A Lovely Day For A Run– And A Smoke?

Wednesday morning was a gorgeous, sunny and crisp morning here in Rochester, so I took the opportunity to hit the trail near our house and get in a quick 3-mile run. I encountered a few other people while I was huffing and puffing my way along the Cascade Trail to the Highway-52 overpass and back; not a bad contingent of folks, considering the temperature was 39-degrees when I headed out. But one fellow exerciser caught my attention-- because he was taking a smoke break on a bench along the path.

I had just started my return trip when this gentleman passed me on the trail. He was on a bike, and was wearing what appeared to be state-of-the-art moisture-wicking cycling pants and shirt. I noticed this mainly because while his workout attire and bicycle looked impressive, I, on the other hand, was wearing an old Wisconsin Badger sweatshirt with a basic pair of workout shorts.

I caught up with him while he was resting along the bench near the pedestrian/bike bridge that spans Highway-14, just west of Highway-52. As he rested, he was also enjoying a cigarette.  Now, I'm not judging anyone who smokes, mind you, I just thought it was an interesting juxtaposition, given how his attire and bike indicated he might be more of a serious exerciser-- and I guess I don't know too many serious exercisers who are also smokers.

I'd think being an active smoker, and certainly smoking while you're out on the trail, would make exercising even tougher to do. Like I said, I'm not judging anyone at all, I'm just noting how I don't need anything else to make exercising tougher for me to do; on the contrary, I need all the help I can get while I'm out exercising. I guess I can't imagine how tough my run would be if I smoked along the way, too.