Gold Coast Marathon: Kookaburra Nestles In

Week #3 saw a smaller turnout by The Kookaburras, mainly due to a number of participants having a Run350 HM race early next morning.  The Kookaburras gathered at MacRitchie Reservoir park for their first visit for a 16km and 25km Marathon Pace (MP) long run.

In view of the longer time to be spent on our feet, we started registration at 7:00pm and by 7:30pm, we were flagged off in our respective groups along Thomson Road.  

The Kookaburra Pacers were well represented in the respective pace groups (HM 2:00h, 2:15h, 2:30h) and (FM 4:00h, 4:30h, 5:00h, 5:30h)  to lead their respective groups of trainees along the winding Old Upper Thomson Road (OUTR), and then onto the long stretch of Sembawang and Mandai Roads.

The first half of the run went great for all the pace groups who were keeping close with one another till the U-turn points of the Half Marathoners at the end of OUTR.  The return for the HMers went reasonably well with most completing their 16km within MP.

The Full Marathoners proceeded strongly and on target MP along Mandai Road till the U-Turn at 12.5km.  After a brief 'technical' pause for the respective group members  to reconvene and have a refuel, the Kookaburras made their way back along the route, continuing to maintain their target MPs.

The humid weather, especially along the heavy vegetated OUTR and parts of UTR made it a lot more challenging to sustain the pace.  It was only along the straight Mandai Road stretch where there were mild winds, giving the Kookaburras some reprieve.  

The smallish combination of Groups 4:00h and 4:30h marathoners were spread out but were guided along by the experienced Trainers who were familiar with the training area.  There was a smaller Group 3 which did reasonably well to complete their training requirements without much of a hitch.

Some of the newer Kookaburras arrived late, but did their best to follow the training routes sent out earlier in the week.  They were able to catch up with the returning team mates and completed the training LSD together.

All the runners completed their quests by 10:30pm.  Overall it was good base and foundation build up for the Kookaburras, and with more weeks ahead to strengthen  that base at Marathon Pace, the Kookaburras are on track to condition well for their Golden race in Gold Coast, 6-7 July.

Next weekend will see the Kookaburras doing their personal LSD, and some of whom have signed up with the Sundown Lead Up Run will tap on this progressive training run to affirm their foundation for long distances in the morning with the possibility of heat coming on in the later part of the day.

The Kookaburras Are Looking & Feeling Strong!

Photos from FatBird Chin

Sundown Marathon Lead Up Run #2

The second Sundown Marathon Lead Up Run saw another capacity crowd arrive early to the Playground @ Big Splash, ECP.  After the overwhelming attendance for the 1st Lead Up Run at night, registrations have filled for the 2nd and final lead up runs, allowing for a more manageable crowd in terms of pace guidance and resource allocation.

Because of the longer distances of 21km for the Half Marathoners and 30km for the Full Marathoners, the Sundown Organizers was at the Playground way before 6am to setup for the early arrival of the enthusiastic Sundown Marathoners.  

The Sundown Marathon Pacers were also out in full force, carrying pace timing Boards to mass the participants into their respected pace groupings of (2:00h, 2:15h, 2:30h) for the HM and (4:00h, 4:30h, 5:00h, 5:30h, 6:00h for the FM.  There was an air of excitement amidst the cool morning, albeit with humidity rather high in the face of impending late morning rain.

After the route and pace group briefings, the respective groups were flagged off to the sounds of the air horn with the Sundown flag waving proudly in the air.  The objective of this training run was to maintain and sustain Marathon Pace (MP) for the respective distances.  

With the help and guidance of the Sundown Marathon Pacers, the participants were all rev-ed up to do their best to meet their personal targets in terms of pace and distances.

It was a motivating sight to see all the timing groupings led by their respective Pacers (with timing bibs on their backs) moving as one along the straights of the East Coast Parkway.   

There were applause and shouts of encouragement, interjected with the occasional whistles, as the various groups pass one another - that always injected extra energy into the runners, providing additional boosts to their mission of sustaining Marathon Pace.

The first 12km was done with all groups on pace and ever energetic as we took a 'technical halt' at the Maxinutrition hydration point set up at NSRCC.  The hydration team comprising of Maxinutrition and FatBird volunteers did a sterling job to manage the constant flow of electrolyte drinks without much of a delay to the runners' continued advance back to the Playground.

