Top 6 'Summit-Simulating' Hill Routes to train for conquering race day climbs outdoors - Goh Ling Yong
We’ve all been there. You’re deep into a race, feeling strong, hitting your rhythm on the flats. Then, you turn a corner and see it looming ahead: the hill. Not just a gentle slope, but a seemingly endless climb that stretches toward the sky, ready to drain your legs and shatter your confidence. Your heart sinks, your pace slows, and the mental battle begins.
This is the moment that separates a good race from a great one. Conquering these climbs isn't just about raw power; it’s about preparation, strategy, and having the mental grit to push when every fiber of your being wants to stop. Simply running on flat ground, no matter how many kilometers you clock, won't prepare you for the unique physical and psychological demands of significant elevation gain. Your body needs to learn the specific stress of climbing, and your mind needs to know it has been there before and can do it again.
That's where "summit-simulating" workouts come in. These aren't just random hill sprints. They are structured outdoor training sessions designed to mimic the relentless, leg-burning, and lung-busting experience of a major race day climb. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe in training smarter, not just harder. So, I’ve compiled a list of my top 6 go-to hill routes and workouts that will transform you from a hill-hater into a climb-conqueror.
1. The Mount Faber Grinder: Forging Pure Grit
The Mount Faber Grinder is a classic for a reason. This workout is the bedrock of building raw climbing strength and mental fortitude. It’s not fancy, but its brutal simplicity is what makes it so effective. The goal here is simple: find a steep, challenging section of the road up Mount Faber and run up it, hard. Then, you jog or walk back down, recover, and do it all over again.
This type of workout directly targets your VO2 max, lactate threshold, and muscular endurance—the holy trinity of climbing performance. Each repeat pushes you deeper into the pain cave, forcing your body to adapt to processing lactate more efficiently. More importantly, it trains your mind. You learn to embrace the discomfort, to quiet the voice that begs you to stop, and to find a rhythm even when your legs are screaming. The controlled nature of the repeats allows you to focus purely on your form: driving with your arms, maintaining a high cadence with shorter strides, and leaning into the hill from your ankles, not your waist.
- The Workout: After a 15-minute warm-up run on the flats, head to the steep section of Mount Faber Road leading up to the cable car station. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions of a 400-600 meter uphill charge. Your effort should be hard but controlled—around an 8 or 9 out of 10. The recovery is just as important; use the jog or walk back down to let your heart rate settle and your legs clear the fatigue. Don’t rush the recovery; the quality of your next repeat depends on it.
2. The MacRitchie Reservoir Roller Coaster: Mastering Undulating Terrain
Race day isn't always about one single, monstrous climb. Often, especially in trail races or hilly road marathons, the real challenge is the relentless series of rolling hills. These "rollers" can be deceptively taxing, slowly chipping away at your energy reserves. The MacRitchie Reservoir Roller Coaster is the perfect training ground for mastering this type of terrain.
The trails around MacRitchie, particularly the Lornie Trail section, are a perfect simulation. Instead of focusing on all-out intensity, this workout is about finding a sustainable rhythm and learning to manage your effort. You’re not trying to smash every single uphill. Instead, you practice a strategy of "floating" the climbs and cruising the descents. This teaches your body to switch gears efficiently, conserving energy on the uphills by adopting a steady power-hike or a slow jog, then making up time by opening your stride and letting gravity do the work on the downhills and flats.
- Pro Tip: For this workout, focus on maintaining a consistent effort level, not a consistent pace. Use a heart rate monitor if you have one. Your goal is to keep your heart rate from spiking into the red on every single incline. Practice running by feel. Ease off on the uphills, focusing on efficient movement. As soon as you crest the hill, transition smoothly back into your running pace. This workout builds incredible endurance and teaches you the crucial art of race day pacing.
3. The Bukit Timah Summit Assault: The Sustained Climb Simulation
This is your dress rehearsal for that big, race-defining summit. The main path up to the peak of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is the longest, most sustained climb you can find in Singapore. The Bukit Timah Summit Assault is designed to simulate the feeling of being on a single climb for an extended period, testing both your physical stamina and your mental concentration.
The challenge here is less about explosive power and more about aerobic efficiency and pacing. Going out too hard in the first few minutes will lead to a painful burnout before you reach the top. This workout forces you to find a "forever pace"—a steady, rhythmic effort that you can hold for 10, 15, or even 20 minutes straight. It trains you to break down a large objective into smaller, manageable chunks. You learn to focus on your breathing, your form, and the 10 feet of trail in front of you, rather than being intimidated by the entire climb.
