From non-athlete to proud runner: A first time marathoner shares his story

Normally, I save our updated race results for a separate post emailed to just the RunnersConnect team. However, this week I received a fantastic email from one of our runners who ran his first marathon at the LA Honda Marathon last Saturday and I just had to share.

This post is from Jeremy Gaudette (if you recognize the name, it’s because Jeremy is my cousin) and he eloquently described the feeling that almost every self-professed non runner feels both before, during, and after their first marathon:

The question is, ‘am I an athlete?’

It’s been over 24 hours since finishing my first marathon and I’m still thinking, ‘did I just do a marathon?’ Of course, the answer is ‘yes,’ but the really crazy question is, ‘am I an athlete?’

The answer to that question is yes as well, yet in 28 years I’ve never once considered myself an athlete nor did I ever think I would!

I’ve never hit a home run, scored a touchdown, made a free throw, or kicked the winning goal in a playoff game. I’m the kid who pulled his neck muscle while playing kick ball, asked that the ball be thrown a little slower, and got stuck on the chair lift at Shawnee Peak. I was always told that there is an unexplainable thrill associated with being a high performing athlete and while I imagined what it would be like, never really cared.

However, as I was running those last few miles – feet pounding heavily on the pavement, my calf muscles wanting nothing to do with me, and psyching myself into thinking that I was only ‘a lap around the reservoir away’ from the finish line – when I saw the mile 25 marker a resurgence of energy came, seemingly out of nowhere, that I could only assume happens to a football player at the two minute warning or a baseball player during the bottom of the ninth.

Rounding the street corner onto Ocean Ave and realizing that this was it, the home stretch, gave me more energy than any water, gatorade, or gels I had taken. While there isn’t a way for me to tell how fast I was running, it felt like my best mile. Nothing hurt and I wasn’t tired – I just kept running.

Throughout the race I kept on thinking back to the beginning of training and why I was doing this crazy event. The whole idea of running started cause well, I enjoy it, but I wanted to get into shape. Being out of breath after two flights of stairs wasn’t a position I wanted to be in.

Once I got the idea that I could use your help for a good training schedule, I figured, well why not train for something? Why not have a goal? As we know, the marathon became my goal and this thought is really what helped through the 26.2 miles. I was doing it to cross the finish line – to accomplish something that not everyone can say they did. Like scoring the game winning touchdown.

500 yards before the finish line I started getting really emotional. I almost started crying, actually. As I crossed the finish line I had the same experience. It was euphoric and the lines of volunteers waiting with the medals, the blankets, the waters made the moment even better. It’s really that moment where I decided, ‘yeah, I will totally do this again.’

All the above would have never happened if it weren’t for your help, guidance, training, and mentoring. I really appreciate the time and energy you put into helping me reach my goal. It’s been a fun and challenging year!

Finally, here are 10 things I learned from my first marathon:

1. Getting the right start corral is key. While I’m not convinced it would have changed my final time, ending up in the 10:00 start corral was kind of annoying. Not only was I stuck there, but since there were so many people, I was on the outside of the coral. Waiting for the gun to go off was already making me anxious, having to wait even longer once the gun went off made it worse. I just wanted to run!
2. Get contacts. This will help with getting the right start corral
3. Pee twice before starting. I only went once and before the gun went off, I could tell I was gonna have to go again. This resulted in my mile three pit stop on the side of the road. Glad I did though – I can’t imagine stopping at mile 18 or so, I don’t think I could have gotten started again.
4. People who carry things (i.e. flags, balloons, ancient Greek weapons) are annoying. Especially balloons. I got hit in the face twice.
5. Passing people is 50% common sense and 50% timing. Of which runners seem to have neither.
6.  If you’re gonna stop so that you can walk – move to the side. The amount of people that just stop… dead stop in the middle of road! It’s like Mufassa trying to outrun the wildebeests in Lion King.
7. When making a right/left turn onto a new street, everyone thinks they’re Mario Andretti and hugs the inside corner. This creates traffic back up. Also, annoying.
8. Gatorade is sticky
9. Having spectators from mile 20 to 25 tell you you’re ‘almost there’ is like continuously running by my Uncle Bob on a hiking trip. “Oh yeah, it’s just over this next ridge. Don’t worry, just one more peak to go.’ You know when I’m almost there? When I’m steps away from the finish line.
10. The runners of the 10k should not finish the same place I finish. It’s like climbing Mt. Washington only to stand next to a parked mini-van.