Hill Running

Huh, Hah, Huh, Hah ... I was breathing heavily with mouth wide open in order to sustain the rapid pace of running uphill. My heart felt like it would pound right through my chest. My leg muscles were working extra hard to lift and push my body up. After 50 meters of running up the hill with full power, the terrain tapered to a flat plateau where I can relax my pace.

The misty effect -- Back (L-R): Mak, SC Yong, Chiew Hong, Yee Choi, TeeEK, Tee, Sie LF, KC
Front: Carol, Felicia, Peck Yah, Patricia Yap

We went to Puchong Hill for hill running Wednesday morning, 17 Nov 2010 as planned. Since it was a holiday, more cars were seen park at the car park. There were about 10 of us. I was the team lead this time since Edwin Goh was not there that morning: he went for the Penang Bridge International Marathon run on 21 Nov. Being the achiever in the Mount Kinabalu Clumbathon 2010, he is the one that introduced this hill to us for years of training there.

The first loop is a familiarization loop as a few members were first time there. Though I did run slowly, I have to wait at the split trail junction so that they did not go the wrong way.

Later, five 5 of us (the Mt Kk Climbathon members) went running for the second loop. With the mild uphill and downhill terrain, every uphill is possible to run rapidly and push oneself to the limit depending on one fitness level. Within seconds, one would be panting for breath.

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I subjected my lung and heart for 1.5 hours of hard breathing in a cool and fresh environment (it was raining the previous days). Compare to running on a flat road, I need to run must faster and longer distance in order to get the same panting effect.

According to sifu Yee Choi, one must train hard for the lung and heart to get used to the tough condition in order to ascend Mount Kinabalu swiftly. Yes, the new title – sifu (master) – was fondly coined by Patricia Yap who is showing respect of him to make it to Low’s Peak in two consecutive years in the Mt KK Climbathon.

Chiew Hong, Patricia Yap, Peck Yah, yours truly (KC), Yee Choi

We met Edwin Goh’s friends, Kelvin and Chua. Both were seen carrying a sack collecting rubbish to keep Puchong Hill clean. BRAVO !! They actually go there every morning. No wonder that there wasn’t any litter at all. Seeing them, immediately, that relates to the 500cc empty bottle that I left it on the grass (after completion of first loop) to be collected later. When I returned to the place where the bottle was left behind, it was gone – collected.

The morning after (Thursday): I felt very refresh and rejuvenated – never before I felt that good even with other long distance running. That must be the effect of hill running when taking in lots of oxygen in the jungle.

Written by KC
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