Edale Skyline training

[Dr T]

Hi,

It's about 5 weeks to go until my second attempt at the Edale Skyline. I had to retire in the 2015 race and after 4 years I'm hoping I can get round the bloody thing and settle some unfinished business!

I have been training on the route whenever I can, but a busy job and family life makes this a little difficult at times. So far my training has been a combination of long runs, interspersed with the odd tempo run (including getting to a local speedwork session in Sheffield when I'm free).

I am not the fastest runner by any stretch, and my goal is just to get around. I completed a 25km run on the course yesterday, but hit a bit of wall at that distance, (shortly after that lovely climb up hope brink!) - which I think may have partly been due to getting nutrition / electrolytes wrong.

I want to optimise the next few weeks of training as best as I can, so I'm hoping a few AL vet's out there might be able to advise me on a few things:

1 - run length vs weekly mileage:
- Should I aim for longer 'long runs' each time (even running the actual distance) or should
I aim for a total weekly mileage with shorter runs, more often?

2 - Speed and hill work:
- Is there an argument for purely working speed and hills for the majority of the time
between now and race day (to improve overall efficiency and allow 25km to become 34km more
easily?

3 - nutrition: (I appreciate this is personal for every runner)
- I have a large bowl of porridge around 2-3h before setting off, and use energy gels.
- I have experimented with taking on my first gel between one hour and 1.5 hours into the
run, and then every 30 minutes.
- The runs where I took on fuel earlier seemed to go better.
- Should I consider taking on fuel earlier and more regularly?

4 - Tapering:
- when / how should I taper (e.g. taper the pace / length / both / complete rest)?


I hope someone out there can give me some sage advice!

many thanks

Tom

[Travs]

Hi Tom

My two-penneth...

Really it all depends at what point you are already at in terms of fitness. If you are contemplating the Edale Skyline then I'd assume you are a fit guy and well capable of running well, nearly every day without too many issues. Sounds like you are already familiar with speedwork and similar type sessions.

5 weeks is still enough time to get some solid training in to allow you to improve. If it was two weeks away, I'd just say get consistent miles in and be fresh and injury-free on the start line. But you have time to do some hard work. I'd recommend keeping your general runs quite steady and easy, but really work hard in your "quality" sessions, whether they be speed, hills, or whatever. It will help, even on a long Fell Race.... you're correct that it will make you more efficient.

It's not totally necessary to run the race distance in training. In fact it can be a false reassurance. If you run 34km easy on the road, it will bear no relation to the 34km of the Skyline! Just be consistent and if you can manage a couple of decent long runs then do so, but don't fret about it.

One of the most important things to remember is that no matter how well prepared you are physically, an AL type race such as this is still going to be hard mentally. At some point you're going to hit a bad spell, and when that happens you've got to find something inside you that makes you see it through.

I did the Skyline last year and belted round the first two-thirds of the course. At Win Hill the wheels Fell off and it was a very unpleasant ending from there. Got round in something like 3-47 but it hurt.

Which brings me to specific race advice... save something for the long homeward run after Hope Brink/Win Hill. My struggle was caused by hammering round the first half of the course, in particular the Brown Knoll flagstones.

As for diet and tapering, these are specific so can't really offer any advice here.

Pete

[Dr T]

cheers Pete.

yeah the new Brown knoll section has made for easy nav and achey knees. It feels like half of the route has become a bit of a flagstone romp tbh but after seeing the numbers out on the hills yesterday I can see why they need a bit of erosion control. It's surprising how far win hill to ringing roger seems when you're well into a long run and I've no doubt I'll be working through some mental torment at that point!

I'll stick making the tempo and hill work count and hopefully I'll produce the goods on the day.

nice one.