Q&A: Francisco Rodriguez on his transformation from avid smoker to dedicated marathoner
Posted July 19th, 2007 at 2:45 PM by Courtney Albon
Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Success Stories, Special Features, Interviews, Health & Fitness
Twenty years ago, Francisco Rodriguez smoked more than two packs of cigarettes per day - and the thought of running a marathon was almost laughable. Today, the recently-retired Bank of New York Vice President is running as many as 54 races a year and completed his 150th marathon in April at the Boston Marathon.
In the following interview TFS’s Courtney Albon speaks with Rodriguez about his metamorphosis, the challenges he faced, his source of inspiration and support, and the benefits of his new lifestyle.
TFS: What was your life like before you became a marathon runner? What were some of the specific, unhealthy habits that you had to deal with?
Rodriguez: Well, my major problem-or not problem-but my major issue is that I was a very heavy smoker. I used to smoke two and a half packs a day until 1998 when I decided that was not good. So, I started running and I haven’t stopped since then. It’s been twenty years no that I’ve been running.
I always eat healthy, but I just eat a lot. The food is always healthy, but it is in bigger quantities than other people. I don’t eat too many fats or fried foods, things like that, but my major thing was the smoking. So, now I run a lot of races and I run every day. My life is a lot better.
TFS: What triggered you to start working towards living healthier? Was there a moment of epiphany or was it more gradual?
Rodriguez: Well, the process was that everybody that I was related to was a smoker. It was difficult to remain smoke free when everyone else was a smoker. But…I was able to quit in one day and I’m never going back.
TFS: Quitting cold turkey must have been tough. What challenges did you face?
Rodriguez: The biggest challenge was the breathing, getting used to breathing-that and being without smoking and getting used to living without smoking. Once I started running more often, I didn’t have any cravings for smoking anymore.
TFS: Despite the breathing problems, did you start running right away?
Rodriguez: Yeah, immediately after I stopped smoking I was able to run more often and run longer. I did my first marathon a month after I quit smoking and this year I completed my 150th marathon, so it has been a good ride.
TFS: What has kept you going? Do you have any type of support group?
Rodriguez: Well, joining a running club was a main thing for me because I didn’t know anything about running. When I started running my first marathon, the longest I had run before the marathon was five miles. So, I paid for it in this day with a lot of pain and a lot of lactic acid accumulation. So, I joined a running club and learned a lot about everything … And joining the club, you get motivated. There’s always somebody there to keep you going.
TFS: You’ve gone from knowing very little to nothing about running to having run 150 marathons-that is a great accomplishment. What are some other milestones-awards or special races-that you’ve experienced in your running career?
Rodriguez: Well, in racing I win a lot of my age group awards from the marathons to 5k’s to 10k’s and half marathons. So, last year for my 54 races, I got 32 awards. So, I’m competitive for my weight and my age.
This year the American Heart Association recognized a few people that had to change their life for the better and I was one of the recipients. It was the first year that they had this award and, last month, I was one of the twelve recipients. I was very happy and maybe it can motivate other people to at least quit smoking and maybe make some changes to their lifestyle.
TFS: Do you have a favorite race?
Rodriguez: Well, this year Boston was very nice because it was my 150th marathon and they were nice enough to put me in the VIP program, so I was treated very, very well. It was like a milestone competing in the 150-even though the weather didn’t cooperate.
New York, also, I’ve run eighteen years in a row now, and it’s my favorite. I always have a good time at that one because it’s close by and I have a lot of friends running it and the course and things like that. I always love it.
TFS: I know a lot of people struggle to incorporate exercise into an already busy lifestyle as a bank V.P., how do you find time to stick to your workout?
Rodriguez: Well, I do my running early in the morning-like at 5 or 5:30 in the morning-so that it’s always done early in the morning. No matter what happens in my day that is out of the way. And that’s one of the issues that a lot of people have. They leave it for the middle of the day or the night and then some things get complicated and then they don’t do it passes one day and two days and threes days. But, if you do it very early in the morning like I do, no matter what happens in your day, it’s done already.
TFS: What advice would you give to others who are struggling to quit smoking or considering a more active lifestyle?
Rodriguez: Well, it’s all in the mind. If you really want to quit, you can do it. Also, a lot of people don’t really want to quit, but everyone is telling them to do it. If they put their mind to it, they can do it.
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Tags: bank of america, cigarettes, exercise, francisco rodriguez, interview, lifestyle, marathon runner, Q&A, question and answer, routine, smoking, somer, Success Story, vice president, weight loss
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The Final Sprint
hy mr rodriguez!
i was very impressed reading about you running 150 races!
i did my 7 marathon this january
i am the friend of mr yaron from israel!
i registered for the nike run on july, and the ny marathon in november
my chances are poor,can you help me?
joseph marcus
israel
1\
March 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm‘