Sebastien Triathlon Team - Eugene

"Swim":35:20* ; Transition 1: 3:09; Cycle 1:13:15; Transition 2: 2:48; Run:45:37; Total: 2:40:07 =my result on LA Triathlon website....*there is aslight bit of info that might be pertinent. i will post my story onGetWellSebastien.com. T...the"swim" was more of a survival than a swim..... 7 foot breakers andraging currents make for a lifeguard nightmare and utter chaos as manycouldnt get out (yours truly included).

Yep - the sea's decided to change from a calm bathtub condition fri and sat to an angry ocean yesterday. once the race started the athletes ran straight out to buoy number 1. unfortunately the currents were so strong that the early groups were all pushed off course by a large margin.... which we observed from the beach... what was frightening is that these early groups are meant to be the "good" competitors... so this didnt bode well. it was chaos.... after 10mins many were getting out of the water and walking back up the beach to get back in approx 30 or 40 meters updrift of the buoy. Then the surf zone was just organised chaos as groups were mixing and spread out across the entire breaker zone; poor lifeguards were beginning to panic and sending later groups way up the beach..... so in we jumped and i proceeded to get pummeled by the waves and pushed by the currents.... the sets were relentless and at no stage did i get to swim per se!! i was just duck diving every 5-10 seconds as wave upon wave came in..... 4 times i tried i got closer and closer but also more beat up... i called it eventually and said i would rather live another few years and have my 7 children.... so off to the cycle i went with my pride left in the pacific.... bugger!!! i wasnt the only one but at the same time jean mi and alex and most others nailed the swim (go Darlene go - u rock star).... those boys and girl were incredible and i think the fact that they both surf may be important (me and stu are more land animals without gills).... others must have experience in waves... moi - not so much... the pool the past 2 months was a tad different to the Pacific yesterday... i was also looking for the blue line to follow (like the one in the pool) but didnt see one in the ocean.... haha he says... humor got me thru yesterday during the early stages!! that and eating humble pie and wondering how i will justify the abuse that will come eventually from the friend circle.... right now everyone is understanding and sympathic but we all know that this will wear off fast....

so off to the bike and low and behold i made progress... myself and stu headed from venice beach inland to downtown.... and of course there was a headwind... but the bike i had was pretty sick.... a Scattante to those of u who know bikes. My arse was sore at about 30km to the finish at 40k. Not sure if i would have liked going further.... but all in all it was tough but just a challenge that needed to be blown away (esp no excuses after not swimming). After the swim saga i had no reason to complain about anything. So the head was down and i finished the 40k in 1:13:15 which i was happy with; then i wobbled thru the transition w/ jelly legs and off for the run i went. it was a loop circuit with a big f o hill at Grand Ave which made me think the course designer was in a pissy mood when they made it out.... and things must of been mighty bad in their domestic life that day cos they decided we should do it twice!! yesterday i wanted to meet that designer and offer a few choice words and constructive opinions.... but long story short i did the 10k in 45:37 which i was surprised cos i didnt feel i was that quick.

So - the highlight was going past all the friends who came out on the course; they were awesome and lifted the spirits..... with the cow bell banging mercilessly and nicknames been thrown our way..... Thx to y'all.

The worst: was the disheartening swim saga... it was humbling as i cant remember getting my ass kicked that hard at a sports event ever.... except for a roasting i got from a fast corner forward when i played Under 16 hurling for Douglas. But i could just whack him with my hurley and that was fixed!!

Honestly - no regrets as the main reason we were there was to support Sebastien and his family.... i was more than happy thru out and everything was in perspective; we had a great barbq at Missy's last night and now i am typing on her patio w/ a coffee and the sun is shining; Life is good and Jean Mi and Shannon had a good time last night... I now leave this afternoon with Missy's red Carrera Porsche and travel up the coast to Fresno for the day and night to go with jean mi and check up on his house and dogs. Yes - she must be bonkers to give me the key but too late now.... top will be down and I will pretend to own it!!! Will but porsche cap and jacket :)

So - sin a bhfuil mo chairde (thats it my friends)

Y'all kicked ass in the fundraising and it is very much appreciated by everyone involved with Team Sebastien..... again - we are all blown away by the support; Personally i am incredibly proud of all my friends and i think i am doing alright with the people i have surrounded myself with..... i shouldnt be surprised by the support but it still makes me feel incredibly lucky. Thank u Thank u Thank u

I am a lucky lucky man.

Off to the hospital at noon to hang with Sebastien and his bro Julien for an hour or two before heading up the coast; Jean Mi's mom has also moved over from France is the sweetest woman ever - last time we met was when i visited them in Normandy, France and she was cheating in a card game against me and jean mi..... seriously - we still remind her!! She is a character who is an important part of their family the past months and for many months to come.

