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Aaron Williams

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$1,073

My Goal

$500

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My Activity Tracking

727.0 km

675 km

Day 30: MyMarathon Journey (May 30)

Evening session today.

31 km of cycling 

Day 29: MyMarathon Journey (May 29)

Today I added 30.55 km to my total.

Which now means I've reached and passed my distance goal of 675 km!


Day 28: MyMarathon Journey (May 28)

30.71 km of indoor cycling today!

Day 26: MyMarathon Journey (May 26)

30.63 km in 59.54 minutes today. 

Day 25: MyMarathon Journey (May 25)

Hit the 31 today, clocking up 31.36 km in 59.49 minutes! 

Last week of the challenge! 

Day 24: MyMarathon Journey (May 24)

Just short of 31 km 🥵

Tonight I cycled 30.97 km in 59.53 minutes. Still a new PB! I'll take it! 

Day 23: MyMarathon Journey (May 23)

I just broke last night record! 

30.72 km in 59.53 minutes. 


Day 22: MyMarathon Journey (May 22)

Today I hit my next goal and PB! 

30.67 km in under 60 minutes!

I'm so pumped! So grateful 🙏

Thank God ❤️ 🔥🙏

Day 21: MyMarathon Journey (May 21)

After a rest day yesterday, today I logged 29.21 km on the cycle. 

Just over a week to go!

Day 19: MyMarathon Journey (May 19)

29.80 km logged today.

Soooo close to the 30.

Day 18: MyMarathon Journey (May 18)

28.90 km logged today. 

Day 17: MyMarathon Journey (May 17)

Little bit disappointed today.

I wanted to hit the 30 kilometer mark for today's session. I fell short at 28.80km for the session. That's okay. All part of the process. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll hit 30!

My Journey to Health

Let me start with a quick preface: I’m seeing a doctor next week for a full checkup—so no messages of concern, please! 🤣 I’m totally fine. I just thought this blog might be helpful to share, especially in light of my recent fitness updates on Facebook with the MyMarathon challenge.

Believe me, once MyMarathon is over, I’ll go back to saying nothing about exercise on social media! 😅🤣🤮 But, for a good cause, I'm willing to unload the innards of my life 😅

I'll make an attempt at brevity!

A few months ago, I began noticing signs that my body was seriously warning me—I was horrendously unfit and heading down a dangerous road. I knew I had to act immediately. So, I found myself at a crossroads and chose the path of health and fitness.

Alongside overhauling my diet and lifestyle, I took up running—and made great progress! But about a week or two in, I injured my MCL. I tried to keep running, but I simply couldn’t. At the same time, I had already committed to completing the MyMarathon challenge for the Heart Foundation NZ—running 42 km in May to raise $500. This challenge meant a lot to me. It gave me a clear goal and purpose: to support a cause I care deeply about while building healthier habits.

After the injury, I had to rethink my plan. At first, I nearly pulled out. Then I had an idea: I joined the gym. My new plan was to strengthen and rehabilitate my knee so I could still participate in MyMarathon. I started indoor cycling as a substitute for running.

Very quickly, I discovered that I loved indoor cycling! Rather than push through pain in May, risking further injury, I decided to cycle instead. I set a new goal: 675 km and $500 for the month of May.

In the weeks leading up to May, I trained as hard as I could to build a solid foundation to reach—and hopefully surpass—that distance goal.

When I first started cycling, it became crystal clear just how unfit I really was 😅 But I was determined to keep going (or die trying!🤣🔥) because my goal wasn’t just about distance—it was about improving my cardiovascular and respiratory health, and yes, shedding a bit of excess weight too.

In the beginning, I could barely cycle for 20 minutes. The kilometers were low, and mentally and physically, it was tough. But I kept going. I didn’t focus on being the fastest or strongest. I did a lot of research and focused on small, consistent steps: maintaining a steady cycling cadence and training in the right heart rate zones.

Of course, I still tracked my distance, speed, and time, but my first goal was consistent cadence. As I improved that, everything else followed—cadence, speed, distance, heart rate, and overall health.

One of the most significant physical changes? My resting heart rate dropped from the 100s down to the 55–60 bpm range. That, to me, was an encouraging indicator of improved heart and lung health.

By May 1st, the official start of MyMarathon, I had gone from barely cycling at all to doing 25+ km in under 60 minutes. Today, after consistent steps of improvement, I hit a personal best: 29.75 km in just under an hour. That’s a huge accomplishment for me, and I’m genuinely proud of it.

Anyone who’s seen me attempt exercise in the past knows one of my biggest barriers has been fainting or becoming unwell mid-session. So, beyond the physical gains, mental growth has been just as significant.

I’ve learned to trust my body. I’ve learned that small steps are still steps. I’ve learned to push harder, to stay mentally engaged, and to respond to how I’m feeling in the moment rather than giving up. That might be half the battle, honestly. My mental health has been improving through this physical journey. 

