Run Your Race Podcast

#026: Summer Sufferfest 54k Race Recap

Pierce Showe Season 1 Episode 26

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0:00 | 14:05

I ran the Summer Sufferfest 54k trail race outside Dallas this past weekend as a tune-up for the Habanero 100-miler, and in this episode I break down exactly how it went — plus the simple three-question framework I use to mine wisdom from every race so I keep getting better.

Here's what we cover:

  • The three questions I ask after every race: what went well, what didn't, and what I'll do better next time
  • Why a tune-up race belongs in your 100-mile build — and how to use it to stress-test gear and fueling
  • Going out conservative in the heat (this thing starts at 97°) and saving a gear for later
  • Topical cooling with an ice bandana — one of the most effective strategies for racing in brutal heat
  • "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together" — why locking into a group carried me through the first loop
  • Where my fueling broke down, the stomach issues that cost me the last five miles, and what I learned
  • My fixes for Habanero: more whole foods every 2-3 hours, a cooler with swappable bottles, a spare ice bandana, taping my feet against blisters, and switching from a vest to a waist belt

Every hard race is data. Reflect on it, write it down, and let it make you better.

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Go out and run your race.