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Excerpts from Runners Who Smoke; running cannot offset damage caused by smoking

By CIMONS, MARLENE, Runner's World [09/01/99]

The Forces of Habit

Many runners can't imagine running and smoking. But if running has an addictive quality--and many claim it does--then is it so difficult to believe that those who become addicted to running might also develop other addictions, even self-destructive ones?

No one knows how many runners have this unhealthy habit, but the phenomenon probably isn't as uncommon as we think.

Even so, its prevalence and acceptance can vary from culture to culture. For instance, smoking among athletes is probably much less common in the United States than it is in other parts of the world. Many American adults are concerned about being role models for youth, and in recent years unprecedented restrictions have been imposed on smoking in public.

Other countries have a less stringent attitude. "In Europe, smoking is no big deal," says Johannes Czernin, M.D., director of nuclear medicine at UCLA. "And the same is true in the former Eastern Bloc countries and in Asia. Culturally, smoking is a part of life in these areas."

The Damage Done

"A smoker is better off if he runs, no question about it, because running is good for you," says Dr. Czernin. "But it doesn't offset the effects of smoking."

While smoking can cause serious health problems such as cancer and heart disease, it also can hinder running performance.

Smoking damages the endothelial cells, which make up the inner lining of your blood vessels. "These cells produce substances that allow the coronary arteries to adapt to the increased stress produced by exercise," Dr. Czernin explains. "The arteries need to widen for the increase in oxygen demand. If you are a smoker and the inner lining is damaged, the arteries can't widen to the same degree, which means you won't get enough oxygen."

The outlook is also bleak for the lungs, which grow until early adulthood and then decline with age. In nonsmokers, this deterioration "is usually not significant," says Gail Weinmann, M.D., a pulmonary expert with the federal government's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md. "In smokers, however, the decline is much faster."

The lungs, once damaged, will not regenerate. But if you stop smoking, your rate of decline falls back to that of a nonsmoker, Dr. Weinmann says. "You shift yourself onto a different curve--from a steep slope of decline to a gentle slope."

The Shame Factor

Most runners who smoke are not open about it. They fear, probably accurately, that their running buddies would be horrified if they knew.

Sally Smith, for example, has been running for 30 years. An ultramarathoner from Pacific Grove, Calif., she started smoking at 15, took up running at 19, and continued to smoke through two pregnancies, 21 years of training and her first 10 years of competition.

And she kept it secret from other runners the entire time.

Renkiewicz also feels self-conscious. He's not proud of the fact that he hasn't been able to quit. He's tried patches, gum, medicine and going "cold turkey," and nothing has worked. Like Smith, he confines most of his smoking to a nonrunning environment.

Kick the Habit

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. And it isn't easy. Nicotine is addictive, and smoking behaviors--once ingrained--are difficult to break. Here are some tips from runners who have conquered their addiction, plus products and services that are available for smokers who are trying to quit.

* "Breaking one's routine can help prevent the 'habitual smoke,'" says Rick Whiting, a Chicago stock trader who runs 30 miles a week and quit smoking on March 1. "For example, instead of the morning coffee and cigarette, I run an easy mile or mile and a half.

I don't really count this as a workout, but I'm as awake as if I'd had a smoke and coffee. Next l take a shower--and cigarettes don't stay lit there very well--so now I'm up and rolling, and I've avoided a tough time."

* Many experts believe that nicotine-replacement products, while effective, are more successful when used in conjunction with behavior-modification programs, or support groups. You can find several support groups online. For instance, check out
www.quitsmokingsupport.com. This site also has bulletin boards and chat rooms, which can be accessed through www.quitsmokingsupport.com/boards.htm.

Smokefree is another online group. To join, send a message to smokefree-request@List-Server, net. Leave the subject line blank and put the word "subscribe" in the body of the message. Or just go to www.angelfire.com/tx/lindamworld/index.html.

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