Long Time Non-Smoker.

To be completely honest, I have lost track! I would have to get out a calendar, and count weeks/months/days to remember it all. Lets just say, I decided to quit smoking, and ACTUALLY did it, on 9/2/2014. (or, midday 9/1/2014) So, I've been a non-smoker for a little over 8 months!


I have been doing great. No smoking for me. I have done 1 5k mud run, and 1 5k. So, my mud run was in April. I didn't run an entire mile before I started walking. I just kind of went back and forth between running and walking. No biggie. I didn't want to kill myself with running, because I had to save my strength for more important things, like climbing walls, and swimming through ice cold pond water, with moss and pond weeds coming up, and grabbing at your ankles. So, I wasn't too worried about running that one. ;)


The 5k I did, today, was great. I feel great. I felt great running it. I talked my husband into running with our daughter, because, she refuses to run, and I wanted to time myself. Well, he ran it. I ended up running solo. But, get this! I ran the entire first mile, without stopping to walk! Now, this is impressive, because, this is the first time I have ever done this. Even as a child, in elementary school, I would do the mile run tests at the end of every year, and fail. Miserably. It was awful. I couldn't run a mile in 5th grade. I couldn't run a mile in 9th grade. I couldn't run a mile at college graduation. I ran almost an entire mile, at age 32! What?! Holy crap!


And guess what?! I COULD BREATHE THE ENTIRE TIME! That's HUGE! (If you couldn't tell by the allcaps)


Remember, if you go back to the beginning of this blog, and read my first few entries, I believe I shared how much I smoked. I was creeping, almost past a pack a day. No wonder I couldn't breathe. And I started smoking when I was 11! I will go to jail for child abuse, if I catch my kid smoking. I wish I could say "I know my kid won't smoke! She saw me struggle to quit, and begged me to quit and knows what smoking does..." But, I was that kid. I knew that smoking was bad. I knew it would make me sick, and stink, and cost me money, and cause me to have bad teeth, and bad breath. I knew it could cause cancer.


Yet, I lit that fist cigarette. I choked my way through that first cigarette. Then I choked my way though more. I did this until it became easier and easier. Then, I needed it. I had to have a cigarette in the morning when I woke up. I needed one after each meal. I needed one when I was bored. I needed one, just because. I paused movies because I wanted to smoke a cigarette, and didn't want to wait until the movie was over. I didn't swim, at the pool, because  I wanted to have dry hands, so I could smoke when the feeling struck.  Don't even get me started on our road trip to Virginia, or South Dakota.


My life started to revolve around when I could smoke.


No more!


So, I run these races, saying goodbye to the smoker I used to be, and hello to the non-smoker I am today.