So after my final leg late on Sunday morning, I let Van 1 in on my secret.... My last cigarrette had been early Friday morning, before driving up to wondermom24's house for the drive up to Northern California!
I've been a half-pack-a-day smoker for the past 14 years and have tried three times in the past 4 years to quit. I've tried to quit for my kids, I've tried to quit for my husband, who stopped smoking himself in 2006.
I knew I wouldn't be able to do it until I was ready. I felt like this trip up north for The Relay would be the perfect opportunity. I'd be away from the normal stressors of my everyday life, around people I'd never met (except for wondermom24). I was hoping that no one on the team smoked, because that might have spelled disaster for me. Luckily, no one did, at least not that I saw. Actually it wasn't until the finish it Santa Cruz, that I saw a man smoking near the beach. By then, I was two days smoke-free and it was bearable.
So here I am, on the other side, with 5 full days under my belt. I have tried and failed before, but I feel good this time. I am doing it for me and for my running. Watching my other teammates kicking up the dust and 'smoking' all those road kills out there!... was hugely inspiring and at times a little humbling for me!
So thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU to Team Waiting For Runs for being there for me when you didn't even know it. For replacing my cravings with laughter and showing me that I can take this running thing only as far as I'm willing to allow it!
And as wondermom24 suggested on our drive home on Monday... If I can make it 2 weeks without smoking, I will be rewarding myself with a registration into the Disneyland Half Marathon this August. I had previously decided against it because of the pricey entry fee. But hey, I'll be saving that money on cigarrettes!!!
Thanks again everyone!
mawz76
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Relay Medal
6 comments:
how great, mawz!
congratulations!
GGP
Wow, congrats mawz! You can do it we are all pulling for you! You have done the hard part and gone almost a week. Smooth sailing from here on out!
When you feel like smoking again, look at the relay medal as a reminder of your smoke free adventure! Go get them, and we will see you at the next one!
Great work mawz!
I used to be pack-a-day smoker up until 2 years ago and one day I just decided I'd had enough. You can do it.
Start putting the money you'd spend on cigarettes in a glass jar. You'll be amazed at how quickly it piles up.
PMag
Great job mawz...you can do it! So I'll see ya at Disneyland in August!
Thanks everyone! So far it feels great! I will be getting my first post-relay run in this afternoon and I'm sure I'll feel a difference, now that my lungs are starting to clear out! :)
Mawz, I know you can do it! We're all behind you! You'll love running Disneyland. I'll see you there!
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