Hi Everyone-
I am a 53 year old, soon to be 54 year old female...I started smoking when I was 13 and remember being hooked by 14. I started smoking because a friend of mine smoked and she could blow smoke rings and all of the boys liked her. It didn't help me with the boys , but I did get hooked fast. It wasn't til much later that I learned that the boys liked my friend for other reasons than blowing smoke rings!
My first quit attempt was when I was 16. I swore to myself that I would not be a smoker at 18, 21, 30, 40, 50, etc. I broke all of those promises. when I was 40, I got pneumonia, was diagnosed with COPD and spent a week in the hospital. I probably quit for 2 months then which is my longest quit to date.
I had a mid-life crisis about 6 years ago and started racing BMX. The first year I couldn't even get off the seat! Well, we still race, we travel all over the country to race. I even was ranked for 2 years in the top ten of my age group in the nation.
I am not very fast, but I show up and this sport rewards you for being old and showing up. there is a woman who I race nationally. I beat her once, but she has beat me the last 3 years, although we are very close. Last time I saw her in June, she said, 'You know Eleanor, if you quit smoking cigarettes, you could beat me"...Well, I mulled over that for a few weeks and decided that I didn't know if I could beat her if I quit, but I KNEW I could not beat her if I continued to smoke.
So, July 11th, 2013, I stopped smoking, all due to a bike race. seems crazy, my health problems and everything else didn't make me quit, but to win a silly bike race, motivated me. I guess whatever works!
I feel greatful and just take it day by day.
