Ops Sunbird 2011 FINALE

Photo Slideshows from FatBirds CK Chin,  AC Leong

The weather was great in what was one of the largest turnout for Ops Sunbird in this FINALE session.  Sunbirds were bright and early to collect their SCMS race packs as well as Sunbird finisher vests for a full-dress rehearsal of 13km-18km at ECP.

Everyone was chatty and happy that we have come this far with a good base, and relatively injury-free.  The spirits were high as each of the pace groupings took turns to pose for photos with their respective pace guides, many whom have spent the larger part of training together.  It was a challenge to fit all in for a group photo, and thanks to the Team FatBird photographers, we had a good final hurrah!

The 100Plus boys were there to provide hydration support and encouragement for our final training session...thanks guys and gal :)  The respective groups started in waves of 15sec apart, to put their respective optimal marathon paces in for the final test-flight.  It was a nice morning with relatively cooler weather than last week's, and all Sunbirds were just enjoying relaxing moments before the big day.

All the groups were back by 10am, well hydrated with 100Plus, supplemented by recovery drinks.  After some final questions and checks for race day, the group dispersed by 10.30am...as the Sunbirds made their way out from ECP, they looked well prepared for a good race next weekend.  Team FatBird congratulates all Sunbird participants for successful completion of their marathon training for SCMS 2011, and wishes them a fruitful outing on Dec 4.

As we sit back, relax, and enjoy the final week of taper, we are reminded of why we run and subject ourselves to the trials and tribulations of marathon training. Let us enjoy a short video (credit FatBird Joe Tan TT) in appreciation of all Sunbirds for sharing this journey with Team FatBird and we hope all of you have had a blast of a time getting to know more runners, learning, sharing, suffering, enjoying, laughing, tearing, makaning, drinking, and being crazy at times in these 12 weeks.

All the best for SCMS11, and remember, 'the journey is the reward - stay Running, Stay Happy!'

Operation Kookaburra 2012: Registration Opens!

RUN GOLD COAST

Blessed with year-round sunshine and a mild winter, Queensland is Where Australia Shines!  For runners looking for a cool respite, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) in July offers a refreshing break from the tropical heat and your best chance for a personal best!

Why Run Gold Coast? 
Flat scenic course for a personal best.
Run relaxed in cool weather with temperature ranging 10 to 20°C.
Run having fun with spectators cheering, bands playing and sun shining.

RUN GOLD COAST Travel Package
A special 5Day/4Night RUN GOLD COAST travel package from Scenic Travel is available for booking now!


OPERATION KOOKABURRA

Tourism Queensland, in partnership with Team FatBird is pleased to present OPERATION KOOKABURRA 2012, a marathon training program designed to prepare runners to compete & complete the 2012 Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

Training will begin in April 2011 for successful applicants.
Click HERE for Training Dates/Schedules for your planning purposes.
Click HERE for Frequently Asked Questions.

REGISTER HERE!

First 100 runners who book the RUN GOLD COAST Travel Package will get Operation Kookaburra training free! For a preview of Operation Kookaburra, register for the Lead-Up Run scheduled for mid-January 2012 HERE!

Please email to OpsKookaburra@teamfatbird.com for any clarifications or queries.

Visit GCAM 2012 Booth @ Singapore Sports Expo (REPC)
Dates : Thursday (1st Dec), Friday (2nd Dec) & Saturday (3rd Dec)
Time : 10.00am-8.00pm
Booth : B6, Hall F, Singapore Sports Expo
Venue : Marina Bay Sands Expo

Hear from Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) representatives, Team FatBird and seasoned marathoners as we share with you more information about GCAM,  OPS KOOKABURRA marathon training, Lead-Up Runs, and “RUN GOLD COAST” travel package.

See you, mate !

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Ops Sunbird Wk#11: The Harshest Test, Yet!

Photo Slideshow from CK Chin, AC Leong

14km up and down along the Changi Coastal stretch...that would put even hardy runners through some mental challenge not easily forgotten - and that was the menu of the wrap-up LSD for the Sunbirds this weekend, starting from Changi Beach Park.

Not sure if it was because of a few key events (Penang Marathon, Saloman X-Trail, North-East Run or Swissotel Vertical Marathon) or it was with the knowledge of the challenging Sunbird route for this morning, the turnout was probably one of the smallest we have had for the entire series.  Still, the Ops Sunbird trainees and Running Guides were bright and early at Changi, all ready to complete their 18km (HM) and 28km (FM) optimal-paced training runs to calibrate for the SCMS on Dec 4.

After the 3 long runs of over 30km for the past weekends, the Sunbirds were still not 100% recovered, although all were looking strong and free-from-encumbrances ;)  We started off as a group ala race day conditions, albeit 2 hrs later than the 5hr start-time for FM, to get final conditioning for the sun and heat to better prep ourselves for the difficult 12km final stretch at SCMS.  Optimal pace was observed for all the pace groups, with a few even going slightly faster to get a gauge of what they are capable of at this stage.

