Weekend #2: Trails & Cruise Intervals

It was a weekend of overseas races which saw quite a number of Falcons away.  Still, the turnout was not too bad and those who came were not disappointed with the great 'value' they got out of the MacRitchie trails and monster slopes.

A good round of dynamic warm up of activation drills was conducted by the Falcon trainers, Jayson and Kevin to the delight of the trainees.  The purpose of the drills was to work up the heart rates a little as well as encourage good range of motion during the run.

 

First up was a 4km run through the trails at Basebuild pace at each of the respective pace groups' effort levels.  Once out of Northern Trail, the pace groups consolidated for their 2km cruise intervals with various work-rest ratios implemented according to abilities.

The first rep was an eye-opener for many of the trainees who have not known that part of MacRitchie Reservoir.  When they finished the rep, they looked flustered and exhausted.  However, once they had the rest ad recovery, they were able to pace themselves through the 3 (HM) to 4 (FM) reps with good management of effort and running form.

All the groups ran in clockwork according to plan, managed well by the Falcon Training Crew.  Importantly, the rest intervals were monitored closely and implemented without any plea bargain whatsoever.

 

Some of the trainees who seldom run slopes did considerably well while more experienced marathoners who were new to such cruise interval workouts had commendable performances.  

Although the sun was out, the stretch of roads and trails that we operated in this morning was mostly sheltered by natural elements, making the whole training bearable and to some extent, enjoyable.  

After the cruise intervals, there was still some left in the tanks for most of us to run the 4km return route along the Northern trail.  The spirits were high and all were back at the Amenities Centre by 10am.

A short debrief was conducted to explain the morning's workout and purpose, with some advise on training in the correct heart rate zones and recovery from training being shared with all trainees.

The trainers were heartened by the good training ethics of the trainees, especially happy with their 'never-give-up' attitude and always giving their best to attempt all planned workouts.

The base of the Falcons will continue to be strengthened over the next few weeks before taking them through the next stage of training.  More hills, albeit of a different kind can be expected for Week #3's session, and already, quite a number of Falcons were already looking forward.

For those who wish to hop on for this exciting PowerFLIGHT journey with the Falcons, limited training slots are still available - REGISTER HERE!

The Falcons Survived To Become Stronger!

Facebook Photos By FatBirds Jayson & Choon Hooi