Week #4: Ramping Up On Speed and Endurance

Week #4 had the Kingfishers back to the Serangoon track for a progressive session of speedwork and interval training midweek.

A warm up jog was followed by a set of drills to get the engines ready for the main action of the evening.

The signature Kingfisher Mile Trial was the appetizer.  4 laps of the 400m track later, the Kingfishers paced themselves much better for a more even split time and good finish.  Looked like they were ready for the main course of the evening.

Part A of the main menu was served with sets of 800m at target paces for respective groups, with rest intervals depending on the training groups.  The Kingfshers tracked steadily and mostly recovered well after just 1-1.5min of completing the 800m sets.

Part B, comprising of 800m with floats (400m recovery jogs) was served at 8:00pm.  The Kingfishers did not show any signs of fatigue, and nobody was bargaining for lesser.  They could be quietly conserving their energy just in case there was a Part C and D to the main course.

The training crew was happy to see that the Kingfishers ran very strongly in all 6 sets of 800m, and that was in addition to the mile trial at 90% effort conducted earlier.

The track session ended with a good stretch down conducted by the trainers and we were out of the stadium by 8:45pm, just when the horn sounded.

Track Session Photos By FatBird Onin


It was start of Pace Training on Sunday with an 18km Marathon Pace run along ECP.  With a number of trainers and trainees at the KL Marathon and Performance Series Run, the smaller group of runners started off from Parkland Green at race pace.

The training objective was to see how long the Kingfishers can sustain their targeted race pace for as much of the 18km.

The first half of the distance was ran well, with the fatigue from Wednesday's track session taking a toll on some of the trainees.

Still, the distance was covered well within targeted pace for most of the Kingfishers, building up to peak readiness in 3 weeks before tapering for race day at end August.

The Kingfishers Have Ramped Up Their Speed Endurance Levels

Long Steady Run Photos By FatBird Rand

Week #2: Track Attack and Hilly Thrills

Ops Kingfisher Week #2 had the Kingfishers launched their first track attack at the Stadium.  For a number of Fatbirds who have experienced Team FatBird's speedwork sessions in the past, it was a refresh of the great moments of past.

The trainees new to trackwork were just thrilled to be running about in the track in a structured fashion led by experienced Kingfisher Pacers.

After a quick warm up and some activation drills, the Kingfishers established their speedwork base with a mile (1.6km) time trial.  Their mile timings will be used as a guide to their paces for respective 400m and 800m interval sets, as well as set a reference point to determine speed improvements in the following weeks.

The main menu of 4 x 800m sets were executed with great enthusiasm under the guidance of the group pacers.  This was followed by 3-4 sets of 400m with shorter work:rest ratios which served to enhance the cadence as well as stride length, taxing the trainees' fast-twitch muscles for growth and development.

There were many other runners of the public using the track, and a number of them joined in the fun chasing some of the Kingfisher groups for that added motivation.

We completed the whole workout within 60min, and this was followed by cool-down stretches and core-work led by the Kingfisher Trainers.

Training concluded at 8:45pm, leaving some time for the runners to share their experiences and feelings about their first track session with Team FatBird, and it seemed all enjoyed the hard workout thoroughly.

As they left the stadium, the Kingfishers were already looking forward to their next track session in a fortnight.  Meanwhile, it is back to the hills for next week's Wednesday session.

_________________________

The weekend Long Steady Run (LSD) was a snappy menu of thriller hills at the Labrador Park 1.2km circuit.

After a dynamic drills warm up, the Kingfishers proceeded on a 4km run at BaseBuild Pace and the respective Pace Groups led their runners on a 4-5 lap around the rolling hills circuit.

It is always a love-hate challenging workout at the Labrador Hills segment, but the satisfaction of completing the required laps more than make up for the huffing and puffing, along with the 'heavy legs' feeling when climbing the double slopes.

After the completion of the menu, we ran a shorter 3.5km back to SAFRA MF, with a good push atthe final 1.5km up along Henderson Road for good measure.

The training rounded off with a good stretch down and ended off at 9:45am, to the delight of all the Ops Kingfisher participants.

When the challenges get rough, the Kingfishers get tough!

Wednesday & Sunday Photos By FatBird Onin

Strength & Speed Marathon Training - Kick Off

Operation Kingfisher, an intensive 8-week structured half marathon training program got off to a solid start from Labrador Park on Thursday.

  

The 15-session program will have its focus on strength and speed with combination of hills and track workouts on weekdays and long steady runs and optimal pace workouts on weekends to hone the speed endurance capabilities of the Kingfisher participants.

The first session on Thursday evening had the participants segmented into 1:45h, 2:00h, 2:15h and 2:30h HM pace groupings according to their respective goal race targets.

A basebuild run of 1.5km to the top of Mt. Faber Hills with 1.6km hills repeats was the highlight of the night's workout.  The Kingfishers were impressive in their enthusiasm for the challenging workouts with most completing 3-5 laps within the alloted training time.

