like having an occasional piece of cake when on a diet - in other words it's not the end of the world and it's not a good reason to eat cake every day. I simply choose to be a non-smoker again the next day and put on the running shoes and go for a run. My advice, if you are still smoking, is to smoke away for the rest of the day and rip them up and toss them in the trash tonight right before bed. Wake up tomorrow morning a non-smoker again - and remember your horrible run from today. The longer you go without smoking, the better the runs will get.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

PWL

Has been

posted: 6/1/2007 at 1:11 PM

I just quit (again) in February and started running again. A running addiction has replaced my smoking addiction since my personality tends to lean toward addiction. My system was to run whenever I felt like smoking. It might just be a light jog for 20 feet or whatever--but it was enough to change my focus off cigarettes. If I was driving, I'd pull over and run around my car. Sounds stupid, but it worked. Signing up for a race works nicely too. Better yet, sign up for a couple. Seeing improvement in my measly 5k PR serves as that much stronger a motivation not to smoke. Best of luck! Cool

"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."

Motivational Help (Read 443 times)