Ops Sunbird #2: Hilly Trail Attack

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Just the second weekend session of Ops Sunbird, and all were treated to an array of hilly trails and undulating terrain. The more than 100 participants arrived to a packed MacRitchie Reservoir, which was playing host to the Tour De Trail race, along with pockets of other running groups.

The Sunbirds were segregated into 4 main groups according to their respective paces and abilities. along with experienced Running Guides and Pacers, we took to the Northern Trails in delight of the smells of the forest and sandy ground, interjected regularly with challenging slopes that caused us to slow our paces and sucked in lots of air.

It was a brand new experience of the Northern Trails, Island Country Road, undulating Pierce Reservoir Roads and of course the rather famous AirCond Road for many of the Sunbirds. As we were training in FatBird BaseBuild Zone, we were obligated to tone our paces to about 30sec or slower than target race pace. We were also conservative in the initial leg, going at more sustainable paces, and saving ourselves for the return leg.

The weather was rather nice, with cool shades in the trails and sunny weather along the tarmac roads. Lots of running at conversational pace, along with Running Guides showing the turns at critical junctions, provided for a pleasant and palatable 12-14km for the Half-Marathon and 20-26km for the Full Marathon Sunbirds. All the groups finished the run feeling like they had reserves in the tanks, although the calves and quads were sore from the meandering around the trail and road rolling hills.

There was a high sense of satisfaction displayed on the Sunbird's faces during post-run refreshments and briefing, and even the Pacers were pleased with the outcome of what would be the most challenging weekend run of Operation Sunbird. With the accomplishment of this run, all the Sunbirds have moved up one notch in terms of confidence and ability to tackle difficult terrain while maintaining a steady pace and effort. There will be a couple more sessions of strength building ahead, and we are all in good shape as we progress in the long endurance runs. Go, Sunbirds, Go!

Facebook Album by Mohan
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