What One Year of Showing Up Looks Like: 2:55:13 to 1:38:43

My watch showed 1:38:42 when I crossed the finish line, a few seconds off because I started my watch a bit late.

I was short of breath. But I already knew: sub-1:40. I did it.

Official time: 1:38:43.

One year ago, at this same event, I finished in 2:55:13.

Same event. Same start line. Almost the same date. That's 76 minutes faster in one year. For a long time, I didn't think I could ever run that fast.

This is not a story about talent. I had none a year ago, and maybe I still don't. This is a story about what happens when you show up, again and again, for one full year, even when you don't know if it's working.

The Start Line One Year Ago

A year ago, I signed up for KK City Half Marathon on a whim, after a colleague asked me to join. I had no plan and barely any training, my longest run before race day was just 7km. I finished in 2:55:13, legs cramping by km18, walking most of the way to the line.

That's who showed up at the start line a year ago. Someone with no plan, no base, and no idea what he was doing.

Not a Straight Line

Right after KK City HM 2025, something shifted. I started training with actual structure, easy runs, long runs, tempo, interval, threshold. Not perfectly disciplined, but real.

It wasn't a straight line up. Late December into January, I couldn't hold onto daily training. A knee injury forced me to back off right when I wanted to push hardest. There were days I didn't feel like running at all. On those days, I told myself I just need to show up.

Still, Jesselton Half Marathon came in January. I broke sub-2 for the first time, though I missed my target of sub-1:50. Borneo Half Marathon in February, I hit it. Borneo International Marathon in May was my first full marathon, and I finished under 4 hours.

Then Pearl Of Borneo Marathon in June happened. The hills got me, and I hit the wall hard after KM30. It humbled me completely.

AirAsia RedRun in July brought me under 1:45.

The Pace That Felt Impossible

A month before, I'd run 1:44:57 with all I had back then. Barely sub-1:45, and that came after only a few weeks of proper training. Going into KK City HM 2026, a 6-minute PB felt unthinkable. I planned to play it safe, aiming for around pace 4:50/km.

Then, a few minutes before flag-off, I couldn't do the math in my head. I guessed sub-1:40 needed around pace 4:47/km, so I asked my cousin to confirm. He said 4:42/km to 4:43/km. I was shocked, but I didn't let it sit too long.

I started the race at 4:49/km.

For the first few kilometers, I held an average pace of around 4:45/km. Then at KM8 and KM9, I ran 4:39/km and 4:31/km. That's when I knew it was possible.

The pace held, and so did the pain. In the last 1-2 KM, I checked my watch. Sub-1:40 looked possible, but I was worried the course might run long and that the extra distance would eat away the buffer. So I pushed even harder, already short of breath. Nearing the finish line, I knew I could do it.

Then I crossed the finish line. I did it.

Official time: 1:38:43.

One Year Later

Same event. Same start line. A year apart.

The only thing that changed was me. Not talent, not some shortcut. Just showing up, again and again, even during the weeks I couldn't stay consistent, even after a race that humbled me, even when 6 minutes felt impossible.

If you're standing at your own start line right now, knowing nothing, unsure if you'll last one kilometer, that's fine. That's exactly where I was a year ago.

Show up anyway. See what a year can get you.