People sometimes ask me how I have managed to stay consistent with running.
I have been running for 16 years and have completed 11 marathons. Through the years, I have trained through busy schedules, early mornings, injuries, disappointing races, and days when staying in bed felt much more appealing than putting on my running shoes.
So what keeps me going?
After thinking about it, I realized that it is not really about the marathons.
It is about falling in love with the journey.
The Race Cannot Be the Only Goal
When we sign up for a marathon, it is easy to become fixated on race day.
We imagine the starting line, the crowds, the finish, the medal, and hopefully, a new personal record. For months, everything seems to point toward that one day.
But a marathon lasts only a few hours.
The journey to get there takes weeks and months.
It is found in the early mornings when you would rather keep sleeping. It is in the easy runs that do not look impressive on Strava. It is in the speed sessions that test your limits and the long runs that test your patience.
Sometimes, it means hammering out a 32KM long run alone.
Those moments may not come with medals or finish-line photos, but they are where the real transformation happens.
That is where we become stronger.
That is where we develop discipline and mental resilience.
That is where we slowly learn how our body works, how it responds to training, and how much it is capable of doing.
Learning to Love the Routine
One of the things I have come to enjoy most about training is understanding my body better.
Through regular training, I can see and feel the small changes. I learn when I can push, when I need to recover, and how my fitness is progressing. Sometimes the improvement shows up as a faster pace. Other times, it is simply being able to finish a difficult session feeling stronger than before.
These small improvements make the process rewarding.
Eventually, training stops feeling like something you have to force into your schedule. Once the routine is established, it becomes part of daily life.
You wake up. You run. You recover. You repeat.
Of course, it is not always easy. There are still mornings when motivation is low and workouts that do not go according to plan. But running has become something that keeps me healthy, grounded, and sane.
The routine itself has become part of the reward.
When Race Day Does Not Go Your Way
The Berlin Marathon reminded me that no matter how well you prepare, you cannot control everything.
I got sick a week before the race, and the weather on race day was not what I expected. The result was also far from the outcome I had trained and hoped for.
It was disappointing, of course.
When you spend months preparing for a marathon, it is natural to want race day to validate all your hard work. You want the time on the clock to prove that the early mornings, long runs, and sacrifices were worth it.
But running does not always work that way.
Sometimes, you do everything right and still miss your goal because of factors beyond your control. You might get sick. The weather might change. Your body might simply have a bad day.
Does that mean all the training was wasted?
Definitely not.
By the time I reached the Berlin starting line, the work had already changed me. I had already become fitter, stronger, and more disciplined. I had already gained the physical and mental benefits of months of preparation.
A disappointing race could not take any of that away.
Berlin became another lesson in the journey, one that I carried with me as I bounced back for Tokyo and Sydney in 2026.
Races Are Checkpoints, Not Destinations
These days, I am more selective about the races I join. I choose special ones and treat them as rewards for the work I have done.
They are also checkpoints.
A race gives me an opportunity to see where I am in my running journey. It can show me what has improved and what I still need to work on. Some races end with a personal best. Others end with lessons.
Both have value.
The race is important, but it is not the entire story. It is only one day in a journey made up of hundreds of ordinary days when no one is watching.
Sometimes we become so focused on reaching the finish line that we forget to appreciate who we are becoming along the way.
The medal is a reminder of what we completed.
The journey is what made us capable of completing it.
The Secret to Making Running a Lifetime Sport
Maybe this is the real answer when people ask me how I stay consistent.
I do not run only because there is another marathon on the calendar. I run because I have learned to value the process itself.
I enjoy building the routine.
I enjoy seeing gradual improvements.
I enjoy feeling fitter and stronger.
I enjoy learning more about my body and discovering what years of consistent effort can build.
If we run only for the destination, it can be easy to stop once we cross the finish line. Tapos na. Check na sa bucket list. What comes next?
But when we fall in love with the process, one race is no longer the end. It becomes part of a much longer and more meaningful journey.
That, I believe, is the secret to making running a lifetime sport instead of a one-time marathon achievement.
Set goals. Chase personal records. Choose races that excite you.
But do not forget to enjoy the mornings, the quiet kilometers, the hard sessions, the small improvements, and even the difficult days.
The race may validate some of your efforts, but the greatest rewards are already yours long before you reach the starting line.
Fall in love with the journey.
Then the finish line becomes something to celebrate, not the only reason you started.
