Sunday, January 31, 2016

Falcons's Hills Romp


The Falcons went into week #3 with a good strength endurance workout at one of our favourite training areas around Mt. Faber.  


With the CNY festive season ahead, the runners were looking forward to get a high intensity workout to empty any excesses in time for more nutrition intake ahead.


The Figure-Of-8 hills repeats were lapped up with gusto and the cool weather helped to motivate us further with sustainable running at target BaseBuild pace.


We received good news of quite a number of trainees and trainers having lost a few kg each, giving them their toned and fit look with much easier running at training these past few sessions.

 
They in turn helped to fuel the motivation levels of all Falcons which shared nutrition tips and proper running schedules to attain racing weight for easier running and better performances at races.


The HM Falcons completed 2-3 hill loops before going back to SAFRA MF Clubhouse, but not without additional challenges from the undulating terrain.  The FM runners completed 4-5 hills before going for an additional 5km lap for a total of 24km+ of hills run.



These hilly training runs will go a good way towards developing leg and heart strength to build a solid base before we go into pace training in week #6.


The morning's training completed by 10:30am with all meeting the training objectives but still with reserves in the tank.  A nice stretching session was conducted by FatBird trainers to ease those tight and tired muscles for a faster recovery from the hard training session.


We now look forward to a well-deserved holiday break with some good refueling next weekend before resuming training in week #5.

The Falcons Soared On The Hills


More Photos By FatBird Chin

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Week #2: The Challenge Of The Trail Slopes


The Falcons went to the trail slopes of MacRitchie Reservoir Park (MR) in Week #2 in the continuing basebuild phase of marathon training.



A few of the trainees were first timers to the trails, although most have been training with FatBirds in that terrain for a couple of operations.  



The MR terrain provides a good workout in terms of building strength and agility as it requires traversing undulating slopes in the trails, especially the forced stretch of Venus Trail that we have to take due to road closure along Venus Road.



By the time we exit the Northern Trail, we were suitably warmed up with raised heart rates from the BaseBuild paces we adopted.  There trails were choc-a-bloc with visitors and there were puddles of water from overnight rains to contend with.



The respective pace groups maintained steady paces as they went into Upper Peirce Reservoir, followed by the U-turn of the HM groups back to start point for a hard 13km run.  The FM trainees proceeded on to tackle more slopes in Lower Peirce Reservoir, which allowed the trainers to observe their strength and foundation for some good tips and advisory to help them condition for future workouts.



It was a mixed bag of returns as a few struggled from their lack of training coming off from SCMS, while others felt comfortable with the tough terrain as the were maintaining the more conservative BaseBuild pace just to get the mileage in for aerobic buildup.



Training ended at 10:30am with small-group debriefs and trainer guidance and advisory for their respective group trainees - which is one of the useful aspects of such trainer-guided pace group arrangements, a special component of FatBird training operations.



Those who are looking for a proven marathon training program are welcome to sign up for Ops Falcon to train for a successful race - Register Here For Training!

Training Photos By FatBird Chin

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Falcons off to a PowerFlight Start!


Operation Falcon, marathon training for 2XU Compression Run and overseas marathons (Tokyo, Seoul, Boston) got off on good footing at Parkland Green, ECP on Saturday morning.  


It was great to welcome the new flock of trainees, many familiar faces returning to better their 2015 performances for the new year, as well as new runners who were joining us for the first time in the hope of achieving their marathon goals in 2016.


A customary welcome and program briefing was conducted, before the respective training groups were flagged off for their respective HM and FM training distances.  These weekend long runs will be the staple of the Falcon training program to build up a strong aerobic foundation for all participants.


Coupled with the hills workouts and weekday tempos, the Falcons can expect to enhance their speed endurance to maximize their marathon potential in 12 weeks of structured build up.


The Falcons were pretty happy to start off with Basebuild pace and were obviously enjoying themselves with the constant chatting and smiling whenever they catch sight of the camera person.


The stretch along East Coast Parkway (ECP) is always a favourite for easy runs and pacing as there are less elements to contend with and the distances are known with a good network of public toilets and drinks dispensers.  


Over the course of the 12-week training, we will be using various terrain in Mt. Faber, MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Sports Hub and of course ECP.


The Falcons completed their first training run with strength and quiet confidence.  They were shown some stretching techniques by the trainers and ended the session with stretching and mini debriefs.


Those who are looking for a proven marathon training program are welcome to sign up for Ops Falcon to train for a successful race - Register Here For Training!

The Falcons Got Off To A Smooth PowerFlight Start!

More Photos by FatBird CK Chin