hash

I went for the Hash Run organized by the Sibu chapter yesterday afternoon, this time in the capacity of a babysitter. In an effort to boost attendance rates, I rallied two of my friends to the event. This is the first hash run for the both of them, so I played the role of the trip sitter.

Due to the unavailability of alcohol in the Sibu HHH chapter, I decided to preload myself with some of the amber fluid before going for the run. I’m actually not a very patient person and can be prone to irritability at acts of perceived tardiness and I figured the combined GABA agonists (old readers would catch this reference ;)) would make me more amiable.

This route was more difficult than the previous hash run, and that makes things a little more challenging since I had to carry a backpack (not mine) and the hilly terrain and longer distance makes things a little more exerting.

The interesting bit about this weekend’s run is that it went through the main road a couple of times…

…and features a rest hut!

This is our resident Moses reincarnate to guide the trekkers through a particularly grueling bog. I declined the assistance of the biblical figure and ended up in the bog, completely soaking my trainers and socks.

Halfway through the trek, one of my friends took the liberty of spraining her ankle. Kudos to her for slogging it through anyway despite the pain.

There were several exit points at the path and we chose not to take it and slugged on, despite the sprained ankle of Jolin and my friend being thoroughly exhausted despite her yoga training.

I’m glad we didn’t take the exit coz I found this pristine pitcher plant along the route. I thought these things only exists in Mt. Kinabalu!

Nevertheless, Jolin’s sprained ankle was bothering her towards the end of the run and it was decided that we’re going to beat a new path through virgin rain forest since we had missed the final exit.

 

The trailblazer managed to find a path through a kampung (Malay dwelling community) and we took a longer, but less challenging (without the gradient factor) route.

I have leaned something during this trek – to be more tolerant, patient and caring towards others. I have a tendency to be over competitive and want to be the leader of the pack but this time I brought up the rear to accommodate for the two friends that I had brought along…

…and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 🙂

I went to a hash run at 4 pm yesterday to get my mind off things and to do some Healthy Stuff (TM). The HHH (Hash House Harriers) are a group of hardcore runners who loves to go trailblazing based on the concept of a paper chase.

It’s not the paper chase you’re familiar with and definitely not what African American rappers mean when they say “outlaws on a paper chase, can you relate” or “Cash Rules Everything Around Me, CREAM, get the money, dollar dollar bills, yo”. This is a traditional paper chase with a “hare” dropping shredded paper as a trail and the rest of us “harriers” following the trail.

To do this, you need:

Running shoes (or just trainers)

Sunblock (which I later found out was a Bad Idea (TM))

The trail goes through hilly terrain and some intimidating foliage. Steep inclines and sharp descents were not uncommon and I was told that this was one of the easier trails.

It wasn’t sunny enough for the sunblock to be really necessary, and after a while, you realize why it’s a Bad Idea (TM) – the sweat dripping from your brows gets mixed with the sunblock and starts stinging your eyes.

The group soon separated into a less orderly fashion and the paper trails was all that is left for the harriers. There were constant calls of “On On” – a HHH tradition and a sweeper at the back to collect the paper trail.

There were bamboo trees that looked like a scene from a Chinese wu xia (martial arts) movie…

…and even miniature pitcher plants!

Stunning vistas marked the end of the trail. It was indeed invigorating to go on the run. I managed to make pretty good time despite being relatively unfit.

I must admit that I was totally bushed when I got out though. Heh!

The Sibu HHH were experienced enough to bring a chiller with plenty of bottled water and isotonic drinks…

…and watermelon!

Nothing beats a cold, juice slice of watermelon after some exertion. Mmm…

Sandwiches were also available for those who want a bite to eat.

However, one question still bugs me though…

…what happened to “The drinking club with a running problem”?

Amber fluid, amber fluid, where art thou? 😉