"I Will Never Run a 42-Kilometer Marathon" — This is the exact line I said every time people told me I should run a full marathon after finishing 9 half-marathons. And my reaction? I just laughed!"

"A 5k? Basic! 10k? Sure. A half marathon? I've done a lot of that!. But 42 kilometers? Absolutely not. That’s for crazy people, elite athletes, and folks who genuinely enjoy prolonged physical torture."

I had so many excuses. My legs couldn't handle that distance, and I didn't have time to train. Running for hours sounded like punishment, not fun. I decided half-marathons were my limit, and I was fine with that."

Until the day I decided to stop letting self-imposed limits dictate what I was capable of.

The Shift

It didn't happen overnight with a dramatic movie-style epiphany. It was a gradual build-up. After finishing multiple 10ks and crossing several 21km finish lines, a quiet, persistent thought started creeping in: What if?

What if the only thing stopping me from hitting 42K wasn't my body, but the boundary I had drawn in my own mind?

Deciding to sign up for a full marathon meant breaking a contract I had made with myself years ago. It meant shifting from "I can't" to "Let's see how far we can actually go."

The Reality of 42.195 Kilometers

Training for a marathon removes any fun or dreamy ideas you have about long runs. It means waking up very early while everyone else is asleep. You have to deal with sore muscles, constantly worry about water and food, and spend hours running alone with your thoughts.

And then the Singlife Davao Marathon race day came.

The first 20 kilometers felt easy because of the exciting crowd and race-day energy. Passing the 21km mark my old limit felt hard to believe. But the real marathon only begins in the second half.

Around 30 or 32 kilometers in, hitting ''the wall'' feels completely real, not just a phrase. Every single step takes hard work. Your mind starts bringing back all your old excuses: You said you'd never do this. You were right. Why are you here?

At that point, the race is all in your head. It’s no longer about how tired your legs or lungs are, but about your determination. You stop thinking about how many kilometers are left and just focus on reaching the next streetlight, the next water stop, or taking the next step

Crossing the Line

Seeing that finish arch in the distance after 42 long, agonizing, beautiful kilometers is a feeling that is almost impossible to articulate.

When your feet cross the timing mat, the physical exhaustion doesn't instantly vanish, but the mental weight you've carried for years completely dissolves. You aren't just crossing a finish line, you're leaving behind every belief that ever limited your potential.

I officially became a marathoner.

What 42K Taught Me

Running a full marathon changes how you view yourself. It proves that the boundaries we set for our lives are often completely arbitrary. We construct comfortable ceilings based on fear, self-doubt, or the belief that certain achievements belong only to "other people."

I spent a year saying "I will never run a 42-kilometer marathon."

I was wrong. And I have never been happier to be wrong about anything in my life.

If there is a goal or dream in your life right now that feels way out of reach something you promised yourself you could never do take another look at that limit. If you decide to step past it anyway, you might just surprise yourself with what you can achieve.