Ops Sunbird 2013 Kick Off

Operation Sunbird 2013, Team FatBird's 12-week marathon training for SCMS, got off to a smooth start at The Playground @ Big Splash, ECP.  Because of the myriad of races and the major Ultra Marathons happening in the same weekend, quite a number of trainees were unable to show up...still, it was a reasonable turnout, with a good mix of returning trainees as well as a very new group of trainees, with some going for 10K races for the first time.

There was a hive of activity as the trainees registered themselves, did fitting of their training and finisher tees, as well as catching up with familiar faces and chatting up with new friends.

Because of the size of the group, it was a challenge to fit all of the participants into a comfortable space by the beach for a welcome briefing, but we managed well in the end.  

Armed with some initial reading material and tips before the Sunbirds started this first session, it was a lot quicker for us to dive into the key aspects like FlightZONES and Pace targets - we managed to get the endurance training run by 7:30am.

The respective Groups [T]ANGO, [F]OXTROT, [B]RAVO, [H]OTEL and [V]ICTOR led by experienced trainers and pacers cranked up their instruments, set their coordinates, and soon were coasting the Eastern Runway at a comfortable BaseBuild effort.  Group Bravo seemed the largest group with close to 70 runners, showing yet again the popularity of the 2:30h HM and 5:00h FM targets at the Singapore Marathon.

The many smiling faces were encouraging one another as we passed at sections of Fort Road, before settling into steady but 'conversational' paces towards F2 carpark and NSRCC.  The FatBird official photographers were armed with their large lenses, all set to capture picture-scapes of the enthusiastic Sunbird trainees.  

As with past marathon training operations, the first few sessions provided good opportunities to get acquainted among fellow trainees as well as with trainers who will be sharing useful information and guidance with the trainees over the the next 11 weeks.  

The weather was rather cool in the first part of the morning, which made for much easier running till the return leg when the sun began to rear itself.   The 10K trainees which completed their run much earlier were given some stretching routines to work with by their trainers, before having a debrief and then calling to a good wrap by 9:30am.  The HM group which did 13km finished their run by 10:00am, which was then followed by the FM trainees a while later.

There were a few briefings conducted for the various groups to discuss issues about proper rest and recovery, relieving of tightening muscles and some aspects of proper running form as well.  Questions were fast flowing, evident of the thirst for understanding and knowledge from the participants.  The entire workout was completed by 10:40am, which was according to plan...pretty smooth for a kickoff session, and more so considering the slower start in the morning.

All the participants enjoyed their Sunbird kickoff session thoroughly, with a number of marathoners-to-be already learning lots about their own bodies, running form as well as ability to keep to a sustainable pace.  It was a fruitful morning for all who came and participated, setting the tone for a good second session at the trails next week.

We look forward to a great Sunbird journey with all, and do follow us on the Ops Sunbird website to track our marathon journey all the way to SCMS race day.  You may still register for the remaining training packages HERE.

Ops Sunbird - Follow Our Pace, Win Your Race!

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