after 30 years of moderate (and sometimes heavy) smoking. I am a runner...I know...it doesn't make any sense. I can run half marathons, 5ks and 10ks and am even training for a marathon. I know I will be able to run much faster without the cigs. So far, so good. I've had some cravings, mostly in the evening after dinner. I find myself, however, looking forward to future cigarettes (like on the way home, on the morning commute, after dinner, etc.), and then I remember that I don't smoke and that there will not be a cigarette in the future. Sort of depressing, but my lungs feel so good after only 3 days that I just want to stay off them.
Your lungs are going to love you on your long runs! I am also a runner and ran varsity cross country in my undergrad. I felt like a walking contradiction....eating healthy, training, and smoking. I kept telling myself that I would quit the moment my lungs started to feel the effects of smoking. Of course, the nicodemon tricked me....and I kept thinking that my lungs were not getting any worse.
