It rained the past 3 nights, and we were expecting muddy trails at the Macritchie Reservoir (MR) Park this morning for the Team FatBird 20km Trail Run. Not expecting a large turnout, we were surprised to see about 25 turn up by 7.10am. Saw a few running groups starting at the MR New Cafeteria area, including MF runners, SgRunners and MR25 Runners. Some of the corporate teams training for trail runs and marathons were at MR too.
Our plan was to cover about 20km of the revised MR25 30km Progressive Run route to be held next Sunday. The Northern Trails were not that wet and muddy, as we ran in single file up and down the slightly undulating terrain, exiting the trails in about 20-24min as a group. Unlike last week, we did a right this time towards Island Club Road and out onto Thomson Road. This is the first time many of us ran this stretch...I found it interesting. From Thomson Road, we entered Lower Pierce Reservoir (LPR) Road , and it was familiar territory from there. Introduced to the flock the start point of the aniMILES, took a quick hydration break, before proceeding along Old Upper Thomson Road (OUTR).
We waited for a short while at the Upper Pierce Reservoir Rd (UPR) main gate for the group, before moving up and down the famous slopes of UPR. The group got a good workout from the slopes, and we practiced the fine art of slope-climbing and breathing steadily, along with a steady running posture. It was enjoyable to say the least. Another much-appreciated hydration break at the UPR toilets, before we proceeded across the dam to the point where the fence to SICC was erected earlier this year. A light drizzle brought cool relief to the group who had done 10km+ till then. With the return back along the same way we came from, we broke into small groups and started to run OTOT. We braved more slopes on the way back, and after more steady chugging, we were back at the UPR main gate. From there, it was a single file along OUTR, back along Casuarina, and then LPR toilets once again.
With 6km to go, the flock did not rest for too long, but instead ran ahead strongly back to Island Club Road, and then to the entrance to Northern Trail. The rains got heavy at that point. We decided to push on into the trails where we could get some cover from the heavy rain droplets. That remaining 4km stretch always proves to be a challenge for returning runners, especially to those who are new or not quite used to the trails. In the end, all made it back to the MR Cafeteria start point with a sense of achievement and satisfaction in having completed a rather gruelling 21km mixed trail run. Isotonic drinks and bananas were consumed with gusto, and some were sprawled on the ground, soaking in the wet feet and mud-caked shoes, savouring the feeling of ‘being in the moment’....ahhhh, that’s the kind of feeling one gets when being consumed by a flow of blood and endorphins through the body....some call it runner’s high....haha
After some nice chats about running shoes and trail running, we had a good wash-up, before sitting down with a cuppa and meeting the Team FatBird NorthFace100 Running Team. We have selected 5 runners to run at the NF100 under the Team FatBird umbrella this year, and were checking on their progress as well as training and support requirements. We were informed that the NorthFace Training Run held for the participants (at Rifle Range Road) attracted 80+ participants....excellent! TFB NF Training Crew was at hand to explain the training as well as support for the TFB NF100 Runners. We had a nice round of discussions and sharing, before leaving at 11.30am. A very nice Saturday morning spent with nature at the trails. Team FatBird will incorporate this route as one of the training sessions for our SCSM09 Marathon Training Program. We will be back!
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