March 19th marked the start of the new running season for me as I restarted the process of building base mileage after a complete break of 3 weeks - mainly to give the body some rest. The goal is to build up to a weekly mileage of 45-50Km by April end and then embark on a 12 week training for a full marathon in August (most likely the Airtel Hyderabad marathon on 25th August). Unlike the 2018-19 season in which I ran just one race , namely, Tata Mumbai marathon the plan for this season is to run several races - the 10K challenge in Bangalore, a couple of halfs(TRORT and Delhi) and three fulls (Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi). Of course, it all depends upon how the body holds up. As I have been doing for several years now I will not run the TCS 10K, the traditional season opening race in Bangalore, which is on 10th May.
One key goal of this phase to break into a new pair of Brooks Ghost 11 - my first ever pair of shoes with a wider toe box. Though the same size as my previous Brooks Ghost (9) it seems to be fairly longer based on the space available between the toes and the front of the shoe. The heaviness/numbness in the left toes has manifested itself even during a slow 21K. Plan to attempt a slightly longer and faster 25Km this week to help decide whether to continue using this shoe or not. It has been a challenge to find the right shoes after the Adidas Supernova cushion that I had used for 10 years stopped working for me 3 years ago. Maybe I should go back and check their latest model.
Another goal for April (and May) is to bring the weight back from a little over 57Kgs to a little under 55 Kgs. And the final goal is to assess the impact, if any, of the diet changes. From 1st March have been on largely vegan diet and have stayed off deserts and alcohol.
Hoping for a good season ahead - a sub 48 min 10K, a sub 1:44 HM and a sub 3:37 FM would be perfect!!
