It was about 30 degrees out when we pulled up to the race site, even though the sun was up and climbing into a calm, clear sky. We lined up promptly at 8:30 and got underway with the first 2-mile run leg. Ryan Rau led things off with a fast first mile, and held a six- or seven-second lead over me as he entered T1. He took his time, however, and I was able to make up all of that time with a lightning-fast transition. As we moved out onto the bike course, Ryan passed me briefly, but I got my feet into my shoes and charged hard to the front.
Not knowing how Ryan's form was, I simply hammered, enjoying the feeling of piloting my stealth rig in its full race setup. This was the first race where it was set up the way I really wanted, and it felt amazing. I could tell I was just plain fast out on the empty roads, and I worked hard while trying to stay relaxed at the front of the race.
As I left T2, I could see Ryan Rau and John Hastings racking their bikes as well, and I went hard, hoping to hold them off. Ryan bridged up to me near the end of the second run, coming into T3 right on my heels. I had been having all sorts of trouble in that second run leg, and was happy to have kept him from passing me. I got my bike and took off, leaving transition at about the same time as Ryan.
I had some trouble getting my feet into my shoes, partly because they were cold and partly because I was wearing two pairs of gloves to keep my hands warm. Unbeknownst to me, however, Ryan had accidentally unclipped one shoe while trying to put it on, and was struggling behind me. After getting my feet solidly into my shoes, I took off hard, not knowing how close anyone was to me.
The second bike leg was, in a word, painful. I was redlining the whole way, trying to hold off the racers that I imagined must be right behind me. I put my head down and charged through the windy section of the course and charged hard through the corners, trying to hold as high a pace as I could. As I reached the park entrance with about a mile to go, I had put more than a minute into my competitors, although I didn't know it at the time. I raced through T4, practically jumping into my running shoes and taking off.
Just like last year, I knew that the final run was for all the marbles, so I gunned it right out of the gate, redlining again. I knew Ryan was somewhere behind me, and I know that he has the capability to run me down if given the chance, so it wasn't until about a quarter of a mile to go that I grew confident that I had the race in the bag. I hazarded a quick glance over my shoulder because I couldn't hear footsteps, and relaxed after seeing empty trail behind me. I enjoyed my final run-in to the chute, having successfully defended my title.
I will be taking the rest of April off from racing, focusing on my final preparations for Nationals on May 7th (and graduation on April 28th!)...