Ops Kingfisher 2013: A Hilly Kick-Off

Photo Credits: FatBirds Adelene & Kelly

Ops Kingfisher 2013 kicked off with a roar up the slopes of Mt. Faber (MF) this Wed evening.  The 6-week intensive program of strength and speed saw a turnout of highly charged participants, many whom have been looking forward to start some serious training to prepare adequately for their Singapore Bay Run/Army Half Marathon (SBR/AHM) quest.

After segregating the runners into groups of comparatively capabilities, and a quick brief later, we headed out along Henderson Road up the slopes via Morse Road, before settling at the mid-point MF Loop for the night's main menu.  The newbies did just as well as the more seasoned runners as they chugged up the MF slopes steadily, many with an air of confidence in them.

Hill Repeats were dished out to the by then warmed-up trainees, and along with their respective group trainers, tackled the 1.6km MF circuit with Basebuild pace for a sustained 40min hill workout that left most with a 'high' after this' baptism of fire' of Team FatBird's PowerFLIGHT program.  

The trainees demonstrated the commitment and resilience that was evident of their mental preparedness for the upcoming challenges of this program, and at the end of the main menu, most wore smiles on their faces with the satisfaction of having sweat dripping and heavy breathing as they recounted the number of loops they had achieved.

The earlier ones were treated to a little something extra - some push-ups and burpees just to extract that little bit left they might have reserved, ensuring that they burn off that bit more, and hopefully inch their cardio fitness slightly forward.  Such 'pleasant surprises' might sometimes be sprinkled onto the menu of Kingfisher sessions just to spice things up for everyone, serving to enhance participants' alertness and responsive levels.

Groups 1 and 2 took the slightly longer route back, while Group 3 were quite happy to take the shorter, but not necessarily easier Henderson route back to the ClubHouse.  

All in, it was a great start for the Kingfishers - those that have done the program before were happy to be back for more of the 'good stuff'; while the new ones, although awed by the toughness, were happy to have completed the challenge.  They were pleasantly surprised to have overcome any initial mental barriers they might have before the start.

The next 6 weeks will see the Kingfishers progressing on to do a variation of workouts, from speed and intervals on the track, to tempo and fartlek runs in Parks; and then there are the many hill combinations which will make this a short but exciting training journey for all.

Those who have missed out on the first session, fret not, as there are still available training places for those who are seeking a structured group training program.  For details and registration, please visit the Ops Kingfisher website www.OpsKingfisher.com

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