Thursday, November 28, 2013

The Sunbird Tribute

A tribute to the outstanding commitment and can-do spirit of the Sunbirds through their 12-week marathon training journey for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore - Operation Sunbird 2013, Follow Our Pace, Win Your Race! 


Sunbird Journey 2013 - A Tribute

Ops FINALE


After 10 weeks of progressive basebuild and marathon pace training, it came down to the Grand Finale - where all the pieces come together as the Sunbird trainees took to the runway one more time at their Optimal Pace and Performance rehearsal.


We spent a bit more time this morning with a pre-race pep-talk geared towards getting the Sunbird Marathoners (yes, they have officially passed out as Marathoners) all prep-ed for the mother of all marathon battles on Dec 1, the SCMS!


The weather conditions was primed to be quite similar to race morning, with a cooler first half followed by the sunshine at about 8.30am onwards - that would also be about the time where the full marathoners begin running back along ECP towards Fort Road on race day.



The Sunbird Marathon warriors were in Full Battle Order (FBO) as they practiced and tried on apparel and race day gear, right down to minute details such as the hydration and fuel equipment, socks and inner-wear, and even the exact caps and sunshades they would be using for the race - nothing would be left to chance as the 'redcon' status will be elevated once the full dress rehearsal have been passed.


 After some quick passing-out group photos, we flagged off as an entire group (just like on race day) and the respective pace groups soon settled into their Optimal Pace momentum.  


By now, the Sunbirds are trained to a level where they are sensitive to sustainable pace, rehydration and refuel strategies to keep their 'mojos' steady and most importantly, being able to stick to their individual race plans that will bring them the rewards that will justify the effort and commitment of the 12-week journey.


The tapering distances of 9km (QM), 13km (HM) and 18km (FM) were executed well inside the comfortable zones, gaining high confidence levels for the Sunbirds who are smack on at their peak fitness and endurance levels.  


Spirits and camaraderie were high, especially among the pace groups who have been training closely as one for the past several weeks, and it will be these levels of confidence and mental strength that will see the Sunbirds through to a good SCMS race.


Congratulations to all Ops Sunbird trainees for successful completion of the comprehensive training program, and special thanks to all Sunbird trainers and pacers who have sacrificed their training time and offered themselves generously to help the trainees achieve their training objectives.  


We wish all Sunbird participants a fruitful SCMS race, with many PBs and goal achievements 


See you at the Starting Line on Dec 1...Follow Our Pace & Win Your Race!

Sunbird Photo Contributions from CK Chin, Ronnie Goh, Meng Kiat:
Album 1

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Week #10: Tapering begins!


After the highly satisfying 22km and 35km last week, this weekend saw the tapering begin with a good turnout of Sunbirds, and quite a number of drop-ins, most of them doing a trial test of where they stand since some runners have not had sufficient time for buildup in the earlier weeks.


The qualifying Sunbirds were happy to collect their second running top, this time a very nice Sunbird 'Finisher' race-day singlet where they can proudly don for their important race on Dec 1.   All were raring to get on with the run in the nice cloudy morning to get a sense of how they can sustain the respective training distances at Optimal Race Pace.


The trainers and pacers were under strict orders to keep to a steady Optimal Pace and act as mobile objectives for the runners to use as guideposts for their pacing requirements.


The respective groups were able to keep at it for at least 50% of the distances before the gaps between the front and rear of the respective pace groups widened.


By now, most of the Sunbirds are pretty independent with their pacing as well as putting their respective race, fuel and hydration plans into practice.  The confidence levels and marathon abilities of the trainees were much improved compared with when they first joined the program.


The Sunbirds' steadfast running movements does not show any form of inexperience at all - they were running composed with good running form, and most importantly, not rushing through and able to manage their limited resources for a good pace.


Everyone had a very enjoyable training run this morning, giving the confidence and self-beliefs for a good race day performance the much needed boost.  Smiles were all around, and very positive connection and chatting were evident between trainers and trainees.  



After 10 weeks of training and sweating it out together, the understanding, bonds, and team spirit have certainly made marked improvements - a good sign of better things to come as we head into the final weekend of full-dress rehearsal next week.

The Confident Sunbirds Are Heading For a Good Race!

Facebook photos @ Meng Kiat

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Week #9 - The Longest LSD


This being the longest run in the Ops Sunbird training series, and starting at Optimal Race Pace just makes it one of the most challenging training workouts to date. With just 3 weeks to race day (SCMS13), many Sunbirds are taking the final opportunity to get their longest paced runs (36km for FM, 22km for HM) in with full trial of their race and hydration/fuel plans.


Keeping the briefing to a bare minimum in view of the time, the main group of runners flagged off at 6:45am sharp.  There were already a number of Sunbirds that have started earlier at 5:30am-6:00am just to keep off as much of daylight and the sun as possible.  


The weather was cool and windy for the first 2 hours of the run, making the access through the mentally-challenging Changi Coastal Road so much more bearable and 'lightly flavored'.


The various pace groups, putting Optimal Race Pace into practice, were conservatively steady in the first half of the journey, chatting or keeping themselves occupied with body-sensing and staying alert to the surrounding environment - some were into the zone, especially along the long and straight Changi Coastal stretch.


There were less poses for photo-taking and more serious pace-running this morning, setting the correct tone and 'mental strength' to sustain Optimal Pace for upwards of 80% of the scheduled training distances.  

  

When the Sunbirds arrived back to C4, the FMers had completed 30km while the HMers accomplished 15km.  Most of the HMers did not encounter any real slowdown in pace until 18km or so, while many of the FM Sunbirds were able to sustain Optimal Pace till the 25km mark before seeing any visible slowdown.




The Sunbirds have grown much stronger over the past few weeks of endurance base and pace building, with a good number surpassing their original targets.  Aside from a few trainees who have suffered some form of injury or feeling under the weather, most of the Sunbirds are poised to complete the training on a high note, with a high chance of exceeding expectations on race day.


Those who are injured still have a good few weeks to rest and rehabilitate, cutting down the mileage while retaining the intensity, and there remain a good chance to complete the race with respectable results.




With the longest run accomplished in fine form, the Sunbirds went away with renewed confidence and a sense of being able to accomplish even better performances.  This is also the critical period where rest and recovery must kick in, and Sunbirds should refrain from excessive activity which can cause burnout and threaten their well-developed marathon base. 


Tapering will begin from next weekend with a cut of mileage yet retaining training intensity.  All Sunbirds will be advised to follow the training plan closely, and start putting their race day plans and strategies in the final two sessions through the mill - when all are practised to a tee, there just remain a small effort of putting all into execution and reaping the fruits of their labor on Dec 1.


The Sunbirds Have Conquered The Longest Distance

Photo memories from FatBirds Meng Kiat, Eddy Teo