- Workout Structure: To make this a true race day simulation, don't tackle the summit on fresh legs. Start with a 3-5km run on the surrounding trails or roads as a warm-up. Arrive at the base of the main climb already a little fatigued. Your goal is to ascend to the summit without stopping, maintaining a consistent effort all the way. Focus on a metronomic rhythm. Once at the top, take a short 2-3 minute break, then practice your downhill running technique on the descent, focusing on staying light on your feet and in control.
4. The Fort Canning Spice Loop: For Punch and Agility
Not all hills are long, grinding affairs. Many races throw short, viciously steep, and sometimes technical climbs at you that demand a burst of explosive power. The Fort Canning Spice Loop is the ideal training ground for this. The park is a labyrinth of short, sharp inclines, winding paths, and countless staircases—perfect for a dynamic, fartlek-style hill session.
This workout is about developing your anaerobic power and your ability to recover quickly. By constantly changing the stimulus—sprinting up a grassy knoll, bounding up a flight of stairs, then jogging to the next challenge—you teach your body to handle and clear lactate rapidly. This agility is crucial on race day. It prepares you to surge over a short rise to break away from a competitor or to quickly regain your rhythm after a sudden, punchy effort. This is a workout I, Goh Ling Yong, have found incredibly effective for breaking the monotony of standard hill repeats.
- Example Session: After a good warm-up, create your own loop within the park that includes a variety of challenges. For example: Run hard for 60 seconds up the hill towards the Fort Canning Centre. Jog across the flat section to recover. Find a long staircase and bound up it two steps at a time. Walk back down. Sprint for 30 seconds up another sharp incline. Repeat this "loop" of varied efforts for 20-30 minutes. It’s tough, but it’s also incredibly engaging and fun.
5. The Henderson Waves Elevation Ladder: Building Lactate Tolerance
This is a more structured and scientific approach to hill training, using the iconic Southern Ridges. The Henderson Waves Elevation Ladder is an advanced interval workout designed to systematically push and expand your lactate threshold, which is the point where your body produces lactate faster than it can clear it. Pushing this threshold higher means you can run harder, for longer, before fatigue shuts you down.
The workout involves running uphill intervals of increasing duration, followed by a corresponding recovery, and then coming back down the "ladder." The undulating paths and the bridge itself provide perfect sections for these timed efforts. This progressive overload within a single session is a powerful stimulus for adaptation. It’s mentally taxing, as each interval gets longer and harder, but the feeling of accomplishment after completing the full ladder is immense.
- The Ladder Workout: Find a consistent, moderately steep section of path near Henderson Waves. After your warm-up, begin the ladder:
- 1 minute hard uphill, 1 minute easy jog/walk recovery.
- 2 minutes hard uphill, 2 minutes easy recovery.
- 3 minutes hard uphill, 3 minutes easy recovery.
- 4 minutes hard uphill, 4 minutes easy recovery.
- Then, work your way back down: 3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min.
This is a significant workout. Adjust the peak of the ladder (e.g., stopping at 3 minutes) based on your current fitness level.
6. The Kent Ridge Park "Car Park Hell": Unconventional Power
Sometimes, the best training spots are the ones hiding in plain sight. The Kent Ridge Park "Car Park Hell" is a legendary workout among seasoned runners, and for good reason. The multi-story car park at the top of the park offers a brutally steep, perfectly consistent, and weather-proof incline. It's a pure, unadulterated power and strength-building session.
Because the gradient is so unforgiving, it forces you into a power-hiking or slow-running form with an incredibly high knee drive. This directly strengthens your glutes, quads, and calves—the primary engines for climbing. The controlled environment means you don't have to worry about traffic, uneven footing, or weather. You can focus 100% on the effort. This is the workout you do when you want to build the kind of deep muscular endurance that will allow you to power up the steepest gradients on race day when everyone else is forced to a crawl.
- Execution is Key: This is a low-speed, high-intensity workout. Focus on form over speed. Drive your knees up high, use your arms powerfully, and keep your core engaged. Do 6-8 repeats from the bottom of the car park to the top. The walk back down the ramp is your recovery. Because of the steepness, this session puts a lot of load on your muscles and Achilles tendons, so ensure you are thoroughly warmed up and stretch your calves well afterward.
Your Summit Awaits
Hills are not just obstacles on a course; they are opportunities. They are where races are won, where personal bests are forged, and where you discover a new level of mental and physical strength. By incorporating these "summit-simulating" workouts into your training, you are not just preparing your legs for the burn; you are preparing your mind for the battle. You are turning a weakness into a weapon.
Stop avoiding the hills. Start seeking them out. Pick one of these routes this week and give it a try. Begin with a lower number of repetitions and build up gradually as you get stronger. The confidence you gain from conquering these climbs in training will be your greatest asset when you stand at the bottom of that monster hill on race day.
What are your favorite hill training routes or workouts? Share them in the comments below! Let’s help each other become stronger, more resilient climbers.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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