Will post some pics of the week here when i get a chance.

Love to all

Uncle Euge the dualathlete ;)

If i was an AA flight out of College Station at 10.30am where would i be????

yep - D Day.... leaving this morning for City of Angels. Super excited and tad nervous.... didnt help that i talked to a good friend Kevin last night who entertained me no end with stories of past race disasters..... i had forgotten that another close friend Greg wiped out on a corner of the road bike section of a tri in Kally yrs ago due to lack of practice - and he owned a bloody bike! So seeing as though my experience has been a spin class in the rec center here.... well it doesnt bode well!!

but it will be fun and another challenge to face head on and unafraid 'cos ultimately it will be a good day for jean mi and shannon to have close friends around them and there to support them. jean mi will prob run himself into the ground again so i hope he is smart enough to know his limit... but we know him too well and the forces driving him are astronomical.

Also i get to hang with Sebastien this week which will be cool - got him and Julien some kick ass Texas A&M t shirts to represent... also a dvd of looney tunes!! Cheap babysitting is what my brother calls the magic dvd!! Will be fun to see the next generation of kids in LA - a far cry from times past let me tell ya! no more Hollywood and Vine for these boys. As a geographer it is my duty to observe the differences in society... so i may do a quick recon trip to some humble establishment :) somewhere in the greater LA metropolis area.

So thx for your support everyone..... I get in to LA this evening and will start resting and carb'ing up... only work i have is some grading of student labs and some dry walling at friends house! I pick up the bike fri and start dabbling and adjusting the fit; will take it out fri and sat to get comfortable with cornering at Tour de France speeds.... then sunday at 8am i get to go thru a few waves before i get to 'swim'..... god only knows!!!

Again - my sincere thx - both myself and jean mi are blown away and in awe of everyones generosity.... personally i find it very heart warming and somewhat of a validation that i picked the right friends and was lucky enough to have a very supportive - some say extremely good looking as well - family - i think they are relieved that the lastest chapter in my world involves healthier pursuits than times past :)

Love to all -

Euge

Will report in Sunday......

My God! the support I have received has become embarrassing - thank youto one and all..... It has absolutely justified me taking on this tripand wee exercise event. Again - my sincere gratitude.... I trulybelieve that good people have good friends and that being the case Imust be a saint (ahem!!).

Swam 800m earlier this week and feltgood about it; then training was interrupted by visitors in town butstill managed to get in a decent run fri night before being evictedfrom the house due to 'girls movie nite'! Subsequently spent an hour atthe local irish bar hydrating for next week......

Planning torun 12 miles this afternoon once my boss realises its Sunday and thereis no sensible reason for us to be in the office doing sillyscience.......

Countdown to La-La-land is on - I leave thisweekend and have yet to plan my pre Sunday activites with the crew....will want to check out the fancy uber-fast bike i am borrowing fromDjango so I can adjust the heights from his boyish 5' 6" frame to mymanly 6' 2" adonis temple. 40km - so that saddle better be comfortable- but just in case i am bringing a John Deere tractor seat with me.This week is full on training in the water - will need to get morecomfortable and at leats try a distance over 1000m..... seeing asthough 1500m is the magic marker!

Love and good health to all my dear friends -

Thank you - from both myself and especially the Daniel family and the wee man Sebastien.

Swam 500m straight yesterday! and felt comfortable thru out.

The key: Cork lost the All Ireland Football final in the morning to our neighbors Kerry (again).... amazing what happens when u have lots of pent up rage and frustration......

Cycling is kicking my ass at the mo' - still doing twice a week spin classes.... 45-50min with a heart monitor staring at me and challenging me to go higher and higher.... (think i will take the Mr Heart Monitor to meet my friend Mr Sledgehammer this week).

The bright light in my week: soccer season starts this evening - so finally i get to kick someone ! thats the whole raison d'etre of sports right?

Most recent revelation is how i considered myself fit and in shape the past few yrs when clearly that was not the case..... i blame my friends!

so..... 2 weeks to go and feeling stronger than i have in a while... energy levels dangerously high so god knows how they will be focused during a week in LA.... the boys should warn their women and children..... perhaps its best to leave town for a few days!!

getting super excited to spend time w/ the crew in LA... and also meeting some old friends... the tri will be awesome and has a few loops in the course which means i get to see the friends ahead of me a few times..... or as i told Jean mi.... maybe they will all gather after finishing to watch me finish the swim section! So said doggy paddle doesnt work!

Love to all - and thx for the ongoing support....

