Interim coach Barrett goes to great lengths in offseason
Wade Barrett studies the upcoming challenge, getting his mind right for every possible scenario.
Countless variables could come into play.
Being surprised by even one could lead to a critical setback.
Most weeks that means the Dynamo’s interim coach is preparing for a match. In the offseason it means something completely different.
It means Barrett is getting ready to run 100 miles.
Many coaches like to get away to relax when the season ends; Barrett picks up the pace. In 2008 he did some longer running to prepare for what would be his final season as a player.
He had read about ultramarathons and was inspired by them.
“Taking on something that seems out of your reach, there was a real draw to seeing how far I could go,” Barrett, 40, said.
‘Completely prepared’
Beginning in December 2009, Barrett has had the opportunity to pick a couple of races over the course of the year.
During the season he cannot do much, so he looks forward to running more in the winter.
It did not take him long to figure out the high level of concentration an ultramarathon takes. In most cases the race is run on trails, so nature, wildlife, rocks and roots often get in the way.
He has run the Rocky Raccoon in Huntsville a handful of times. The fewest number of times he has fallen is 15.
“You can’t do a race like that without being completely prepared,” he said. “You have to pay attention to every detail along the way, but if you fall behind — even if it’s just a week or two weeks — it can prevent you from doing the race like you want to. All of those things can prepare you for the race, but the level of commitment and suffering it takes during the event is something different.”
Commitment to fitness
Suffering is how former Dynamo player Brad Davis describes it. Davis played with Barrett for several years and then was coached by him for five more.
Davis always recognized Barrett’s dedication to fitness — “crazy about fitness” were his exact words. He noticed Barrett always embraced challenges, too.
Because of that, Davis was not surprised when Barrett took up ultramarathons. He’ll never forget the first time he saw Barrett after he had finished one.
“It is unbelievable what those races can do to a person,” Davis said. “He was mentally and physically drained. He had blisters everywhere. He couldn’t walk. He looked like he was about 100 years old.
“It was completely obvious it had taken everything out of him.”
Soccer is known as a sport that requires great fitness, but the rigors of playing it are different from those of running ultramarathons.
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Soccer is all about short and sometimes long sprints followed by periods of rest. Running long distances is about consistent pace.
Two birds, one stone
That’s why ultramarathons are more about the mind.
When a soccer player steps onto the field he knows that time eventually will run out on the game. When a distance runner gets to the starting line the clock never ends until he reaches the finish line.
“I’ve always probably had the attitude and mentality for something like that,” Barrett said. “Until you get into it and experience what it is like to suffer on the course for so long you just have no idea what it is like.
“The half-marathon and marathon, those distances are no joke. It takes mental fortitude to battle through a 50K and a 50-miler.
“A 100-miler is something totally different. It is intoxicating when you have that feeling.”
It takes a dedicated person to go through all that suffering.
Dedicated is a word most have used to describe Barrett since he was named the Dynamo’s interim coach in late May.
He is meticulous in preparation, often stopping practice if something isn’t perfect. He obsesses over film and game plans. His first order of business when taking over was making sure the team was organized, which is exactly what he is when preparing to run 100 miles.
“That is completely relevant to everything we do out here (on the soccer field),” Barrett said. “You have to focus on your training. You have to be prepared. You have to know mentally what it’s going to take to perform when the big day comes.”