ONH #10: WILD NIGHT

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PHOTO SLIDESHOW by HC
PHOTO SLIDESHOW by DO
FACEBOOK PHOTOS 1, 2 by HC


It lived up to the promise of one Wild Night! 70 NightHawks and Running Guides concentrated at the MR Visitor's Centre for one of the more exciting outings away from the usual haunt at The PlayGround. The capacity crowd was looking forward to their final 21km-30km conditioning run before the full Tapering Cycle kicked in...it was to be a test to see that all systems are ready for that targeted race timing at The Sundown Night Marathon.

Coach KM gave a useful talk on Quality Of Training, and reminded the trainees to focus on having proper training paces and mileage, instead of overdoing and risking injuries and burnout. He gave examples of how, by just doing 3 runs a week was sufficient to get relatively good sub-4hr marathon timings. Henry and DO followed up with a detailed brief of the night's route, and the critical junctions and crossings that we had to note. The photographers were out in force as well, clicking happily away and 'flashing' lots during the group and team photos.


With pace training having started 3-4 weeks since, the NightHawks were already familiar with their targeted and training paces. Armed with their special TFB Pace Bands, they were all set for a 'test-drive' of their race paces. On the word go, we ran along busy Thomson Road (PONY AXIS) at a 'warm-up; pace. The NightHawk Running Guides (RGs) were taking care of the various traffic junctions and guiding the trainees into the respective turns around quite a 'challenging' terrain. The group were safely directed into the quieter Pierce Reservoir Road, and then along the winding Old Upper Thomson Road (OUTR).

The already cool night was made even more pleasant by the quiet and serene environment of the 'green lung' areas of the Reservoir habitat. With 3/4 of the training under the belt, The NightHawks were a lot more experienced and conditioned during this run. We took the initial stretch at a more conservative pace to get the engines warmed up, and then settled into a steady zone, taking care not to push the lactate threshold too early. The water point at the 9km mark was a welcomed Check Point of the night, providing iced-cold isotonic drinks and even flash photography to mark our passage of line...hehe. The NightHawk Support Crew had really made the training so much more bearable, providing the much needed boost of motivation to all the trainees and RGs alike....thanks to Sunny, DO, HC, AC and the extended support crew.

After the refreshing fuel top-up, it was full pace ahead along Upper Thomson Road all the way to the Mandai Junction. The 21km NightHawks turned for their return trip back, while the 30km trainees turned onto the paved sidewalks of Mandai Road. The paved roads were soft to the legs, and made the pounding so much more bearable. With the cool night temperature, we felt good to be able to pick up the paces to close the gap towards the targeted training pace. Most were hydrating regularly, with some refueling with powergels and sweets to top up the energy reserves. We had nice conversations and chit-chats all the way to the U-Turn at the Mandai Rd/Zoo entry point junction.

After having done the longest distances of 22km-35km at The Coastal Melody, the Wild Night Run certainly felt easier and manageable, helping to boost confidence levels of the trainees. After 16km, the groups began to increase their paces and were running strong. There were regular reminders by the RGs to maintain the pace, and not to go too hard. We had to run like it was 42km and not 30km. As we ran into Seletar Reservoir, the temperature got even cooler. It felt refreshing. The ZZZ Monster was kept at bay for most of the run, even as we pass the 'witching' hour.

The night and early morning scenes of Police Patrols, stationary cars with newpaper coverings, strange characters lurking around, and the quietly 'noisy' surroundings made for an interesting long run (in groups) along the lonely stretches, especially the Seletar Reservoir and OUTR sections. We were constantly watching out for one another, at the same time keeping to our target paces. The Full Marathoners met up with the Half Marathoners near the final 4km along PONY AXIS. We gave one another words of encouragement to continue on to the end point. It was great to see all the NightHawks finishing strongly and with reserves in their tanks to spare.

The 21km trainees did very well, with many of them doing their best timings or longest distances. They are ready for the big day, and successfully completing the Sundown Half would be a foregone conclusion for them. The remaining weeks will be spent honing their tempo, while maintaining injury-free and strong mental attitudes for race day. The 'Full' NightHawks completed 25km-31km of an undulating and rather challenging course, driving up their confidence and readiness to new levels. It was satisfying to see that there were only isolated incidents of trainees not completing this important 'test-drive' night LSD, with many mentioning it felt easy and comfortable, especially those that have done the 35km Coastal Melody prior.

With the whole training wrapped up by 2am, the mood was good, and everyone felt 'hungry' enough from the workout to venture to The Prata Place for early morning 'supper'. It was interesting to see that all were looking fresh and still alert, evidence that we have come some way to get conditioned since the beginning of the Ops NightHawk program. Lots of interesting conversations about the run as well as food ensued. There were even talks of going for steamboat buffet after the final LSD in week #12...haha.

As we enter into the main Tapering segment of the training, we can only look forward to having good rest and recovery from all the 10 weeks of hard training, and taking the time to plan for food to nourish our bodies in preparation for race day. This will be a much more relaxing period, and although the mileage will be cut, the intensity of the shorter training runs will be maintained. It is always a love-hate affair with Tapering....some love it, while others dislike the lower level of activity that needs to be observed. Nonetheless, The NightHawks have already put in their fair share of base building and pace honing, and will just have to apply a good balance during this remaining weeks to the race. The NighHawks have tamed the WILD NIGHT. We Are READY!
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