Ops Sunbird #2: Sunbirds in the trails and hills

Operation Sunbird - Session #2

The second session of Team FatBird's Operation Sunbird saw a large turnout on Saturday morning at one of the green lungs of Singapore, MacRitchie Reservoir (MR) Park. More than 70 runners gathered at the new facilities at MR CarPark/Canteen for 8km, 16km, 22km and 28km runs in the famous MR trail terrain, as well as the slopes along the Pierce Reservoir Road.

Training started with a good recap of last week's tip and focus area, with Sunbird Coach Jonathan Fong fielding questions on heart-zones training. Jon went on to share this week's focus area, followed by David and Keonz's briefing of the running route and zones to run in. A number of new Sunbirds managed to join in this week, after getting their accounts activated. The weather looked cloudy and cool, primed for a nice training run.

Sunbird Sharing Session with Coach Jonathan

After the customary Group Photo session, we hit the narrow trails with the various groups running in their respective BaseBuild zones. All were cautious and slowly warming themselves up, in what was new terrain and training ground for many. The 42km Sunbirds were slightly ahead as they have more ground to cover, followed by the 21km and 10km runners. Coach Jonathan and the Sunbird Training Marshals David, Keonz, Anthony, YN, Terence, Henry along with Marathon Pacers Nigel, Kelvin, Nicholas divided themselves up to guide and show the runners their respective training routes and requirements.

New Sunbirds like Joey were lapping up the new experience, while marathoners like WP, TW were sticking well to the BaseBuild/TempoBird zones, building up their fuel efficiency in the process. Coach Jonathan along with the Sunbird Trainers dispensed more tips on the run to help correct form and posture. The 10km group did an early turn at the end of the trails, while the 21km folks had the good opportunity to see some slopes along Island Club Road and Pierce Reservoir section. The majority full marathoner trainees joined the Pacers into the more hilly Upper Pierce section, and were rewarded with some 'air-cond' stretches and nice scenery.

The Sunbirds had a 'wild' time 'eating' the slopes steadily, and learnt how to tackle hilly terrain in a more controlled fashion, without wasting too much 'fuel' and accumulating too much 'wastes' in the process. The recovery on the down slopes was always welcomed with huge 'sighs of relief and satisfaction' on the job well done :) Those Sunbirds with proper hydration systems were having it 'easier' while the rest were swearing that they will get proper fuel-belts and hydration packs once they get of of those slopes alive...haha.

With the 14km mark reached at the 'Main Gates', the Sunbirds followed DO and his trainers towards home at MR. The Marathon Pacers looked longingly as they were turned back into Upper Pierce by FatBird Anthony for 'ONE MORE TIME' :) However, being Pacers, they have to develop strong mental strength, and always be ready to take on additional distances using their 'reserves' haha. Min, Beverly, zco, Terence, Charmane, Benny, Teck Wee, Eng Pat and the 42km Pacers went for their final air-cond loop with nary a frown, in fact with smiles on their faces, showing their appreciation for the 'training on slopes' :)

With 8km to go, the skies looked gloomy, as the final pack hasten their speed, without sacrificing on the form and need to stay within the heart-zones required. The rains finally came with 5km left. It was a welcomed relief for many of the runners returning to base. The cool weather allowed heart-rates to stay low without sacrificing intensity....primed the runners for a strong finish. Back at FatBird Watering Hole in MR Centre, isotonic drinks, bananas and crunchy apples were consumed at rapid rates and with great satisfaction...the hard workout drained much of the fuel and reserves of the trainees.

Replenishment @ FatBird Watering Hole

Lots of excited chatter by the trainees of the challenges they faced along the trails and slopes, and about their sense of accomplishment of having completed such a tough run. With this experience under their belts, all of the Sunbirds and Pacers inclusive would have moved up one notch in terms of their mental and physical endurance for distance running. Most are looking forward to their next challenge in 2 weeks time when they will see even more slopes and challenging terrain....meanwhile, they will go through a series of recovery and tempo runs to prepare themselves.

OPERATION SUNBIRD - Your Marathon Destination, Our Race Preparation!

Those remaining Sunbirds who did not managed to get their accounts activated are advised to contact Terence soonest at info@teamfatbird.com, so that they will be able to assess all the tips, information and training schedules for the remaining 8 weeks of marathon preparations for SCSM09.


Team FatBird Photo Slideshow