Ops Kingfisher: Blazing The Tracks

After the first week of hills and thrills, the Kingfishers were primed with positive anticipation of the second week's menu of speedwork and track intervals.  Being the first time to Serangoon Stadium for many, most of the Kingfishers made preparations and work arrangements to make it earlier for the track work....and boy, were they pleased to have arrived early so as not to miss out the important elements of training.

 After the required warm up and dynamic stretching done, we got underway with a quick briefing on the requirements and then off they went....for what would be the very first mile (1.6km) timed run at MaxBird speed.  Because our training group of 80+ was rather large, we arranged into 2 sub-groups with respective trainers and timers to help with the Kingfishers' maiden track experience.

With the mile timing captured, we were able to recommend more specific paces to adopt for 400m and 800m track runs for the runners.  After the welcome drink and appetizer, the main menu of 800m sets were served to the delight of the trainees and trainers alike.  The soccer spectators in the Stadium were also having some entertainment watching a bunch of runners seemingly running very hard but enjoying every lap that they went through.

The trainees certainly came well prepared as they lapped up the 800m intervals without too much of a complaint, although they were always anxious to find out how many sets they would have to do, so as to leave sufficient spares to complete the whole workout in one piece :D  Before they could catch their breaths in between the controlled rests (intervals), they were called again to line up for the next 800m sets.

Time passed rather quickly that way, and soon they were told that they were to just complete a final 400m set, with a 2-lap cool down to round off the night.  That immediately set off glittering smiles all round, as they ran with all their hearts to finish the final lap in sheer exhaustion.....just having sufficient juice left to continue the slow-jog routine to cool down.

The trainers conducted a nice post-run group stretching for all, followed by a nice group photo under the still brightly-lit spotlight.  After such a big workout, the trainees were all too happy to refuel their tanks as they dispersed in different groups venturing into the heartland eateries and food centres.  The training objectives were well met with a high level of participation and commitment this evening, giving the training team a nice sense of satisfaction that the Kingfishers have enjoyed their track training and are ready for the rigours of the continuing Kingfisher journey in the weeks ahead.

First tempo weekend

The Kingfishers were not misled by the rather short scheduled 12km for the first weekend.  Indeed...their noses were sharp to be able to sniff out the challenge that came with the seemingly shorter distance - it was the challenging trail terrain as well as the long tempo pace they had to sustain during the 12km that would leave them with lots of respect for the undulating trails.

The pre-training briefing was kept short, and focused mainly on how to estimate the effort to be applied for the morning's long tempo run (LTR) - using Heart Rate, based on perceived effort or ability to converse during the exercise, and using a prescribed formula to calculate tempo pace for the respective timings they were gunning for.

After they were flagged off in waves, The Kingfishers gingerly made their way along the undulating Northern Route, moving at a relatively hard pace.  By the end of Northern Route, the groups were already segregated into the faster front group and a main body.  The runners were able to keep to their prescribed paces and effort, as well as observe proper lane discipline in the trails, making the morning's run not only 'profitable', but also interesting and engaging for all.

The Kingfisher Trainers did an excellent job of guiding the runners throughout the run, especially at critical junctions and turning points.  No trainee was reported lost, no trainee walked other than for short water breaks, and all trainees paced along strong, even on the multiple up slopes at certain stretches.

The run ended on time, and we were able to do a good debrief to share what we learnt in the morning, and also to give them briefings of the following week's activities and schedules.  There was a lot more exchanges between the trainers and the trainees, where group learning was activitly taking place for all the respective timing groups.

With week 1 successfully completed, we will welcome week 2 of intervals and speed training at both the tracks and outdoors with yet another interesting menu of new workouts that will piqued the Kingfishers' interests.  We were happy to note that none of the trainees sustained any injuries, although there have been some feedback of tightening muscles and aches after the hard workouts.  A the training progresses, we can only see the Kingfishers strengthening and conditioning for sustained speed ahead.

Picasa Slideshow, courtesy CK Chin

SOLEUS Exclusive for Kingfishers!

Soleus Running Watches, the official timing and pacing equipment partner for Ops Kingfisher 2012, is offering an exclusive discount to all Kingfisher participants on their wide range of attractive running timekeepers.

CLICK HERE for The Soleus Running Watch Catalogue!