Euge aka La Gran Ballena Blanca

not the best of dates in american history..... 8 years later and god only knows what is fixed.

swam yesterday and cramped up both calf muscles - hurt this morn so i got a wee limp on; had to leave swim practice which felt demoralising... the only reason was 'cos i swam for 30 mins solid prior to practice - forcing the issue i guess isnt the best!! and these young pups w/ their fancy skinny ass torso's dont help matters...

not sure what to do about the sore legs - will wait this this evening and then hopefully have energy and enthusiasm to do something healthy; no drinking at happy hr today.... although tomor i do get dispensation!

tomor = run in morn at 8am; golf at 1pm; USC v Ohio St at 7pm and then housewarming party at the house post/during game.... Chris just blew her credit card outta the water and purchased a 50" monster - so its a win win - she gets to watch her beloved Miami and i get to watch SC and soccer.

Sunday is usually my day off - so group of us going to watch Texans vs Jets..... should be fun. Always fun getting out of town for another road trip.

Then Monday the last 2 weeks of intense training starts and i need to do some trial runs i.e. how far can i actually swim.... aint gone beyond 200m so far.... which seems laughable but compared to where i was a month ago this is rock solid!!

have a great weekend

la gimp

First Sunday of September and Kilkenny are playing Tipperary in theAllIreland Hurling final in about 5 mins..... No Cork todayunfortunately but we will bein the football final in 2 weeks againstthe old rival Kerry - so mymother from west Cork and father from westKerry wont talk to each other that day!!! Currently sitting intheoffice Sunday morn trying to work but pretty much 90% focused onCrokePark! Work can wait an hour while i get in touch with my irishroots and reminisce on games i played in my youth.... hahaaaa "icouldda been a contenda"!!!

Legs are sore as hell... long, fastrun Friday night (7miles) and slower jog Sat morn with KOR (6 miles).Then spent the dayin recovery mode - eating a lot basically... withsome retail therapy:Toys R Us for the gruesome twosome nephew and niecein Helsinki (Main turns 3 next week) and some newathletic attire formyself to make my at least look fast!! For the record: this activityneither helped my old man tired legs nor the shiny new abused creditcard :)

Signed up for a spin class every Mon and Weds at the reccenter here.... which means cycling like a drugged up Tour de Francecyclist flying high up the Alpe d'Huez chasing some Spanaird orFrenchman. Thescheduling thing works best for me as I can get'distracted' easilyenough..... it rhymes with "schmeer"

Alsosigned our dept up for a soccer league thatoccurs Monday nites. As thefearless El Capitan I need to lead byexample... but a good basically agood excuse to run around after thecycling class..... its also co-recwhich means we get to have girls onthe team; nothing like gettingburned by a some gazelle girl on thesoccer field!! I plan to use anaggressive recruiting campaign in order to get enough ladies topartake.... the new unassuming students dont know me yet so that shouldwork out wonderfully.

Tues and Thurs nights are swimming drillswiththe tri team here at A&M.... so should be a busy month.....alsosigned up for the San Antonio marathon in November just in caseithought i might actually stop training after Oct 4. Having fun at themoment but still need to break this swimming thing! with timehopefully!! also enjoying sleeping.... havent gotten beyond 2 pages inmy book the past weeks....

Off for a swim later thisafternoon..... 'planning' to attempt my first long swim - 400m!!! Thatsthe plan at least!! Here's hoping. Plan may become dismantled as a gaspfor air after 75m and decide instead to 'work on technique' i.e. anyexcuse to stop!

Other news:'slightly' fell off the verytemporary wagon friday night but only 'cos i hada nice dinner andconsumed a few glasses of good french wine.... a man needsto have thevino with his angel hair pasta! all good... no need forintervention yeti reckon!! hahaaaaaa!! i digress....

Sin e bhfuil mo chairde! (that's it my friends)

Garbh mile a maith agut (thank you very much)

Eoghan O Fearghail (eugene farrell)

Much love to y'all from Texas where they are Young, Wild and Country!

Well last night i got my first proper swim lesson in years.... the coach of the A&M triathlon team is a friend of a friend so he came to the pool yesterday to help me out. Very nice guy who has the patience of a saint and seems to have a very good personality for this task.

Long story short - in 30 mins of pointers and suggestions he made me about 400% more hydrodynamic than i was. Now i realise i was just mushing thru the water.... being inefficient in the water isnt conducive to completing long distance swims!

So he gave me a bunch of exercises to help my technique.

Main points:
Keep my head lower in water; (helps the line)
Push my chest down; (so my hips and arse rise up)
Short fast kicks with knees straight (imagine u are in a tube and u dont want to go beyong the boundaries)
Breath with half my head still in water i.e. dotn rise the head.... sounds easier than it is!