The biggest motivation behind all of this? My family. I want to be healthy—for them. With 40 approaching fast, I’ve been thinking seriously about my future. What happens if I don’t act now? What happens at 50? 60? 

Heart and lung health matters deeply to me. When my body started telling me something was wrong, I took it personally—and I listened. 

That’s why I’m doing the MyMarathon challenge with the Heart Foundation. Because it matters. It matters that I have the privilege of health, and I can use it to raise funds for those who don’t.

And it matters at an individual level, too. Beyond donations, we each have the power to care for our own heart and lungs by staying active, eating well, and teaching our kids to do the same.

That said, there will always be those who suffer from heart disease. So, in addition to taking care of ourselves, we can make a real difference by supporting organizations like the Heart Foundation NZ.

I’m not here to manipulate—just to share honestly why this challenge matters so much to me. And if you’re in a position to help, I’d deeply appreciate a donation to the Heart Foundation through my MyMarathon page:

https://www.mymarathon.co.nz/fundraisers/aaronwilliams

I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to serve—by raising awareness and fundraising for a cause that’s close to my heart. It’s an honor.

Thanks so much for supporting me.

Much love ❤️

Day 16: MyMarathon Journey (May 16)

29.75 km completed of indoor cycling today. 

So close to cracking the 30. 

Day 15: MyMarathon Journey (May 15)

Another 28.62 km of cycling added today. 

Day 14: MyMarathon Journey (May 14)

2 weeks done!

Today, I completed 28.80 km.

Day 12: MyMarathon Journey (May 12)

Rest day yesterday. 

29 kilometers of indoor cycling completed today. 

Day 10: MyMarathon Journey (May 10)

29.29km completed today. 

Day 9: MyMarathon Journey (May 9)

What a session!

I started out pretty casual with a goal to make it to 25 km today of indoor cycling. 

After a while, I noticed I was easily keeping a much faster pace which caught me up. I worked my way through the HR zones and gears with solid cadence as well as some intermittent hill training, which actually increased pace. 

I hit 28.14 km today. This takes me past the 200 km mark! 218.2 km to be precise. 

I'm really pleased I was able to make that distance for today!

Day 8: MyMarathon Journey (May 8)

This morning, I completed 28.10km of indoor cycling. 

This session the legs were burning early on. But I was able to push through and things loosened up for the 28.10.

Another beautiful autumnnal day in Palmerston North!

Day 7: MyMarathon Journey (May 7)

I had a great session this morning. I was able to complete 28 kilometers toward my goal! This was after a rest-day yesterday. Coming back today with a solid session!

Day 6: MyMarathon Journey (May 6)

Today is a rest day! 

Tomorrow I'll be back at the gym for another indoor cycling session. 

I'm looking forward to it. It always gives me an energy and excitement for the day!

Day 5: MyMarathon Journey (May 5)

This morning I completed 27.05km indoor cycling. 

A really positive session. 

Day 4: MyMarathon Journey (May 4)

What a day!

Today, I added another solid 27km! This makes my total thus far 106.9km out of my target of 675km for May.

I found it difficult to focus on the first half of my cycle today. And then things clicked, and I found my rhythm. I'm really pleased with that personal breakthrough.

A great day! 

Day 3: MyMarathon Journey (May 3)

Today I completed 26.79km of indoor cycling. 

Another positive session!

Day 2: MyMarathon Journey (May 2)

Today was my second session on the MyMarathon challenge. I achieved another 27 kilometers of cycling! 


First Cycle Today 1 May 2025

Today I completed my first indoor cycle for the MyMarathon challenge. 

I cycled 26.05km for my first session on this challenge. 

Support my challenge to save Kiwi hearts

This May, I’m taking part in MyMarathon to raise funds for heart research that will help save lives.

Every 90 minutes, a person dies of heart disease. It's the single biggest killer in New Zealand, and I want to do something to support the thousands of Kiwis whose lives are impacted by this disease every single day.

Please make a donation to support my challenge and help save Kiwi hearts.

Together, we can win the race against heart disease.

Thank you!

My Achievements

My Pledge for Kiwi Hearts

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First Donation Received

Heart Healer

Heart Helper

Heart Protector

Heart Hero

Halfway to $ Goal

Met $ goal

Logged First KM

Halfway to KM Goal

Reached KM Goal

Thank you to my sponsors

$158.25

Spencer And Robyn Ting

Well done brother. May our Lord keep you safe as you complete your mission.

$143.48

C P Wan

$133

Christine Pine

Great job xx

$105.50

Shaun

Press on brother!

$105.50

Leong Yap

Well Done , Aaron 🙏👍❤️

$105.50

Jack

$100

T Bennett

$100

J Watson

$40

Patricia Church

$26.38

The. Brus.

35km per day by the end of the month bada.

$20

Aunty Sue

$20

Anonymous

$10

Anonymous

$5.28

Josh

You have done an amazing job bro. Inspirational

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