The first 10km was good as we ran through the shady Changi Beach Park and Coastal Road stretch...the groups kept one another occupied through that 'mentally-challenging' Coastal stretch with some light chatting and sharing of race day plans.  The paces were kept optimum and we were feeling great; as the HM Sunbirds did their U-turn at the 9km mark.  We gave one another some words of encouragement before the FM Sunbirds went further forward to NSRCC and then F2 toilet for the U-turn and a quick water break.


On the return, the sun was blazing on our backs as we stayed within pace to complete the second phase.  Gels and endurolytes were being downed according to our nutrition plan, to provide the necessary fuel and electrolytes to sustain the pace for as far as we could.  Shouts of encouragement went out as we passed the different pace groups.  By the 20km mark, the heat was beginning to take its toll on the runners with paces dipping, signs of cramping, and some symptoms of muscle tightness and soreness.

However, with the many weeks of conditioning and training under their wings, most of the Sunbirds were able to activate their reserves and strategies to keep up with the momentum, albeit at slower paces for the second and third winds to take them further forward.  Along the Changi Coastal stretch, trainees were able to implement walk-breaks while refueling and rehydrating, something which they have been practising, and eventually saw all of them complete their LSDs within targets.  As they crossed the finish at the Changi Shelter this morning, the looks of satisfaction and confidence could be seen in many of the runners, esp. when they are near completion of the Sunbird journey.  Those who qualified, proudly collected their Sunbird finisher vests and were already making race day plans.

The heat had made this LSD more challenging than what was originally envisaged.  The good news was most of the Sunbirds rose to the challenge well, and in cases where it didn't make sense to push further at the risk of injury, they rightly slowed down or implemented rest breaks.  These marathoning skills will put the Sunbirds in good stead to be able to make proper judgement calls on race day to accomplish their missions. With one more final tapering run next weekend, the Sunbirds are more than ready to tackle the year end biggie - The SCMS 2011.

Sunbirds You Are Ready - Follow Our Pace, Win Your Race!

Circle Line Weekender #2: Henderson Waves

Photo Slideshow from ACLeong
Facebook Photos from Min, Susie, (more...)

After many days of wet weather, mainly in the afternoons and evenings, the weather was just great this Saturday morning at the Circle Line Labrador MRT station, where the FatBirds and Weekenders had gathered for the second run of the SMRT-FatBird Circle Line Series.  Many more new faces joined us, with all the eager looks in their eyes for an exploratory breakfast run in the 'hilly' western region, many of them having come from as far as the Eastern corridor of Singapore.

A quick briefing of the route later, we headed off towards Labrador Park, this time in the reverse direction of what we had covered two weeks earlier.  It was great to have a good runner with a DLSR running ahead to take photos of the group, in addition to our resident FatBird cameramen of acleong and Min.  It was nice to see a mixed group of gals and guys, young and masters runners, couples, friends, colleagues and families all coming together to enjoy a weekend of healthy, sporting activity.

One thing that caught our attention was the absence of the 'casual runner' this morning, with all looking like they were out for a challenging workout - it was later that I heard of a rumour that to attend FatBird runs, one has to run 5:30min/km pace....gosh, no wonder about 20-30 who had earlier signed up did not appear...hahaha.  For the record`, our FatBird Weekender pace is 8min/km - 10min/km, with many photo-stops and breaks along the way....so we expect to see more come for future weekender runs yah?

Back to the run...we had photo stops at a number of new spots along the Labrador Park area, and the nice weather and people just made those photos look so crisp and sharp.  We would have stopped for more photos if not for the fact that we did have lots of ground to run (pun intended)...fortunately, the runners were very good at assembling and posing, and the cameramen were just so 'pro' and smooth with their clicks - we did not stay for more than a few mins at each photo-stop.  We were back to the start-point after the 3km Labrador Park segment, and that was when the action really began...first with a vertical run up the stairs, then some 'bridging' and finally the ascent up Morse Road.

It took our breaths away as we climbed the slopes to Mt. Faber...beautiful sights on the left as we ascended, but the runners didn't seemed too interested to stop for photos - they just wanted to keep the momentum going till they reach the objective.  And, to the mid-point of MF they reached in exhilaration...soaked in the sights, before crossing the Henderson Waves to Telok Blangah Hill (one of the more famous 5 Hills in the Western region).  Of course, lots more wonderful photos and poses dotted our pathways, as we circled the top of Telok Blangah Hill, site of some very sweet grounds for hill repeats and interval sessions.

