As most of you know Barry has been training for a full triathlon about a year. He set his sites on an Ironman stamped race in FL but was not able to get in...it filled up too fast. At least we know he is not the only mad person out there trying to accomplish such things. So he and his triathlete buddies (Bob: brother in-law & Tom: Bob's brother) found a race in Windsor, CA.
The race was August 2, 2008. We headed to Santa Rosa after a good visit in Salt Lake City, UT. It was only suppose to be a 11 hr drive but the CA traffic gods did not think highly of us and it took us more like 15 - so we were excited to find a hotel.
The next day Barry and I went to the registration and vendor stuff to look around and hook up with the rest of the gang. We drove parts of the bike course and saw where the swim was going to be held and also took in little bits and pieces of the run course, which was not going to be very fun. 26.2 miles w/ three out and backs...are you serious? Nothing like seeing that finish line two times before you get to come in.
After looking at the entire course Barry decided he needed to add an hr to his bike time - he figured it would take him 7 hrs - there were a lot more hills than planned. The run he had always planned on just surviving and run walking and walking some more to finish. He would have plenty of time for the cut off time at 11:00 that night.
The next day I slept in while Barry got ready and left. He went and picked up Bob so they could be there for their start time at 6:45. Leslie came and picked me up at 7:30 and we headed to the swim start to see them come in (which by the way was in a different place than where the bike to run trans. was - a little different).
After the swim they all looked good and they were all ahead of what they thought they would be. It was held in the Russian River so part was up stream and the other part was down stream - which of course was better. It was pretty slow moving water.
I cheered for Barry as he went by. I had my own car now to drive, since I had some time to hang out (approx. 7 hrs) I decided to head to the coast since I was so close. It was only 14 miles away. I found a place to hike down to the water - which was pretty dang cold - and take photos of the Harbor Seals. They are pretty cute. I also decided you would have to have the fat of those Harbor Seals to play in the water like they do.
After a bit I headed back to the car and drove into Windsor to try and catch Barry on his bike...I was pretty early...I know it was going to be around 7 hrs but for some reason I have to come back 3 - 4 hrs early so I don't miss him....I am a crazy person. I get too anxious.
There were a lot of other people to look at. They had a 1/2 triathlon called Barb's race that was for women only so I got to see those women coming and going - which was interesting. Different crowd than the 1/2 Ironman where there is money to win and pros to qualify.
Barry was right on his time goal and by this time it had become extremely HOT...it was mid 90's. They had told us normal is 80's. Barry went out on his run for his first loop or out and back...he stopped and talked to me for a moment and told me how he hates running and he would see me later.
I waited around and cheered for others and the rest of our group (Leslie - Barry's sister was doing the 13.1 mile run for the Barb's race...she was signed up in a relay. Tom also had a daughter doing the 1/2 by herself...etc.)
I go and get something to eat...the best salad ever or I was extremely hungry. It was a Cabbo Cobb Salad...chicken w/ beans, lettuce, black olives and tortia chips w/ a mango salsa. YUM.
Barry figured it would take him two hrs for each loop making him a 6 hr marathon runner -- so I got back about the approx. time again and here comes Barry walking w/ a race offical onto the sidewalk.
I looked at him and in a confused not so loving wife way ask "What are you doing?" Not, is everything okay dear? Are you hurt, sick...etc? Nice huh...need to work on myself a little.
Barry looked at me w/a very pail face and big glassed over eyes and did the cutting his throat sign. He said he was done.
After he had left for the second out and back he started to feel cramps in his legs. He thought to himself that was odd...so he got some salt pills from an aid station and drank some more gatorade. He had been hitting every aid station for some kind of liquid and he said they had really good little bites of peaches. After the salt pills (which was about mile 11) he started getting sick to his stomach and dizzy. By mile 15 he was throwing up and could not keep anything down. None of his liquids had been taken in by his body...they were just sitting in his stomach doing nothing. He got a police escort back and then that is when I ran into him.
We went to the med. area and it looked like something you would see on M.A.S.H. All the people in the cots and i.v. The heat had taken more than just Barry down. Before he came in they said it was 98 and that the road temp was 103.
Tom came in shortly after he finished his race (he finished in 12:01 - oh did I mention he is the father of Kyle Perry the really fast kid who runs for BYU - he broke a 4 min mile on an indoor track this year - Tom has never done any other distance races ever or competed in anything like this - makes you kind of sick. :) He won his age group (53). and gave Barry some enduralite pills. Barry felt a lot better in about 15 min. and he was up eating fruit and chicken noodle soup.
Once he was out of the med. place he said he felt fine about what happened that he did all he could do and he just didn't have the right supplements to keep his body working properly but all was well and he didn't want people feeling sorry for him because he didn't feel bad.
48hrs later Barry was bugged at the race and really bothered he didn't have those dang enduralite pills so he could have finished the race.
So is there another full triathlon/ironman in Barry's future...he first said never - now he said maybe but I think yes. He really loves the 1/2 distance. So stay tuned to see how long it will take him before he decides to do another full.
PS We decided NOT to have our kids compete this year in the Conway Kids Tri...too much going on w/ Barry training - Cameron's x-country camp @ BYU that he LOVED and traveling down to Padre Island for the Johnson Reunion.
Not arranged very exciting are they....