2015 Kautim. What Next?

Words cannot describe what 2015 was to me. Exhausting - physically, mentally, financially. Liberating - physically, mentally, financially not quite. Once again, I got to travel, I got to race and I got fitter. Much fitter but no less fatter.... T_T 

In spite of its many ups and downs, I find myself mostly looking back fondly on the ups. Despite having two trips cancelled, it was good year in terms of personal achievements. Even though I didn't conquer Mount Kinabalu, I did scaled Japan's highest mountain. I may not have gone to Korea, but I did get to enjoy two separate short weekends in Australia with my friends and a long week there with my sister in two cities for three race events. Madness I tell ya!

If I were to list down my 2015 achievements and memorable moments, this is it:
1. I climbed Gunung Ledang. Link

2. I climbed Mount Fuji in a typhoon and sub-zero temps. Part 1 and 2

3. I  traveled to new cities - Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne (coming soon)

4. I achieved my Spartan Trifecta within a span of 5 weeks. Link

5. I completed a Super and a Sprint Spartan race back to back. Link

6. I completed my second Tough Mudder. Link

7. I ran the Melbourne 10km the day after said Tough Mudder (coming soon)

8. I finally learnt how to rope-climb. Woot woot. Link

9. I survived my first ever 24 hours OCR event. Link

10. I lost 4kgs without giving up all the joys of being a Malaysian (coughfoodcoffeedessertscough). The secret is moderation, calories counting and bootcamp everyday.

So now what? 

With all of these behind me, I am ready to embark on my next adventure in 2016 which will be...to run a marathon.

42km of pure running. 

My first virgin marathon will be the Kyoto Marathon on 21 February.

source: Kyoto Marathon Facebook 

Joining the marathon ballot was a moment of pure YOLO-ness. Winning the ballot spurred my goal into action. After a week of 'what the f--k have I done' after the results came out, I started my training with the help of my mother (an accomplished marathon runner), my sisters Cherrie and Carmen (who hates me for dragging them out on runs), Faizal and Nyna (both of whom joined Kyoto Marathon previously) Sunil Bangah (Cleo Bachelor 2003 and SCKLM pacer) and Ching Goh (yet another accomplished marathon runner with freakishly long legs. I jelly).

With less than 53 days to go, let's hope I don't die in Kyoto. If I do, just bury me next to the Kamo River Starbucks. Kthxbai.