By the 15km, the various groups have thinned somewhat with the faster runners moving ahead at their comfortable paces, whilst the ones who were not able to keep up with their respective paces falling slightly back.  

The Sundown Pacers were immaculate with the main body keeping the target MP in check, while there was a lead and sweeper in each pace group to help with the ones in front and at the rear.  It was also good practice and experience for the Sundown Pacers as they got to feel for some of the runners' management issues they may encounter on actual race night.

The HM groups reached the Playground with 21.1km completed with 2min to spare in each of their respective pace timings.  If this plays out to plan on race night, the Half Marathoners would have no problems hitting their race timing objectives at all.  

 

As the HM rested in the cool shade of the trees nearby, the FM runners came back within the MP timings, but the weariness and fatigue brought upon by the heat of the morning sun could be seen in many of the runners.  

With 9km remaining and in wanting to meet their training objectives, the Sundown Pacers rallied their respective groups to continue with their sustained paces - kudos to their mental strength and resolve to complete the mission at hand.

The second loop after the hydration stop at Playground was tough, especially with the overbearing  heat of the sun testing the steadfastness of the pace groups.  It was a lot harder to keep up with Marathon Pace (MP) as the kilometres drew on, but the Sundown Pacers were giving their all to encourage and motivate the tiring troops to avoid dropping off the MP trail.

After 3 hours, the first of the FM groups streamed in to loud cheers and applause as they complete the full 30km in target paces.  Handshakes and warm words of congratulations went around the group members and Pacers for a job so well done.  

The rest of the groups came back in about 15min intervals, and as they drew near, lots of shouts and whistles could be heard.  The weary but satisfied smiles of the runners when they crossed the finish line were 'invaluable' and that in itself was the just reward for accomplishing what they set out to do in the morning.

Some of the participants did not complete the intended distances, but still felt accomplished and happy that they were able to maintain the targeted MP for 70-90% of the prescribed distances, before slowing slightly to complete the full distances at a slightly slower pace.

It was the great organization and support from Sundown Organizer and Maxinutrition, coupled with the professionalism and dedication of the Sundown Pacers, along with the commitment and positive attitude of the Sundown Runners that made this Lead Up Run a huge success - Congratulations to all who have contributed to make this run so happening!

Here They Come, Sundown Runners...
Here They Run, Sundown Runners...
Oh Yeah, The Sundown Runners!


Facebook Photos from FatBirds CK Chin, Meng Kiat

Gold Coast Marathon Training 2014

Operation Kookaburra - Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) 12-week training program got off to a smooth start at Changi Beach which saw close to 50 participants joining in for its kickoff session.

On a cool night, buzzing with activity by Changi Beach point, the Kookaburra trainers/pacers met with the trainees for the first time, and quickly melded into their respective target training groupings.  

A quick briefing was conducted to inform participants of the Team FatBird FlightZONES structure of the 12-week program, and how we would be proceeding to build up our foundation and long run endurance for a good showing at GCAM 2014.

The Kookaburras started off alongside the Ops NightHawk participants (who were in their sixth session in the run up to Sundown Marathon) and soon were settling in to enjoy the night's training run of 13km-21km.  For a first session, the enthusiastic Kookaburras did reasonably well, although more work will need to be done to help find their sustained paces in the weeks of training that will follow.

The quiet of the cool night was abuzz with the Kookaburras and NightHawks's footsteps and the regular chatter amongst pace group members as they strode along the 'mentally draining' Coastal Road stretch.  Running parallel to the Changi Airport, this 14km stretch (7km each way) offers the runners very good training for pace and building up their mental strength for long distance running.

The good mix of Groups 1 & 2 Full Marathon trainees along with Group 3 FM and HM trainees provided the Kookaburra trainers/pacers with plenty to do, stretching their pace management boundaries wide to reign in the well strung-on runners - a commendable effort from the trainers/pacers who did a great job.

The night ended rather young for the Kookaburras as most had no problems meeting the training objectives and returned 'home' within the set paces for their respective distances.  Bananas and isotonic drinks greeted and rewarded the happy Kookaburras for the good effort and enthusiasm for training displayed.

We look forward to the next face-face session with the Kookaburras in a fortnight, where we will do another night flight, this time longer and along the mystic trail road and park connectors of the Reservoir/Mandai Reserves.

Run Kookaburra, Run Kookaburra,
You Have Got What It Takes!

Photos by FatBirds Meng Kiat, CK Chin