It could be due to a smaller group of about 70+ this morning, there were more opportunities to chit-chat and get to know one another, as well as getting lost somewhat as we got so engrossed and 'in the zone' we missed a slip road down to Henderson Road...haha.  We recovered well of course, to proceed on to Depot Road and towards our next objective, Hort Park and Kent Ridge Park.  By then, it was close to 10am and we had 'eaten' 12km of slopes and hills; with some stomachs already 'growling for food', we unanimously decided we 'shall be back' another time with (more time on our hands, and fuel in our tanks) to 'enjoy' the scenic Kent Ridge Park and 'smell flowers' at the Horticulture Park.

With smiling faces amidst happy yakking, the group proceeded back to Labrador MRT station along the shortest route under the cover of shade, and onto the air-conditioned comfort inside of the MRT station for their well deserved goodie bag of interesting items.  Of course, no weekender will be complete without more photos of the satisfied runners clutching their goodie bags and showing victory poses to signify how much we have enjoyed the Circle Line Run, and as we waved goodbye to the runners when they crossed the turnstiles down onto the MRT platform, a number of them waved back and said 'We Will Be Back!'.

Wheelathon360 - Wheels For Fun(d)

Facebook Photos: CK Chin (1), CK Chin (2), CK Chin (3), AC Leong, Mohan, David Ong

Supporter Photos: Tun Ngoh, Tan Kim Lai, Irene Lim, Air Vongxayasy

It was a first for Singapore...Wheelathon360 - an initiative mooted by the Handcycling Association Singapore (HAS) to integrate able-bodied sportsmen with the wheelchair athletes in a movement to create awareness in the community as well as raise funds for the furtherment of wheelchair sports and encouragement for disabled athletes to engage in handcycling and wheelchair sports to lead active lifestyles.

When HiVelocity, who kindly led with the organization of the whole event asked if Team FatBird would like to be a part of this, we immediately said yes and started to think of having a team to run against one of the fastest wheelchair athletes in Singapore.  There were a few highlights around the program, one of which was to have the fastest marathoner and cyclists in Singapore pitch against the fastest wheelchair athletes in a friendly race to create some excitement for the cause.  There would be a culmination of many teams of fund-raising able-bodied wheelchair noobies out to challenge one another in a mass wheelchair relay, all doing it for a good cause to raise funds for the Singapore Disabilities Sports Council (SDSC).

The 2 months of campaigning and publicity to spread the word by mouth and social media went pretty well, with teams like Wheels For Fun(d) drawing in close to $30,000 in cash donations, as well the participation of many generous corporate teams and sponsorships.  There were a number of roadshows and trials for the able-bodied public to understand the challenges of manouvring in wheelchairs, not to mention racing in specially-made handcycles and wheelchairs.  Team FatBird had a chance for some hands-on with the handcycles and wheelchairs at the Roadshow @ Big Splash a week before the main event, and we were glad many of our marathon trainees had the opportunity to try their hands at a different sport, as well as show support and sponsorship for the cause.

There was heavy rainfall on the day of the main event @ F1 Pit Building on Nov 12, with reports of flashfloods in various parts of the island.  However, the participants and supporters braved their way down in spite, knowing that we had to be there because of the importance of our presence and support.  Members of the HAS and friends were ready early on, and when we arrived, they were just going about for warm-ups and checking out the race route...such was the seriousness and commitment paid to the event and the challenge...we were in awe and certainly glad we did not miss the event just because of some inclement weather.

It was great to see so many friends, volunteers, supporters and participants at F1 Pit, some coming in from overseas just for this event.  Even the VIPs and GOH were early, mingling and chatting with the participants and supporters.  By the time the rain was subdued, the Junior Handcyclists started off the afternoon's proceedings with an interesting race, getting the crowd warmed up and cheering.

Then it was the Runners vs Wheelers segment, where we had Jason Lawrence pitch himself against one of the fastest Wheelers, Mohd. Firdaus.  It finished very close with the two crossing the finish line almost together.  Then it was Team FatBird vs Jack Lai.  Jack, with his bulging muscles, shot off in a jiffy, but not before asking the FatBirds to take care in the slippery grounds - such was the sportsmanship and care that this event showcased.  In the end, the FatBirds were just 30s shy of crossing the line with Jack...well done to the Wheelers.  The third run segment had Sky Khoo race against yet another fast Wheeler, and Sky was just as close to finishing off in an exciting race.

The next stage had the able-bodied bikers race against the fast Handcyclists.  The likes of Adrian Mok, Jerry Seah vs Fung Liang and his formidable team of handcyclists, in 2 1-1 races which saw the finishes evenly matched.  It was great fun to see the able-bodied Wheelers picth their skills against the Handcycles (which are known to go to 20-30km/h).

