Den Haag Half Marathon 2024

Den Haag Marathon

Goal: This time I had ridiculously ambitious goals.

A Goal: sub 1:26:59 (This will be my second fastest Half Marathon)
B Goal: sub1:27
C Goal: sub1:30 (I was 100% even if i run barefoot I would clock sub1:30)

Background:

Post Rotterdam marathon I thought it would be easy to break the sub3 marathon with another training block but I was wrong. I had a really bad ankle injury in the last few kilometres of the Rotterdam Marathon. Because of this, I was not even able to walk for a month. Took me so much time to start training. I thought I would be ready for the Amsterdam Marathon but the leg didn’t cooperate and I had to run Amsterdam Half in sub 1:30 and decided to put in 2 more months before running the Valencia Marathon. The training was good and I was hopeful of running 3:00-3:02 in Valencia. Sadly, My dad passed away in November, and had to spend a full month away from running. It was hard to get emotionally and physically back in Training. Last 12 weeks I needed to go to my physiotherapist regularly because my hamstring was in a very bad state and I was told on a scale of 1 to 10, my hamstring strength was around 5. I can see I can’t straighten my left leg. Mentally I was also in a very bad state with regular visits to my therapist and had to take medication to keep my sanity. There were days when I didn't step out of the house, except for running. I thought this would be the last time I was training for a race and I would probably quit running after this.

Training:
Since I had the fitness from the previous training block, I decided to take no chance. Usually, I start at 50 km mileage and take my peak training to 85 km mileage. This time I decided to start from 86km and go till 115km. Both in the Vadodara and Rotterdam marathon, I felt a little bit tired in the last 8-10 km and I wanted to be 100% ready for mileage this time.

M1: 24 km w/13k at Marathon pace. I ran the 13 km at 4:19mins/km and It gave me good confidence.

M2: 26km w/18k at Marathon pace. Again I was able to hit 4:19mins/km

M3: All tempo runs at 4:04mins/km pace. I was able to hit most of it around 4:04-4:06mins/km pace

M4: 10km at 4:06mins/km pace. I ran at 4:04mins/km pace. I was sure I can hit 4:05-4:06mins/km.

After M4 I knew I can try for 1:26:59. I was still not ready to break my Half marathon PB.

Course:
Den Haag is a super fast course. There was no pacer for the timing I was planning but I knew with my mileage I won’t hit the wall. Usually I prefer negative splits in races but this time I was planning to go all out from the startPre-race:I just ate bread with peanut butter and a banana. I decided that I need to see a 4:075mins/km pace.

Race:

Distance: Planned | Result

2k: 8:15 | 8:12 (Little bit fast but I was feeling okaish. I was in the middle of a huge crowd. Got to keep going)

4k: 16:30 | 16:27 (I was on perfect splits. I found people who wanted to run sub4 pace were gone and I was the one pushing the pace.)

6k: 24:45 | 24:40 (Found a guy pacing a girl who was running at my pace. I guess I found a group who were trying to break 1:27. Took my first gel at the 5th km. Body was feeling really good now)

8k: 33:00 | 32:50 (I decided to increase the pace a little bit and now I was at 4:05mins/km pace. I thought maybe if i have energy in last 4-5km I can break 1:26)

10k: 41:15 | 40:58 (I was still going fast. The group followed me. Took another gel at 10th km)

12k: 49:30 | 49:10 (I was still feeling good at this moment but felt that I am running on full threshold)

14k: 57:45 | 57:26 (My pace was getting slower. Legs were feeling tight. My group saw that I wasn’t pushing. They started to overtake me and I was hanging behind and trying hard not to lose contact)

16k: 66:00 | 65:50 (We were around the beach area and I could feel a huge head wind. Running on clobber stone wasn’t ideal and I lost my form completely. I thought I have hit the wall)

18k: 1:14:15 | 1:14:10 (Once we crossed the beach area I tried increasing the pace. Saw my group again and I was trying to close the gap at this moment)

20k: 1:22:30 | 1:22:27 (I tried hanging in. I knew the end was near. I can still clock 1:27:XX.)

HM: 1:26:59 | 1:26:57 (At this moment I knew maybe sub1:27 is possible. 1.1km is like all the 1000m repetitions I have done in my college life. I ran absolutely all out in the last 400m to get 1:26:57).

Hugged my group members or strangers? Most of them broke their PBs. I was happy with my 2nd fastest HM time.