These are the last hours I will be

under 50 years of age. I was born June 19, 1958. I don't know the exact date but started smoking cigarettes in the summer of 1972. I was an addict well before that night at the skating rink. Almost every adult in my family smoked tobacco. I never got sick. I just wanted another one. I quit tobacco July 23, 2007. I spent 35 years polluting my body. I am so thankful I found Chantix. I knew that I couldn't just stop smoking. I needed to make a life-style change commitment. Not for a week, month, short-term. Life-time, life-style change. Get depressed? Move! Work it out of the system. We need laughter, ambition, goals. Get up and do something!

I haven't taken any type of pain reliever for months. I was taking an Aleve at least 3 times a week last summer. I can't remember when I felt this good, alive, eager to do something more. I have taken advantage of an opportunity. I hope I can live the next 35 years, become a role model, do good things and live a healthy life.

This is not an EASY thing to do. If it was easy it wouldn't be worth the trouble. Any thing worth having is hard work. I've made sure that I have breakfast at least 5 of 7 days a week. Typically it's oatmeal about 7:30 during the work week. By 10, I'm having hunger pangs. I am always hungry. Just need to eat several small meals during the day. Apple or yogurt around 10:30, go to lunch at 11:30. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. A banana and protein bar before my ride, some small snack driving home. Beer is my downfall! I need to work on my abs! My tummy bounces off of my thighs while pedaling down in the drops. I hate that! So, I have a way to go before I achieve some of my goals.

Diva sent me a note and called me a jock. Thanks love, but I don't think so. I watch these guys that race and I am in awe. I'd love to smash my legs on those pedals that hard and fast. I just try to chase them as long and hard as I can most days. There are times I just lay back, not often.

Odd, but I'll be happy to wake up in the morning, watch the sun come up and know that it's gonna be a great day!

Didn't make it to the track this morning

But I put in 6.8 miles on the stationary in 25 minutes and burned 250 calories (that'll be good for a beer or two). Not as fast as I'd like, but I haven't ridden since Wednesday. I have to stop putting 2 days between rides. I know life happens, but I feel like I'm never gonna get better and I start feeling very guilty about it.

I really wanted to make it to the track this morning. It was a cool 65 degrees with no humidity, which is a great treat after the last 3 weeks of hot, humid, hazy and nasty stuff we've been dealing with. But I got up Friday with a crick (pull or something) in my left shoulder blade that radiated to my shoulder, up my neck, and down the left-most side of my back. I thought I just slept weird, but it bothered me all day. I woke up with morning about 5 feeling miserable and worse! Tried to get comfy and went back to sleep (should've just gotten up then). It was better when I got up at 7, but still bothered me quite a bit so I ate something and took my Chantix and Aleve. I didn't make it to the track.

Oh yeah, 10pm tonight will be 26 days tobacco free!

I'll try to be good and get there tomorrow morning. Pray the humidity is still low, even though the temps will be 10 degrees warmer. Humidity is the worst for my breathing since I have asthma. It makes me feel like I have a huge weight on my breastbone and inhaling is laboured. Funny, I have no issues with exhaling. Yes, I always carry my fast acting inhaler, I don't leave home without it!

My Sis told me not to kick myself, that I'm doing great. I love her so much! She's training for the Chicago marathon and had a 16 mile run this morning. She said it was great and averaged under 10 minutes a mile! This will be her 2nd marathon. I'm very proud of her and her accomplishments, too!

The sun did come up and it has been a decent day

another day of waking and saying, "no cigarettes today". Sounds easy, but it's not. I told my quit buddy how proud I am of her and how lucky I am to have her going through this with me. Can't have too much support or enough pats on the back.

It's finally cooling off a little bit. I'll get up to temps in the 60s tomorrow! We had a record 105F on Thursday and it was a miserable day. I plan on going to the HS track by 7am and see if I can make it the full 4 laps without stopping again. I'm hoping I can run more than half of it, but we'll see.

I had lunch with my sister today. I was nervous, but got the nerve up to tell her that I'm uneasy about this new relationship she's in. It's a gut thing. Can't really say I've been around the guy long enough to make a good judgement. She was very open minded and told me that I should be able to say anything to her. I love my Sis!

Nothing like testing yourself on a regular basis to make you humble

18 days tobacco free, riding the stationary bike for about 8 weeks, building time and intensity, I thought I'd try a run. Now, way back in the olden days (high school) I ran track and had been athletic until I starting having children.

I drove to the high school and decided to try 4 laps on the track. I know distances on a track and it's flat unlike my neighborhood! Ran the first lap, split the 2nd and 3rd laps with walk first half/run the second, walked the fourth lap. Legs and muscles were ready for more, lungs and heart weren't. Surprised I didn't cough and hack during it, but I wouldn't have made it that single mile if I had. What is so annoying (and it was in high school too) is that my throat/larynx tightens so much. I wish I could keep those muscles in a more relaxed state.

Time and patience are required. Hell I've done all this damage over the last 35 years and have been sedentary most of it. I should be thrilled that I made the mile with no stops, right? Think I'll try it again tomorrow morning. See if I can at least match today if not run a little more of that mile. Gotta get back on the bike in a bit, once this old heart has a chance to recover from the walk/run. ;)