It was our first visit to MacRitchie Reservoir for the first Kingfisher session at the trails, and my, was it a real treat for the flock! There was markedly less Kingfishers this morning, probably due to the races that are happening over the weekend.
Still, we had a nice group of eager-beavers who were all out to 'taste' the aura of the MR trails, and they were certainly not disappointed with the menu. After a quick brief and a 4km run along the rolling trails of the Northern Route, we gathered along the SICC/Ranger Station junction for the 'surprise' of the morning - the main menu of 2km cruise/tempo intervals with managed rests in between.
90% of the Kingfishers have not been to that part of the training ground, and they were certainly caught by surprise the extent of the hills they had to traverse to and fro. The first set saw many of the participants maintaining a slightly faster than the prescribed Optimal Pace...it was only after climbing up 2 slopes that the respective Kingfisher groups cut back on their pace(s) for fear of not being able to make the training targets.
With the golf course on the right and the vegetation of Rifle Range on the left, it was a pretty scenic short course with fresh air and some nice shade. The morning air was made cooler by overnight showers. Soon all the respective Pace Groups were on auto pilot, getting in their respective cruise interval sets under the guidance of their Pacers and timekeepers.
After an intense 45min of workout along the SICC hills, the Kingfishers returned victorious, with many having conquered the hill monsters both physically and mentally. Left with just sufficient reserves in their tanks, the respective groups meandered along Northern Route back to the MR Amenities Centre.
Their tired legs continued to be taxed as they had to maintain good leg-lifts and agile running form to move along the narrow and uneven trail passageways, all the time avoiding the weekend hikers and runners on the same pathway.
It was a love-hate feeling with the hills training for many of the Kingfishers, and yet, when it was all wrapped up, there was a strong sense of satisfaction with having accomplished what was 'pretty challenging and difficult' - it would not have been easily achievable without the support and encouragement of the group and team.
With 3 weeks of foundation and base building in the bag, the Kingfishers will move into the second half of the program with much confidence to put their new speed and strength base into sustainable pace efforts for their targeted marathon timings.
The Kingfishers had Cruise Intervals and Monster Hills for breakfast!
Photos from FatBird MK's handphone