After the excitement of the first part of the race, new members of the HAS and public had a go at the handcycles - and it was just challenging to even move them forward to say the least.  All had fun cheering and snapping photos, and more wished they could try out those nifty handcycles as well.  By about 6pm, it was time for the highlight of the afternoon - the Wheelchair Relay of about 30 teams (each with 5-6 able-bodied members) pitting their skills against one another on the wheelchairs.

From the looks of it, maybe only 2-3 teams had some prior experience and training on them.  Fortunately, Fung Liang, president of HAS was on hand to give them some pointers and words of encouragement.  There were lots of spills, thrills and laughter for this segment, and it was no mean feat for the able-bodied wheelers just to be able to complete their portions of the relay intact - in fact many of them suffered minor bruises and cuts to the palms and fingers, but were still in good spirits as they all did it for a good cause and had so much fun too.

When the races ended at bout 7pm, the weather was cool and dry, as we all proceeded to the large tent to a sumptious BBQ course to high-spirited music by live bands.  There were more contributions and donations  from the participants and supporters as they enjoyed a good meal in great company, as well as getting some souvenirs to keep the memories of this inaugural Wheelathon360.  There were loud cheers of  'Yum Seng' and merry-making as congratulations went round to the success of the event and the appreciation for the initiation and appreciation for such a meaningful project by the HAS and HiVelocity.  Team FatBird is glad we were able to play a small part in this initiative, and we look forward to participating in the next one -
3 Cheers To Wheelathon360 - Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Ops Sunbird week #10: The Biggest Challenge Yet!

It was to be the longest run distance in the training program for the Sunbirds.  The turnout was good as every trainee was using this run as a measure of the preparedness for the big day, as well as a gauge of the chances of them hitting the goal pace - even Group 1 was well represented this morning.  The Sunbird Pacers were also using this as a platform to bring their respective groups on a Optimal Pace Strategy and fine-tune various aspects of the race plan.

Group 4/Happy Group Sunbirds

Group 3 Sunbirds

In view of the different requirements, the respective pace groups were flagged off in 15min intervals from 6:30am.  There were some members of the Happy Group starting at 6:00am.  The maximum allowable time of 4.5hrs should see everyone complete by 11:15am, which incidentally most did.

Group 2 Sunbirds

Group 1 Sunbirds

ECP was a hive of activities with all the training groups and pacers out in full force, coupled with a race event called The Slipper Race.  It was just so much fun waving and cheering when we met up with familiar groups and friends along the way...we only found some quieter time as we entered the Coastal Road stretch...there it was mainly the 130+ Sunbirds up and down on one lane, keeping the other free for the bikers and cyclists.  On the return from shelter 4.5, many of the runners were still looking good and on target optimal pace.

The HM trainees naturally found the going a little tougher this morning compared with the post-rain workout last week, and things did not get easier as brother sun rose higher.  Those who were able to sustain for longer were likely to be following their hydration and nutrition plan to a tee.  The FM enjoyed the shade a tad longer along the 9km (to/fro) stretch along Changi Coastal, before getting whacked by brother sun and sister humidity along the PCN stretch.  To alleviate the stress levels to maintain pace, trainees were given time to do water stops with pauses to the timings.

The Endurolytes certainly gave a boost to some of us after 20km, allowing us to hit back to C4 for 24km at Optimal Pace.  The HM groups were already back by then, with a few exclaiming they had a 'hard day at the office'.  Still, they completed their longest run (with some hitting 23km+) in the process.  The FM groups took a break at 24km, and while it was tempting to just call it a day, their mental stamina allowed them to push on for that next 7km.  If the first 24km did not do much damage, the next 7km was the demon, attempting to drain off whatever reserves and resolve in the FM runners.

Group 3 taking a breather - photo credit Sunbird Cheryl

The Optimal Pace did allow for some drift at this stage, which some of the groups used to good effect.  A number of the stronger runners were able to sustain optimal for the next 7km (after their 2nd wind).  With 31.5km in their belts, more Sunbirds decided to call it a 'good day at the office'. 10 of us went on for that final 5km to cool-down as well as to recover the final group of runners.  By 10.30am, a few runners were feeling the effects of the heat and low hydration/glycogen levels, leading to light-headedness and onset of cramps....nothing that 'slowing the pace down' would not solve, allowing the recovery and possible onset of the 3rd wind.

With the longest run completed for most of the Sunbirds, it now remains for all to have adaptive recovery which will strengthen their endurance and readiness for race day.  It will be quite late at this point to do any more 35km+ long runs without risking injury or low-immunity conditions.  We will begin tapering for the Sunbirds from next weekend, and that can only come as welcome news for all who have diligently made at least 6 training LSDs or more.  Such LSDs take a toll on the bodies and we will need to allow more recovery days to benefit from such 'stresses to the body'.

The Longest Sunbird Done...On-Target Marathon We Will Run!


Photo Slideshows by AC Leong, CK Chin