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