Starting at 58: My First Marathon

Aziph Mustapha
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  • Running
  • Updated Weekly

At 58, I signed up for my first marathon. No half marathons before this. Longest run: 10 kilometres. This podcast documents the journey to 42.195 — the training, the setbacks, the days I don’t feel like showing up, and the small wins along the way. It’s not really about running. It’s about doing hard things, building discipline, and finding out what you’re capable of when you start before you’re ready. Alongside this, I’m raising RM1 per metre through 42.195 For Malaysia in support of Teach For Malaysia. If you’ve thought about starting something you’re not ready for — this is for you

Episodes

  1. May 4

    Episode 4: I Found My Running Community Online

    I didn’t expect this. I started sharing my marathon journey, and a community began to form — especially on Threads. In this episode, I talk about how that changed everything. The support, the conversations, and how people started becoming part of the run. Doing hard things is different when others show up.

    8 min

  2. Apr 13

    When Momentum Breaks

    This week didn’t go to plan. I fell unwell, missed training, and for the first time since starting this marathon journey, had to deal with the frustration of losing momentum. But sometimes the hardest part of any challenge is not the work itself. It’s what happens when life interrupts the plan. In this episode, I reflect on setbacks, uncertainty, and the mental battle of trying to stay committed when progress stalls.

    6 min

  3. Apr 13

    When Momentum Breaks

    This week didn’t go to plan. I fell unwell, missed training, and for the first time since starting this marathon journey, had to deal with the frustration of losing momentum. But sometimes the hardest part of any challenge is not the work itself. It’s what happens when life interrupts the plan. In this episode, I reflect on setbacks, uncertainty, and the mental battle of trying to stay committed when progress stalls.

    6 min

  4. Apr 5

    I Don’t Have a Coach — So I Just Started Anyway

    I don’t have a coach. No structured plan. No expert guiding me. Just a decision to start. In this episode, I talk about figuring things out as I go, using tools like ChatGPT to think through training, and the bigger lesson I’m learning: Information isn’t the problem. Execution is. Showing up when it’s inconvenient, when you’re tired, and when you don’t feel like it. This is less about running… and more about building the habit of doing the work.

    7 min
  5. I Started Something I’m Not Ready For

    Apr 4

    I Started Something I’m Not Ready For

    I realised I had stopped doing hard things. So at 58, I signed up for my first marathon — 42.195 kilometres. No half marathons before this. Longest run so far: 10K. This episode is about why I started, what I didn’t expect, and what this journey is already teaching me about discomfort, discipline, and showing up when you don’t feel like it. This is the beginning of 42.195 For Malaysia, where I’m raising RM1 per metre in support of Teach For Malaysia. If you’ve been putting something off because you’re not ready — this is for you.

    7 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

At 58, I signed up for my first marathon. No half marathons before this. Longest run: 10 kilometres. This podcast documents the journey to 42.195 — the training, the setbacks, the days I don’t feel like showing up, and the small wins along the way. It’s not really about running. It’s about doing hard things, building discipline, and finding out what you’re capable of when you start before you’re ready. Alongside this, I’m raising RM1 per metre through 42.195 For Malaysia in support of Teach For Malaysia. If you’ve thought about starting something you’re not ready for — this is for you

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