After 4 weeks of base building on road, trail and hills, the Kingfishers were in for a short but intense weekend #5 of hill intervals at the famous 'Monster Hills' segment that many have heard but not experienced.
A morning bout of dynamic activation drills warmup was conducted to wake those muscles and systems before we set off into the Northen Trail for 4km at Marathon Pace (MP). The crowd in the forest was not too thick in the morning, affording quite a smooth passage to our start point at the foot of the Ranger Station.
The respective groups were dispatched to do 3-5 sets of 2km rolling hills with rest intervals of 2-3min. The first 2 sets were executed strongly on 'fresh' legs but by the 3rd set, there were some walking as the hills took their toll on our legs.
Still, most of the Kingfishers, many who were experiencing this particular workout for the very first time, gamely kept to their prescribed Optimal Pace (OP) targets.
There were easily 5-6 upslopes in each set, a number which were of 45 degrees gradient, added to the burn of the legs and providing good challenges to the trainees in terms of keeping their form while sustaining steady paces.
It was evident in the faces of the Kingfishers that they were taking this training very seriously, with nary a smile while tackling the upslopes and concentrating on recovery on the downslopes, ever ready to meet the next upslope again with gumption and grit.
The sense of satisfaction could be seen in the trainees' faces when they have finally completed their 3-5 set requirements, albeit drenched in perspiration caused by the rather humid morning weather.
After the Cruise Interval workout, there was still the 4km trail run back to MR Amenities Centre to wrap up the whole training menu. By then, all resources that remained in the tank were summoned to keep MP and maintain form.
A good round of cool down stretching was conducted by Kingfisher trainers to ease off those tired muscles after the hard workout, clearing the lactate wastes for the happy bunch of Kingfishers to round off a great workout session.
The Kingfishers Survived Monster Hills
Photos by FatBirds Meng Kiat & Onin
Week 4's long run was held at MacRitchie Reservoir (MR) Park for the trails and rolling hills package, which is one of the tougher challenges in the FatBird Training Operations.
The weather was rather humid and warm, but that did not deter the Kingfishers from breaking into the Northern Trails at Marathon Pace (MP). The 4km initial stretch of trail always give the runners a good jolt from the morning slumber and set the tone for the tougher challenge ahead.
The Kingfishers by now have a sufficiently good enough base to tackle the first 10km of the run no less, mostly running cautiously at prescribed pace, hoping to complete the full training distances of 17km (HM) and 28km (FM) in good form.
The Half Marathon (HM) Kingfishers turned at the OUTR/UPR main gate to return back along the slopes and hilly terrain of MR. Led by their experienced trainers, the Kingfishers were determined to get the morning's workout goals checked to build up their confidence for the next 2 training sessions ahead.
The Full Marathoners (FM) proceeded on to do the second part of the menu, comprising of the famous rolling hills and aircond road inside Upper Peirce Reservoir (UPR). The slopes were useful to drive up the intensity and heart rates of the trainees, as well as allowing them to learn how to recover from each hill climb so as to sustain good paces throughout.
Groups 1-3 had a good time torching the slopes and in the process burned off their fair share of calories. As the run continued on, the heat from the sun added to the intensity and challenge, making the workout harder than ever.
The runners which survived the UPR onslaught were happy to coast along OUTR all the way to LPR, before hitting yet another round of slopes at SICC and Northern Trail. By then, the legs were weaker from the hard work earlier, and the glycogen tanks were running pretty low as well.
Completing the final 4km back along Northern Trail taxed the runners to the max, providing the much needed physical and mental stretch which will strengthen the Kingfishers' marathon base. After this, trainees would find running on roads and more gentle slopes easier to conquer and ability to sustain higher speed at lower heart rates would be a reality for most.
All the Kingfishers completed the challenge within regulation time of 220min, and from their tired faces, we could see the the tinge of happiness and pride at completing such a challenging workout. This confidence will see them through in the upcoming weeks of training through to race day.
With the 17km and 30km long trails and hills menu done and dusted, the Kingfishers look forward to Week 5's menu of cruise intervals at Monster Hill an Week 6's longest distance run (21km, 35km) before entering the tapering and consolidation phase.
The Kingfishers Survived Week 4's Trails & Hills Blaster!
Photos by FatBird Chin
After the first 2 weeks of getting up to speed on their foundation, the Kingfishers came to Mt. Faber and Labrador Park for a bout of rolling hills repeats executed at Marathon Pace (MP).
After the rage of pre-dawn showers, the skies cleared by 6:00am bringing in cool winds for a nice atmosphere to do the long run at MP. This morning was also the celebrations of Singapore's National Day along with her 50th birthday (SG50) - a Golden Jubilee weekend.
Because of the super long holiday weekend, the turnout of the Kingfishers was muted, but still the committed ones appeared, so determined to get the training workout in to strengthen their Marathon base as well as to burn those holiday excesses (FATS) :)
The Sydney Marathon participants also came for their first tune-up run which they blazed through their Half Marathon routine in good form.
The respective pace groups started off after the briefing and ran a 4km into the depth of Labrador Park, before running the 2.2km Figure-8 hill repeat (3 times for HM, 6 times for FM) maintaining Marathon Pace.
It might be due to the good weather, the Kingfishers were 'killing' the slopes and making no excuses for their good paces through the rather challenging hill workout routine, with only a couple of participants not completing their required 6 loops.
With the main menu sorted out within regulation time, the HM Kingfishers were able to return to the SAFRA Clubhouse early for a good round of stretches conducted by the trainers.
The FM Kingfishers too finished their required routine with regulation time and headed strongly for another 4km back to Clubhouse, conquering more rolling hills along the way.
Groups 1 and 2 trainees took a quick break at the ClubHouse (23km mark) before proceeding to complete the morning's requirement with a 5km loop round Henderson Rd-Telok Blangah Way in slightly slower pace than MP.
Training completed before 11am, leaving us with some time to wash up and catch up on the morning's training. Next week, we will be doing hills and trails over 16km and 30km distances in our progression towards the 21km and 35km peak training distances over the next few weekends.
The Kingfishers Are Looking Great!
Photos by FatBird Chin