20% + 10% Special Discount
(i) 20% discount from the retail price (inclusive of GST)
(ii) Another 10% off from the discounted price in (i) - after the 20% has been discounted

To take advantage of the special discount only for Kingfishers, please identify yourselves as 'Ops Kingfisher' participants with the 3 mentioned retailers and show your I/C for verification - from Aug 9.

Please send queries about this exclusive promotion or other FatBird discount programs to teamsales@teamfatbird.com. 

Official Time Keeper: Soleus

We are pleased to welcome Soleus Watch as the official time and pace keeper for Ops Kingfisher 2012.  Kingfisher training crew and participants will be using the wide range of Soleus watches to not only keep and capture real and interval timings, but also use enhanced features like Heart Rate Monitoring (HRM) for our FlightZONES training as well as GPS function for route and pace feedback.  Of course, the colorful range of this USA-based brand and attractive prices help to make that decision for getting a reliable timing measurement device a lot easier.


Soleus watches are named after a powerful muscle in the calf of a runner’s leg, which is used for standing, walking, and running, of course. Manufactured by Soleus Running, Soleus watches are designed specifically for the needs of runners, based on substantial research and runners’ surveys in the USA, featuring technology that is intuitive and essential to the serious runner. Key features of Soleus watches big digits, interval timers, lightweight materials and easy-to-use lap memory, interval timers and adaptable displays. Fast, slow, road, trail, uphill, downhill, forwards or backwards, whenever, Soleus will change the way you read your run. For more information on Soleus watches, please visit www.soleusrunning.com or at facebook https://www.facebook.com/SoleusRunningSingapore

Click HERE for the full Soleus Catalogue with pricing!

A Rousing Kickoff!

Ops Kingfisher kicked off to a rousing start with lots of slopes, hills and thrills.  After a good rest from Sundown Marathon end May, the trainees were anticipating some solid workout to rev their engines up for the Army Half Marathon in 6 weeks time - and they were not disappointed!

That being a rather new location to some, plus the ongoing bout of flu that has hit some participants, the 70% turnout was not bad.  The participants were not disappointed as they went for some neat hill repeats, that after being served a 3km appetizer of a run-up to the MF Hills, and then rounding off with a dessert of slopes yet again before finally settling back at the Clubhouse.

Some of the participants had jello legs after, while others claimed to have trouble finding theirs.  Overall, it was a great experience for all, and the sense of satisfaction worn on the Kingfishers' faces told a story on one unforgettable hills training menu.

With the first session of hills underway, the Kingfishers can look forward to more exciting training coming up, with tempo trail runs, speedwork at the tracks, intervals with scenic views, long hill repeats along tourist places of interest, and more...

There were a few enquiries about whether it is too late to join Kingfisher - the short answer is you will still benefit from the 6-week structured training program with the opportunities to do your own make-up training following the schedules, if you have missed a couple of earlier sessions.  Thus, if you have no training programs for AHM, do REGISTER for the remaining Ops Kingfisher slots HERE!  

Running The Bay?  Let FatBirds Show You The Way!

The Kingfisher Program

Operation Kingfisher is a 6-week PowerFLIGHT^TM Half Marathon training program to prepare runners to compete and complete the Singapore Bay Run / Army Half Marathon (SBR/AHM).

Team FatBird PowerFLIGHT^TM Half Marathon Training Program 2012

• A 6-week program comprising of one weekday strength/speed workout and one weekend long run, weekly.
• Workout sessions will focus on building strength and speed for the 21km distance, with a good mix of track intervals, hills, repeats, coupled with weekend tempo runs in challenging terrain.  [Program Outline]
• Experienced Runners and Pacers leading and guiding the runs
• The FlightZONES^TM Training System, incorporating heart-rate measurements and progressive paced running
• The PowerFLIGHT^TM Training System, incorporating track/road intervals, hill repeats and trails/rolling hills
• Two levels of training – beginners and experienced runners
• Regular EDMs and online postings of the weekly training plan and tips on running techniques, form and pace
• A "OPERATION KINGFISHER' Race Day Vest to trainees who meet attendance criteria
• Equipping Discounts and Special Promotions on Sponsors/Partner products
• eCertificates Of Completion/Achievement

Training Contributions:

21km participants pay a fixed contribution............................................$88

Previous Team FatBird (TFB) & 10km Participants..................................$78

Drop-In (Per session), no entitlements..................................................$12

Training will begin in mid July 2012 for successful applicants.

Click HERE for the TrainingDates/Schedules for your planning purposes.

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW!