PANGLAO – Last year was particularly challenging for me as I was dealing with a health scare. I spent years abusing my body through habitual drinking, eating unhealthy food or sometimes not even eating at all, and, of course, the never-ending stress from work. It dawned upon me that the human body has limits, and mine eventually decided to file a strongly worded Complaint.
I had to put some of my personal plans on hold because it took months of treatment before I could get my health back to full strength. After recovering, I decided that I needed to take better care of my body and, more importantly, start getting more out of life while my body is still capable rather than simply working my ass off. So, I planned a few things to get into in 2026, and one of them was to finally take running seriously.
The first running event I participated was an international trail-running event, where I registered for the 15-kilometer category. I trained seriously for it because trail running requires a little more caution than road running. The terrain can be unpredictable, with the rocks, roots, mud, and uneven ground not being particularly interested in cooperating with your balance and ankles.
After that, I registered for the Bandit Ultramarathon and signed up for the 50-kilometer distance. Unfortunately, I was not able to train properly because work suddenly decided to hog all of my attention. Still, I somehow managed to reach the finish line, although my finishing time was definitely something I would prefer not to put on a billboard.
Looking back at my first two running events, one recurring problem became very obvious: my knees hurt. I suspect this had something to do with the rather ambitious jump from 15 kilometers straight to 50 kilometers. I guess my knees did not receive the memo that I was trying to become a serious runner.
I then registered for the Bohol International Marathon, signing up for the full 42-kilometer run. Once again, work got in the way of proper training. I was only able to squeeze in six training runs: 16 km, 12 km, 5 km, 21 km, 21 km, and 30 km. Not exactly the most scientifically designed marathon training program, but it was what I had.
During those training runs, I noticed something encouraging: my knees were no longer hurting, even during my 30-kilometer run. This was probably the result of gradually getting used to longer distances, combined with the lessons I learned from my previous races. Naturally, this gave me a little confidence that my knees would not become the main villains of the marathon.
And then came the Bohol International Marathon.
I arrived in Panglao, Bohol, on a Saturday afternoon. After settling into my hotel, I immediately went to BE Grand Resort Hotel to claim my race kit. Upon my arrival, I could already tell that BIM was a well-organized event. Despite the large number of participants, the organizers managed the lines efficiently and distributed the race kits in an orderly manner. Everything had a certain sense of grandeur that felt appropriate for an international running event. In fact, the whole thing sometimes felt more like a large seminar or convention than a marathon.
One thing many participants seemed to appreciate was the number of freebies given even just on the race kit claiming day. And honestly, who doesn't love freebies? We runners may be willing to suffer for 42 kilometers, but a few complimentary items can make the suffering feel more rewarding.
After getting my race kit, I returned to my hotel to get some sleep. I went back to BE Grand Resort Hotel around the assembly time, which was at midnight, with the gun start scheduled for 1:00 a.m.
I have a little tradition whenever I run long distances: I equipped myself with three Snickers chocolate bars and a pain-relief spray. The Snickers are my emergency fuel, while the spray is my psychological safety blanket. Somehow, knowing that I have them with me makes me feel more confident about surviving the run.
Unfortunately, I was rushing to BE Grand and completely forgot to buy them. I was also too lazy to walk out to the highway to look for a 7-Eleven, so I decided I would simply stop at the first 7-Eleven I see after the marathon started.
Yes, this was a terrible plan.
The marathon gun start was accompanied by a fireworks display, while several DJs played music along the starting route. I started somewhere in the middle of the pack. Then I spotted a 7-Eleven and immediately made my move.
I stopped to buy my Snickers and pain-relief spray, thinking it would only take a few minutes. Surprisingly, there was a line of customers at the cashier. I wonder why so many people decided that 1:00 in the early morning was the perfect time to go shopping.
By the time I returned to the race route, everyone was gone. Everyone.
I was literally the last man running.
Even the race marshals were surprised and asked why I had been left behind by the pack. Hahaha.
My original goal was to finish in under six hours, which meant maintaining a pace of around 8:30 minutes per kilometer. But when I checked my watch after my little 7-Eleven adventure, my pace was somewhere around 14 minutes per kilometer.
Panic mode activated.
I immediately started running faster than I probably should have, trying to catch up with the runners ahead of me and bring my average pace back down to 8:30. Eventually, I managed to do it but at the cost of burning more energy than I should have and messing up my rhythm early in the race.
Lesson learned: make sure you have everything you need before the race starts.
Especially your Snickers.
The race route itself was mostly flat, so runners chasing a personal record would definitely appreciate the course. There were plenty of marshals, police officers, medics, and other support staff positioned along the route, which made the runners feel safe and well-supported throughout the race.
There were also photographers strategically positioned along the course, so you were almost guaranteed to have photographic evidence that you had voluntarily subjected yourself to 42 kilometers of suffering.
The aid stations were another highlight. There were plenty of food, water, and hydration stations scattered along the route, and they were well-stocked. There were also pain-relief sprays and standby medics at several stations, which eventually made me realize that carrying my own pain-relief spray was probably unnecessary.
The variety of food available was particularly interesting. There was an impressive amount of lechon, tempura, sweets, fruits, and even ice cream. At some point, I began wondering whether I was running a marathon or participating in a very long food festival.
So, if you are a foodie runner, then BIM might be your kind of marathon.
As for the actual running, I was able to maintain my target 8:30 min/km pace until around the 30-kilometer mark. However, after about 32 kilometers, I started feeling pain in my left knee, which forced me to slow down.
The entire race route covered a little over 43 kilometers. I eventually crossed the finish line with a time of 6:31, averaging 9:08 minutes per kilometer.
I think I could have performed better if I had not made that unnecessary 7-Eleven stop at the beginning. That little detour disrupted my rhythm and forced me to spend extra energy trying to catch up. I also think I could have improved my finishing time if I had managed to squeeze in three more training runs before the race.
I did not achieve my goal of finishing under six hours, but I was still genuinely satisfied with my performance. The biggest improvement for me was how long I was able to run before experiencing knee pain. During my previous runs, I would already start feeling discomfort around the 16-kilometer mark. This time, I made it past 32 kilometers before the pain became an issue.
That may not sound like a spectacular achievement to a seasoned marathoner, but for me, it was proof that I was actually improving. And sometimes, that is enough to make you proud of yourself.
I will definitely run BIM again next year. This time, my goal is to finish under five hours.
Yes, I know. I said under six hours this year and did not make it.
But apparently, I enjoy setting ambitious goals almost as much as I enjoy making questionable decisions involving 7-Eleven.
After BIM, I was supposed to register for another trail-running event this November, the Magma Trail Run. Unfortunately, registration had already closed by the time I tried to sign up. So I guess BIM will be my final running event for this year, although I will continue doing my training runs in preparation for the events I have planned for next year.
And wow, time really does fly. It is already the “ber” months, which means Christmas is approaching, the year is almost over, and I am once again wondering where all the time went.
Looking back, I am genuinely happy with how much my running has progressed since I started.
I guess the thing about life is that you just have to keep moving, even when you are alone, even when you are not as fast or as good as everyone else around you.
You may not immediately notice the improvement. You may even feel like you are getting nowhere. But if you keep showing up, eventually you will look back and realize that you have actually come a long way.
And somewhere along the way, you might even start enjoying the suffering hahaha.
Since my running events are done for the year, I am now turning my attention to two other activities that I have recently become interested in and want to take more seriously: mountain trekking and freediving.
Hopefully, I will improve at those too.
Although, knowing myself, there is a good chance that I will eventually find a way to turn both activities into another excuse to travel, spend money, and question my life choices.
