1 year anniverssary

Wow it's been a year already.

One year of being nicotine free, one year of feeling more healthy and alive than I had for the previous 15/16 years with nicotine clogging up my lungs and poisoning my body because nicotine is a poison after all.

365 days of being free of the evil nicotine monster. Thanks to Allen Carr for the terminology. I have to thank his rewiring of my brain via his book supplemented by Champix for the success I have acheieved and will continue to achieve.

Do I feel better?

You bet I do!

Until you have given up smoking, you have no idea how much better you can feel. It is remarkable how much your outlook on life improves now you don't have to worry about feeding that little monster or scratching that little itch.

Yes I know I had my problems last year but I am thankful for them rather than suffering regret because of them.

If you want to read about my fall from grace, please follow the link.http://smoker2triathlete.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-hardest-thing-i-have-ever-written.html

I've recently bought the Macklemore album "The Heist" and one song in particular struck a chord with me and reminded me of myself and smoking. To hear the song please follow the link. http://vimeo.com/61666335

In the song Macklemore talks about his fall from grace with drugs and says the following which is what struck a chord with me.

"The irony, everyone will think that he lied to me
Made my sobriety so public, there’s no f*ckin’ privacy"

I have openly blogged about my journey from a smoker but for several weeks hid the fact I was smoking again from everyone including my family.

"When they put me in some box as a saint
That I never was, it’s the false prophet that never came

And will they think that everything that I written has all been fake"

I thought that if and when I came clean I would lose all integrity and a lot of followers because I had let everyone but mostly myself down.

"But I’d rather live telling the truth than be judged for my mistakes
Than falsely held up, given props, loved and praised"

Enough was enough I had to come clean in real life and on here.

"I thought you’d go
But you were with me all along"

The unwavering suport I have received from my family, friends (both real life and off Twitter) and commments on my blog has been a real help in my journey to a 1 year non smoker so thank you.

"I’m just a flawed man, man I f*cked up"

I made a mistake and mistakes happen.

"If I can be an example of getting sober
Then I can be an example of starting over"

These two lines sum everything about my journey from a smoker to a triathlete, I had been called inspirational but I made a mistake but since the mistake I have come back stronger and have now completed 1 year nicotine free.

This song really struck a chord with me.

The last year has a success for me with regards to all things triathlon.

I've set myself some tough goals but have managed to achieve every one. I have completed at least one triathlon at each distance from Supersprint to Iron distance. I am within touching distance of completing 2013 miles in 2013 but most importantly I am a year long non smoker.

If you haven't seen I have also been included in Triathlon Plus this month (November 2013). This was all a bit hush hush but I couldn't tell anyone until it had been confirmed. The photographer Sean Allard took some amazing photos of me for the article. I normally hate photos of myself but was really impressed with the photos Sean captured.

Me in the lake at Cusworth

Me and my bike

Looking fast

Running with "blade hands"

Just me

The article reads exceptionally well and if I wasn't afraid of copyright law, would post it here. But unfortunately if you want to read it you will have to go and buy a copy like everyone else.

That's all form me for now.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

A proud 1 year ex smoker.