Of course all this was news to me!!! But despite it being difficult at first i have no doubt it will help enormously - i just gotta get in the pool and keep practicing these exercises. Next Weds we are meeting to work on my 'propulsion'..... hahhaaaaaa the guy is ambitious if nothing else! i also will start water training with the A&M triathlon team the week after - twice a week in the water with the real triathletes!!!

So - hopefully in the next 5 weeks i can bring it all together - here's hoping!

Sin a bhfuil mo chairde

Til next time.......

Thx again for all the support - it has been fantastic and he is certainly heart warming.

Euge 'Flipper' Farrell

I am truly blessed to have such supportive family and friends. Since I made the request for support last week to do this triathlon the money has come from all corners of my life. And the sentiments sent to me have been heart warming.

This has resulted in two main thought processes:

1. I am humbled to have such good people in my world.

2. It lit a fire under my ass to go training intensively and smartly rather than leisurely; the pressure is on!

The Run:
The running part is the least of my worries - i have managed to do marathons and half marathons in the past and recently and i presume these will stand to me; so 10km is nothing - unless of course it is preceded by some other exercise - say for example a swim and bike ride!! Either way i ran 10km this w/end and felt strong! The ipod shuffle has been my saving grace for the lonely miles on the road - thx Missy - one of the best gifts i have ever received - and certainly one that has encouraged me to stay healthy by getting me on the road. Myself, Bono, Damien Rice, Jay Z and Dr Dre are best of buds!!

The Bike:
I sold my bike when i left LA - but no worries my boys have a bunch of spare bikes so i dont need to fork out $1000 for a road bike. Therefore my bike training has involved going to the student rec center here on campus and sweating out liters on the bike machines. However the powers that be here just introduced a 30min max on the time u can spend on any one machine (4 bikes in total) so i will have to complete 40km in 30mins.... Lance Arnstrong speeds required me thinks! Also i'm not sure if the 'pretty people' appreciate some stinky irishman sweating and praying audibly to God or Allah (depending on who is beside me) to get him over the virtual hills on the course i normally do! So far i have enjoyed the biking although my legs do feel like jelly when i push the rates - which means i need to start getting them primed soon enough to face a run after we complete the 40km!

The Swim:
Hahaaaaahaaaaaaa - i laugh in jest at the concept of me swimming any distance.... as it stands i will drown! i can do a solid fast 50m in the pool - which leaves me only 1450m to go! So here's the plan: grow a set of gills and evolve flippers.... seeing as though the odds are against me on these occurring i am meeting a swim trainer this thurs evening to improve my stroke technique. Otherwise there is no chance i will finish. I did 800m in previous triathlons yrs ago in LA but had Jean Michel training me and i spent at least 3 mornings a week in the pool before work. So i swam this w/end sat and sun and each time spent about 30mins swimming - but only 50m at a time. It will be a slow process of building up pool strength and getting comfortable in the water again. But it is my focus for next 6 weeks! To be able to finish leg 1 of this triathlon! This whole bilateral breathing thing is not working so far - i had forgotten how technical swimming is.... and then it is also depressing as people in lanes beside me are whizzing up and down and doing fancy flip/kick transitions. The internet had provided some good pointers but it is difficult to multitask and stay afloat! This is a concern right now but hopefully Dan The Swim Man whom i have never met will give me good advice thurs; of course he may say: "You must be barking mad if u think u can swim 1500m by Oct 4" in which case I will fire him!!

Thank again everyone

"My words don’t do justice to how I feel about Jean Mi and Shannon. They truly are a unique pair. At different times in the past they have provided me with shelter and comfort when I was fighting my own personnel storm; a margarita (or 3, ahem!) when I needed a margarita; some french cooking when I needed the company; but most of all they offered me unconditional love through the good times, the bad times and many many happy times. For me, they are best defined by the fact that their front door is permanently open to everyone - and, at different times, we have all reached out to their generosity. I am fortunate in my life to have met and become friends with many people whom I consider special and Jean Mi and Shannon certainly fit the criteria. I wish I could click my fancy heels and make it all better and wake up from another bad dream but the reality is that this fight of Sebastien's with leukemia is real. But the wagons are circling and I want nothing more than to be part of the support structure to this family as they go through trying times. Thank you kindly for supporting these dear friends of mine! Eugene 'Phelps Armstrong Gebreselassie' Farrell is going to put himself through all sorts of triathlon related pain barriers but would do it all 10 times over if it makes wee Sebastien, Julien, Jean Mi and Shannon's fight even slightly one bit easier!"