CB&I Sprint Triathlon - Race Report

Wow, it’s hard to believe that I actually completed a 70.3 just 6 months ago.  I’ve continued to run (obviously, since the Hubs and I were training for Goofy), I’ve biked some, but I hadn’t been swimming at all.  I felt so out of practice for tri’s…the bricks, the transitions.  With CB&I on my radar and the Hubs no longer working out of town, I was able to get back to the regular tri-training that I was accustomed to starting in late March / early April.  Finally! 

Pre-Race

For CB&I, I checked my bike in the evening before the race.  I had finally ordered an OutRival team kit and was so excited to pick it up earlier in the week, only to discover that the sizing is really, really small.  There was no way in hell I was going to squeeze myself into it and actually race in it.  So, the day before the race, I borrowed a friend’s kit from a couple of years ago.  It was a completely different brand and thankfully, it fit well.  I know you’re not supposed to wear something you’ve never worn before on race day, but CB&I is pretty short and I decided I’d take my chances. 

That morning, I ate my regular breakfast and headed to the race.  About five minutes into my drive, I’d realized I forgot my phone.  Ack!  I parked and hiked over to the race start and set up my transition area.  From there, I said hi to a few friends and attempted to find a few others in the dark (without my phone, lol).  Before I knew it, it was time to head to the start.  I was a bit worried, because the Hubs hadn’t arrived with the kids yet.  Then I remembered…Saturday morning - the kids could be hard to get out of bed so early.  They had a talent for taking forever to get dressed.  They probably wanted to stop and get donuts.  They had to make the trek from the parking lot to the race.  Yeah, they’d eventually be there….and they were.  They arrived about the time the men’s waves were starting.

 

Pre-race with Woodlands Fit peep, Kate.  This was her first tri and she rocked it!

Getting a good luck smooch from the Hubs

With the fam...so good to have my own personal cheer section!

The Swim - 12:40 (500 m)

Finally, it was time for my wave to start (45 minutes into the race).  I decided to wear my wetsuit..the air temp was in the high 50’s (maybe 60?  I dunno, but it was chilly) and the water was somewhere between 72 and 74 degrees.  Not bad, but what the heck. 

Honestly, it took me awhile to really find my groove during the swim.  I inadvertantly started in the middle of a pack of women and couldn’t find my place or pace.  I stopped for a second and realized that not many people were swimming on the inside, closest to the buoys…so that was where I stayed.  Finally, I got going and found a bit of my mojo.  The swim went by pretty fast.  The sad thing about this distance, is that I finally managed to really get into my groove at about 300m…by then, the swim is almost over!  Before I knew it, I was at the shore and climbing out of the water.

Waiting for the race to start...

T1 - 2:24
I started unzipping the wetsuit and took of my goggles and swim cap as I ran.  For some reason, I felt a bit discombobulated (is that a word?) in T1.  I almost walked past my row and when I got to my bike, I managed to get my wetsuit off pretty quickly, but I just seemed to take way too long getting into my bike shoes and getting my helmet on.  I ran with my bike to the mount line, then had trouble getting my right foot onto the pedal.  I swear that I wasted HOURS getting on my bike and going.  Okay, maybe not HOURS, but I did waste precious seconds!

BIKE - 34:14 (10.59 miles / 18.35 mph)

FINALLY…I was on my bike and pedaling.  It always takes me a couple of miles to find my rhythm and get my heart rate under control.  The bike route was shortened from 15 miles to just over 10 miles due to local construction.  The ride went by pretty quickly…the route is a great, flat out and back.  My only complaint was that with the new route, there were two no passing zones.  I wasn’t 100% sure where they started, so as the road narrowed a bit I decided to be cautious and not pass.  Little did I know, just down the road, there would be a woman waving a flag telling us when the no passing zone started.  Dang!  I could have passed back there!  Naturally, I was stuck behind someone going about 14 mph.  When we could finally pass, I did.  Then, on the way back – same thing, no passing zone behind someone going 14 mph.  Ack!  But, once we were out of the no passing zone, I was able to make up for some of the lost time.  The breeze must have been working in my favor, because I was reaching 22 and 23 mph in some spots.  Luckily, the dismount went more smoothly than the mount and I was back in transition in no time.

T2 - 1:34

Nothing unusual here.  Just exchanged the bike shoes for my running shoes, grabbed my Garmin from the bike, my visor and race belt and headed out.

RUN - 27:03 (~2.89 miles / 9:21 pace)
The race directors are kinda mean when it comes to the run.  You exit transition, make a right hand turn and immediately start running up a bridge.  So, here you are, trying to get your pace and heart rate under control coming off the bike and you have to start a little climb!  I was happy to have the bridge behind me and then turn onto a dirt path.  I felt like my pace was good, my breathing was good…all in all, the run felt good.  It wasn’t as fast as I had hoped, but faster than the last time I did this race, so I am happy for that!  This course is also an out and back, so you have to finish the race by running over the bridge again.  (Mean!)  There may or may not have been a few seconds going up that bridge that I wanted to throw up.  The run was supposed to be a 5k, but it seemed to be a little short.

See?  I look way to happy here...of course, this is at the beginning of the run.

Me and the hubs!

 

The Take-Aways

Like any race, there are definitely things that went well and things I could have done better.  I try not to dwell on this too much, but instead, try to remember them for the next race.  Here’s what I took away from CB&I: 

Swim:  I am extremely happy that I held the panic back.  As you know, my swims are not usually calm and relaxed.  I used some tactics in Oilman that helped at CB&I, too.  The swim was calm, so I am happy!  However, I think I need to just deal with the fact that in a tri, people are going to be all around you.  I should not need to stop to figure out what to do.  I need to swim and strategize instead.

Bike:  I know I could have been faster on the bike.  First, I need to mount and go much faster than I did.  This is easy to practice at home and I intend to do just that.  Second, knowing where the no pass zones were would have helped a lot.  Third, for a 10 mile ride, I think I could have pushed harder.

Run:  I am super happy that my pace was faster than last time.  But,  I was too comfortable (well, after getting over that bridge).  I *think* I could have pushed a little more and gotten closer to a 9-minute pace.  That’s what sprint distances are kind of about, right?  Sprinting?  Pushing more than you would on say, an oly or 70.3?

Transitions:  Seriously, this should be the easiest part of the race.  T1 needs to be faster.

So that’s CB&I.  I plan to do it again next year!