Cigarettes: Out. Running: In!

I picked a bad habit back up a couple of years ago, after having quit for a few years... Smoking cigarettes. I had been smoking on and off for a while, but about two years ago, I became what I consider to be a "regular" smoker. Though I still ran 5Ks on a regular basis and tried to keep fit (for myself as well as my job), both my performance and endurance were beginning to suffer.

So, on March 3rd, 2007, I smoked my last cigarette.

I don't really miss them yet. I know that I am just through the gate, and that it is not going to be easy, but it is something that I have committed to, and I want to stick with it. There are a myriad of reasons to quit. Health reasons, such as emphysema and lung cancer. Money, as cigs have gotten expensive the last few years. Having your hair, car, clothing, breath and fingers smell like smoke is just awful, too. I am trying to keep all of these things in mind as I am going through this.

One thing which has helped me is something I mentioned briefly above... Running. I picked up a Nike+iPod as a "quit smoking" present to myself, and it is amazing. I have distracted myself from thinking at all about nicotine by just putting one foot in front of the other. I have run about fourteen miles in the last four days, and have decided to train for a half-marathon in a short while, and complete a full marathon by the end of summer/early autumn.

The half-marathon I am interested in attending is the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon/Half-Marathon on April 15th (Tax Day). My training will have me at ten miles the previous weekend, so I don't think that 13.1 will be too bad.

So, about this training... I went to this site to get a basic training schedule to have me ready in eighteen weeks. I will have to modify it slightly to allow for the half-marathon, and also because the marathon I want to run is in September, though my training will have me "race ready" by August. The marathon I am interested in attending is the Lewis & Clark Marathon.

With the distraction of running, keeping off the cigarettes shouldn't be all that hard. Wish me luck!

P.S. - If you are a Nike+iPod user and wish to run challenges against me, please let me know!