Group 3 took a 1.5km run back at HM pace after the main menu, while Groups 1 and 2 went by a longer route of 5.5km of rolling slopes to make it strongly back to start point by 9:30pm.

A good 10min stretch down was conducted by Trainer Jayson to the satisfaction of the Kingfishers who gave their near max effort for the workout.  Their serious attitude to training and tackling all the challenges put to them was impressive to say the least, evident of experienced runners who are willing to do their best to get optimal results.

This was followed by a Long Steady Distance (LSD) this weekend at Parkland Green, ECP.  The 13km distance, although short, was meant to set a faster pace for the Kingfishers to maintain their speed for a longer duration.

All the groups did well to run at a range between 20s faster and their basebuild pace, and did some of them enjoy the cardio rush and enhanced pace challenged by the pacers.  

Although the distance was short relative to what many of the Kingfishers were used to in their longer (but slower) runs training for the full marathon, most of them appreciated this faster-paced session at Half Marathon intensity to reset their muscle memory and tune-up their cardio base for quicker timings for their target 21.1km at end of August.

It was a good kickoff week for Ops Kingfisher overall, with the set targets achieved for both missions.  Runners who are keen to ride these strength and speed workouts can register for this structured marathon training program HERE!

The Kingfishers Are On Speedy Flight!

Photos By FatBirds Rand & Onin

Operation Kingfisher 2016

Looking for a speed and strength training program that will help you best your Half Marathon and 10k race timings at the upcoming Army Half Marathon,  and other Q3 Marathon races?

Registration Is OPEN!

This 8-Week structured training Program brings all together - an integration of the best for 10km and 21km training of speed, hills, trails with optimal race pacing.

Structured Half-Marathon Training System comprising:
• 8-week Team FatBird PowerFLIGHT Marathon Training Program
• Heart-Rate and Pace Training sessions
• Strength and Speed tune ups
• Weekday track/hill sessions and weekend long/pace run sessions every week
• Isotonic/Recovery Drinks/refreshments
• Information and tips on Managing & Preventing Running Injuries, Running Performance, Sports Nutrition
• Equipping Discounts and Special Promotions on partner products.
• eCertificates/Awards of completion/achievement


Training will begin on 14 July 2016 for successful applicants.

Click HERE for Training Dates/Schedules for your planning purposes.
** Training mainly start/end from East Coast Parkway, Serangoon Stadium, Labrador Park, SAFRA Mt. Faber & MacRitchie Reservoir Amenities Centre.

Click HERE for Frequently Asked Questions.

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

REGISTER For Training NOW!

Running A Marathon? Follow Our Pace & Ace Your Race!

Week #6: The Longest Run

The warm and humid weather set the stage for the Kingfishers' longest training run at Mt. Faber.  Because of the weekend OCBC Cycle event which had service roads to Parkland Green closed, we had earlier shifted our training to the Western Hills region.

The turnout for this longest run was markedly smaller, but those who showed up were really going for it all with the very challenging route of undulating slopes along Mt. Faber vicinity and then loops of Labrador Park-Keppel Marina repeats.

The groups ran off by 7:10am due to the long distances we had planned.  By the time we entered Labrador Park, all had sufficiently warmed up to tackle the 6km repeats.  Since a number of Kingfishers were new to the Keppel Marina area, the first 2 loop repeats offered a sense of relaxation from the scenic beauty of the marina waters flanked by condominiums and sailboats.

Optimal Pace was maintained for about 15km before slightly slowing down due to the heat beating down because of the unshaded access routes.  Still, the Kingfishers did their best to maintain good form and posture to stride through in good pace.

The Half Marathon Kingfishers took a short break after 2 loops before proceeding along Harbourfront back to SAFRA Clubhouse.  The Full Marathoners gritted their teeth and continued on to complete another 1-2 loops worth of 6km repeats.

Optimal Pace gave way to Marathon Pace by the 20km mark as we were challenged by the blistering heat.  Group 1 was able to continue on well with the front runners completing the full 4 loop course while a few others did 3-3.5 loop repeats.

Groups 2 and 3 did commendably well to complete at least 2.5-3 repeats in challenging heat conditions, before making way back to the end point for distances of 26-30km.

A couple of Kingfishers reported hitting the wall in the final 4-5km, indicative of the massive effort they put in to conquer the challenge at end.  They recovered well after some rest and hydration, and completed the final km in good shape.

This was indeed one humongous challenge, made a lot tougher by the training area and route conditions.  We were glad that all Kingfishers came back by the cutoff time, completing 21km-32km of long distance at Optimal Pace.

The regular cool-down stretching was conducted for the Half Marathon trainees and those that were back earlier, a great relief of all the pain and stresses of at least 2.5-3h time on our feet.

With the longest run completed to our satisfaction, the Kingfshers will be taken through the tapering phase with 19km and 28km pace training next weekend.  Till then, we will surely be RICE-ing from this morning's hard run in preparation for next week's training.

The Kingfishers Have Completed Their Longest Challenge!

Photos by FatBird Onin